Page 252 of Sweet Temptation

“I do,” he muttered. And I knew that was true.

Crowds put him on high alert. Especially when it was just the two of us, like it was today. I was glad to have Andre around, as my full-time bodyguard now, so that Ronan could relax and just be with me when we went out. And I absolutely loved telling my bodyguard, He’s precious to me. Protect him.

But sometimes I still preferred it when my man was the only one watching my ass.

“Well, when did you shop for my gift?” I asked him. I was digging, desperately wanting to know if he’d gotten me a gift yet.

“A while ago,” he muttered, throwing me a look. Clearly, that was all he was about to admit.

I beamed at him. “You look adorable in that sweater. So you can try to stop being delicious, but it’s not working.”

“Don’t try to butter me up. I told you, I already got your gift.”

“What? Can’t a girl pay you a compliment?” I was only speaking truth. It was a nice, thick sweater from a local designer, a simple gray wool that clung nicely to his muscles.

Though it did have a sprig of bright red-and-green mistletoe knit into it over the left breast.

I’d begged him to wear it while we went Christmas shopping, and he’d given in. And I loved how it made the salespeople smile at him. No matter how he tried, he just couldn’t pull off grinchy in that thing.

“If we’re gonna do this living together thing,” he said, watching as I started poking through the bags, “maybe you can give me an idea of the budget beforehand. So the vein in my head doesn’t throb the entire time you shop.”

“I know. This was all very spendy of me. But look.” I started pulling things out of the bags. “I’m a great gift giver. I got the perfect gifts for everyone on my Christmas list.” I held up a six-pack of craft beer and a men’s black T-shirt that said, Don’t bother, Santa already knows you’re an asshole. “Ashley,” I said triumphantly. When Ronan looked only mildly impressed, I held up a bottle of Canadian whiskey and a giant mug that said, Bossy Bosspants. “Brody?” When he just shook his head, I held up the bottle of premium tequila and the men’s underwear from the sex shop I’d dragged him into; they were skimpy boxer briefs, bright red with cutouts at the sides that would show off his ass muscles. “And these are for you.”

He took the gifts from my hands, hesitantly, when I shoved them at him. “So, basically, you give gifts that make people you care about uncomfortable?”

My jaw dropped. “Excuse me? These are gifts to make people I care about smile.”

He held the underwear up next to his face. “Is this making me smile?”

He definitely wasn’t smiling.

“Well, not right now, sweetie. But later when you strip down and slide them on, and I get insta-wet… trust me, you’re gonna be happy.”

His eyebrow spiked at that. Then he stuffed the underwear in the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ll just save these for later, then.”

“Oh! And check this out.” I pulled another gift from the bag. “His and hers mugs!” I thrust them toward him as he leaned in to read them.

The first one said I like her and had a picture of a cat on it. The other one said I like his and had a picture of a rooster on it.

“Get it??” I prodded.

“Please tell me those aren’t for us.”

“They’re for Flynn and Angeline. It’s the perfect couple gift.”

Yes, Flynn and Angie were officially a couple now. I was thrilled that the two of them had hooked up after Elle invited them both over to her place and left them alone—with a bottle of wine. I’d definitely take credit for that, thank you very much.

The two of them were living proof that sometimes opposites really do attract. They were freaking adorable together.

“‘Perfect’ might be a stretch,” Ronan said.

“Just admit that I’m a fabulous matchmaker.”

“Kinda helps if you already know one of them is in love with the other. You’re fifty-percent there already.”

“Don’t even try to downplay my success on this.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

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