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And she was smart, so smart.
While we were with the dean, I let her do most of the talking and just sat back, enjoying the show as my strong, determined woman made sure her best friend was taken care of. She emphasized Hannah’s good grades, how she worked to support herself, and how Hannah was a good person. I could tell Joy was nervous, because she didn’t seem to notice that the dean had already agreed to give Hannah the time. In fact, he gave Joy a month off to recover from her injuries as well, telling her that she could do her assignments online, and someone would take over her tutoring.
I couldn’t help but smile as she surprised the dean by arguing that she still had to make her tutoring sessions, explaining that she was the only one who was giving them solid college advice. The school guidance counselors were already overwhelmed with kids in real danger of dropping out of school who needed their help, so Joy spent two hours every other Thursday after school doing college prep classes for the kids who had the grades to go. I enjoyed watching the dean’s eyes go wide as he realized that, yes, even though Joy was as cute as a fucking Playboy Bunny, she also had a big brain in her pretty head and a big heart to match.
Giving her a small smile as we walked beneath a row of trees, I said in a low voice, “By the way, you did great back there. You were very impassioned in your friend’s defense.”
She turned away as I held her hand, then rubbed the back of my hand with her thumb as we walked past a gawking trio of girls in short shorts. “I think I spewed verbal diarrhea all over him.”
Laughter burst from me, and she shot me a quick grin. “No, you were fine.”
“When I feel strongly about something I tend to get very…excited about it.”
We turned around the corner of the building, I spotted my red Maserati GranTurismo being guarded by one of my men, keeping the gawking crowd of college students at bay.
“Well, you got Hannah all the time off she needs, and yourself, as well.”
“It was nice of the dean to offer to send a bunch of people from the register’s office in my place at the high school. They’ll be able to give those kids so much valuable advice. Really, thank you for all your help. You have no idea how much what you’re doing is going to change people’s lives.”
“I know you don’t believe me when I say this, ‘cause you don’t know me well enough yet, but there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make you happy.”
A soft pink blush stole over her cheeks, and she lightly swatted my arm. “Shut up.”
A big smile curved her lips, and I couldn’t stop myself from lifting her up for a brief, soft kiss before setting her back down on her feet.
Wobbling a bit on her heels for a second, she blushed as we resumed walking. “What was that for?”
“You’re adorable.”
She slugged me lightly on the arm. “Stop.”
“You don’t like compliments, do you?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
“They make me uncomfortable.”
“Someone saying something nice about you makes you uncomfortable?”
Her shoulders drew up a bit as she tensed. “I know it sounds weird, but yeah.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Her tone and body language were evasive, so I slowed our walk as we approached my car, heat from the pavement baking us beneath the bright desert sun. “What don’t you like about it?”
“Why is this such a big deal to you?”
“Because I’m going to compliment you a lot, and I don’t want it to make you uneasy. I want it to make you feel good. That’s why I point out the things I like about you, the ones I appreciate, because I want you to feel good, not bad.”
Sighing, she scanned the crowd standing about twelve feet back from my car, taking pictures with their cell phones. I have to admit, my ride was sexy and built to attract attention. Kind of like my girl. Watching the boy’s eyes light up when they got an eyeful of my woman never failed to send a spark of pride through my chest. Sexist, misogynistic, whatever—I was proud that my woman was beautiful inside and out. Even as she aged, as time wore on and our bodies changed, I would always find her stunning. I knew this in my gut, and it only deepened my resolve to win her over.
“Can we talk about this later?” Her voice was tight as she pretended to not see the people watching us like we were some live reality show for their viewing pleasure.
She was clearly uncomfortable being the center of attention, but she had to learn she belonged to me, that she was my queen now, and she deserved to be treated and worshiped like one. People would look at her everywhere she went, and not just because she was with me. They’d look because my woman was so hot, it was hard to believe she was real. And she was all mine, but I had to treat her right.
