Page 47 of Raw Deal

“I bet you won’t last another month, especially not now that you’ve come back here for a visit. Vegas is in your blood.”

His eyes narrowed on her mouth. “I’ll take that bet.”

In a flash, he was kissing her. Once they started, they couldn’t stop. It seemed as if it had been years since they had made love. Years instead of just over a month.

She pulled at his clothes while he stripped hers off. They stumbled into the bedroom, still kissing, and fell on top of the bed. Their passion for each other hit an all-time high. She banished her thoughts to a dark place. All she wanted to do was revel in the feeling of his hands on her body.

Later, they snuggled. With their naked bodies entwined beneath the sheet, he kissed her on the sensitive spot behind her ear. His hot breath stirred the tiny hairs back there.

She moaned, eyes closed, and enjoyed the moment. Then he ruined it.

“Live with me,” he whispered.

She sighed in frustration. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

“Not until I get my way.”

Marriage was about compromising, or so she’d been told. With that in mind, she said, “We are staying in our little house, Nik, but Mia can stay over with you one night each weekend.”

“Will you join us?”

She got ready to tell him that she would be staying in her own home. The thought that Mia might need her changed her mind. What if the little girl got scared being in a strange place? Mia might be happy during the day just to freak out once it got dark.

“I’ll be there.” She pasted on a smile. “I’ll make you and Mia an incredible breakfast in that beautiful kitchen you so sweetly put together for me.”

His lips moved to her throat, and he burned a trail up to her jawline. “Can’t wait. But what about moving in with me? Sell your little house or rent it out. I don’t care which. Live with me. Let’s be a real family.”

“If the weekend visits work out and Mia is happy, maybe we can stay with you more often.”

“Ah, I see.” He chuckled. “You want to work your way up to living with me. Okay. As long as we’re moving in the right direction, I’m all for it.”

He began to kiss his way down her body, moving the sheet inch by inch. She didn’t have to ask what he had in mind. Eyes closed, she rested her head against the pillow and enjoyed the blissful sensations his skilled mouth brought her.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Do you know what Mia just said to me?” Chloe asked from the doorway.

Nik glanced up from his paperwork. Both of his girls were under his roof for the weekend, and he was trying hard not to think about Monday when they would return to Chloe’s small abode. Sometimes he almost felt like they were a normal family. Then they were gone.

He shrugged. “Haven’t a clue.”

“She wants us to move to Vegas.” Chloe stepped into the den with folded arms. “Do you know why?”

Nik sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “If we’re going to keep playing this guessing game, it’s going to be a long night.”

“Your mother told Mia she’ll buy her a pony if she gets us to move there.” With a pinched mouth, Chloe shook her head. “Estelle has gone too far this time. She is already teaching our daughter to manipulate.”

“I think you’re getting worked up over nothing. Every kid wants a pony.”

“That’s not the point, Nik. Your mother only spent an hour with Mia, and she already has her acting like an Andropolis. I don’t want her around Mia. Never again.”

Nik’s mouth tightened. “Mia is an Andropolis. You say it like it’s a terrible thing, and you think we’re all too awful to be around her, including me.”

She rolled her eyes. “That isn’t what I said, and it isn’t what I meant.”

“But you think I’m manipulative.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

---