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“You’re wearing a towel,” she counters.
“That’s normal.”
She goes to the door, squinting through the peephole. “Relax, it’s a woman. Get out of sight.”
I step back in the bathroom, hearing her greet the room service attendant and then soft conversation.
The door shuts and I come back in time to catch her snatch a small cloth bag from the middle of the cart. Then she spots the gigantic bouquet I specifically ordered and her face lights up.
“I wanted you to have fresh flowers this week.”
“You spoil me.”
“Get used to it.”
She returns to the bed. “Come here.”
Her tone and expression are unreadable. Nervous, hesitant, sweet, bold, daring, needy—so many more I’ve memorized this week. But this is new.
“I bought you something,” she says shyly.
“You bought me something?”
“Last night I had a revelation. There are a lot of Rinas in your past.”
My stomach rolls and I open my mouth, but she holds up a finger to stop me.
“I’m not upset about it, but I discovered that I have a fiercely vibrant jealousy streak. I needed to make my statement.” She tips the bag, and a ring falls into her palm. “If this isn’t your style, it’s cool, but I thought maybe you should have your own.”
I stare at the polished black titanium ring.
“It’s masculine and reminded me of you. Polished, sharp, beautiful.” She finishes quickly.
Outside of a small watch collection, jewelry has never been my thing. Five seconds ago, that changed.
“Put it on.”
She takes my left hand and slides it on my middle finger. The instant it hits the base, it feels natural.
“Now we match.” She waves her hand in my line of sight.
I grab her hand and yank her to my chest. “Jesus, Poppy.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. Completely unnecessary, because you have nothing to worry about.”
“I wanted to do it for you and to prove,” she stops, taking in a shuttered breath, “that I’m all in.”
All in.
The words explode in my brain. This isn’t about trusting me, she’s all fucking in. We’ll figure out the rest together.
I flip her to her back and quickly undo the buttons on the shirt to see her body.
“Honey?”
I run my tongue around her piercing and kiss my way down. “I’m leaving this room with this image right here, you in my shirt laid out on this bed, and the taste of you on my lips.”
Her eyes instantly heat.
“Good thing I planned on a long breakfast,” I tell her before sucking her clit in my mouth.
Chapter 11
Poppy
Tell me you’re home.
Evin’s text comes through right as we walk in the door. It’s five-thirty in the morning in South Carolina.
“You can have the bathroom first.” Ryanne crashes on the sofa.
On the way to the bathroom, I drop my bag and rush through my routine. Before I can message him back, the phone rings.
“Hey, sweetie, got home a few minutes ago.”
“Jesus, it’s late. What exactly did Ryanne need?”
“She has a big show tomorrow, and her assistant had an emergency, so Dante and I were helping.”
“I thought she organized trade shows.”
“She does. This project required her setting up the welcome reception.”
“Does this happen often?”
“Rarely, but it happens.”
His silence stretches as I crawl into bed. “Are you mad?”
“I’m not happy, but that’s my problem. I slept like shit, knowing you weren’t home.”
“I was fine.”
“You were over two thousand miles away and I was…” he sighs, not finishing.
“Completely fine. Dante walked us to our car and the hotel was secure.”
“Baby, you love him, and Dante may be six-feet tall, but he’s a slim guy.”
“He’s a black belt in karate and spars with an MMA woman in the circuit.”
“Huh, for real?”
“Yes, and Ryanne trains with the same MMA group.”
“Didn’t see that coming.”
“She’s one of the most loyal and kindhearted people I know. But underneath her feisty personality is a fierce protector. If you fuck with her or the people she loves, her inner-bitch will slice you to pieces. With her body and her mouth.”
“Good to know.” His tone is more relaxed.
“How was your dinner with family?”
“As expected, it was an ambush.”
During our calls the last few days, he explained that a Sunday afternoon at the Grahams’ would turn into a waylay. “You okay?”
“My ring was the topic of conversation for God knows how long.”
I smile to myself, way too happy at his news. “You’re wearing it?”
“Of course.”
“I like that.”
“God, I miss you.”
My stomach flips and flops as I fold into my pillows. “I miss you, too.”
“How were your performances tonight?”
“Awesome, the theatre was a full house, and it’s scheduled to be that way all week.”
“I think you may have a fan club sitting in the audience next month.”
“Who?”
“Darby and Ashlyn raved. Mom and Jill got the green-eyed monster looks and didn’t like feeling excluded. Lynda wasn’t as vocal in her jealousy but was equally interested in seeing your show. Maya, being a typical teenage girl, decided she wasn’t missing out and made Pierce promise she could jump on the bandwagon.”
