Page 78 of Filthy Rich

“No. The only thing I want right now is a nice, hot shower.”

“Coming up,” he says, leading the way.

I turn to follow him but stop when I feel a sudden overwhelming feeling of… I don’t even know.

Emptiness. Weakness. Maybe even a little desolation.

Everything I own in the entire world is sitting in those few boxes in the middle of someone else’s house. My father and Mrs. Hooper are both gone from my daily life now, which means that I have no more parental figures. No one to protect me from the world’s rough edges. Lucien is with me, sure, and I’m welcome here. For now. But this is all temporary, and I’ll have to make my own way in the world soon enough. And I’m only fooling myself if I think I’ve done anything other than postpone the inevitable moment when Lucien and I go our separate ways.

He realizes I’m not right behind him and turns back, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

I hesitate as another wave of concerns hits me.

Back on the ship, Lucien and I were roughly equal. Well, not equal equal, but the playing field was kind of level. He was a god, I was a girl, we wanted each other and that was it. We were on neutral turf. I had Mrs. Hooper to fall back on.

But here? Nothing but wall-to-wall reminders that Lucien belongs to a world so different from mine that we may as well occupy separate planets. Back on the ship, he was just a man. Here? He’s a mogul. An empire.

I’m only here by his good graces. He could wake up tomorrow morning, decide he’s had enough of me and kick me out. Where would I go? I have no money and no apartment until my new lease starts in September.

And that’s not including the big thing, which is that this is the house he shared with his beloved dead wife. While her actual ghost may not be roaming the halls, I’m sure her presence has soaked into every inch of this mansion.

Where do I fit in?

My world suddenly seems a lot bigger, scarier and shakier.

“Tamsyn?”

My pride won’t let me open up. It’s too much vulnerability to share. “I feel like I’m underdressed for this house,” I say instead, trying to laugh.

His frown deepens. “That’s not it. Tell me.”

“I just…” I trail off, shrugging helplessly. “I’m so grateful. But I’m not sure I belong here.”

He pauses, a lot of turbulence rising to the surface of his expression. I almost get the feeling the part of him wants to agree with me. “I want you here,” he finally says. “That’s the bottom line. I don’t plan to listen to anyone who says otherwise. Including you. Okay?”

What can I say? It’s not like I have other options or a better offer waiting in the wings.

It’s not like there’s anywhere in the universe I’d rather be than with him.

“Okay.”

We head to the final bedroom, which turns out to be one of the dark-paneled rooms, the biggest and grandest of all, with the very best view of the bay. It’s no surprise to see that our suitcases from the trip have already appeared in the room.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says when I go to my suitcase for a change of clothes and my toiletries.

“What?”

“I’ve got everything you need,” he says, that familiar gleam in his eye. “Let’s get you in the shower.”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” I say as he tugs me behind him into the bathroom, another marble extravaganza with a walk-in shower that could accommodate a small carwash. “I don’t know what scheme you’re cooking up, but we just got off a long flight.”

“Me?” he says, hitting several switches on the wall. Towel and floor warmers, I’m guessing. And even the shower springs to life, water streaming from jets at every angle. “I never scheme.”

But I know that soft laugh of his. I know exactly what he has in mind.

We watch each other as we ditch our clothes and meet beneath an enormous showerhead that’s like a Brazilian rainforest experience. I lean into the glass door, sighing and letting my head droop as the liquid heat hits me. God, I feel better already. Especially when he appears behind me, pressing his big body against mine as he backs me up into his arms.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he says in my ear as he pulls me closer.

---