Page 68 of Unmatched

I level my gaze with hers. “I would never tell you what to do with the Pooches.”

“I know that.” She straightens. “But I’m interested in your opinion.”

“Okay. Then my opinion is you should sit down and have a discussion with these guys.”

She flashes me a look, clearly challenging my casual use of the word “guys.” Lydia’s worked her ass off to prove herself as a female business owner, and people acting surprised she isn’t male rankles her every time. Which is part of the reason I said it.

I bite back a smile as she narrows her eyes. And for a second, everything almost feels right.

Now, despite myself, I’m antsy to touch her again. The expression on her face, coupled with the fact that I know she is fully naked under that robe is making it hard to focus.

I clear my throat. “There’s a lot you could do with that amount of money.”

“Yes. But there are factors to consider besides just the offer amount,” she says abruptly.

“Well, yeah, of course.” I know Lydia will have the best interests of her companies and employees at heart, but that can all be built into negotiations. I’m not a lawyer, but I read over every line of the contract and her profit and loss statements, and it’s a good initial offer. As it stands, she’ll make more from this deal than she would just owning the businesses over the next ten years.

But I’ll admit I’m having a hard time seeing past my own fantasies at the moment. A bunch of dreams I thought I’d let go of have drifted back to the surface. We could go on a second honeymoon—or a first one, really, since we skipped ours seven years ago to save up for the house. A trip of any kind would be nice, just some time to reconnect. Maybe we could start with the hot springs, then Europe. Bring along her new pink toy and keep up what we’ve started. I never thought she’d really “work on” sex, but she’s proven me way wrong. Maybe we’ll keep getting better at it.

The options seem limitless as soon as Lydia has time for us. And I can’t see a better opportunity than this.

“I have my employees to think about,” she says, and I simmer in a moment of irritation, because she never seems to put as much value on us as them. Tomás is a good guy. He could stay on with a new owner and probably get a nice raise. I’m not sure what new drama is going on with Scarlet. She’s more trouble than Lydia’s willing to admit, but she’s got a good gig and she knows it. The rest will figure things out for themselves.

“Okay, sure. What else?” I ask, trying to play devil’s advocate.

She sinks to one of the chairs across from me, resting her head in her hands. Her robe parts, exposing her naked thighs, and I am dying to push it up the rest of the way.

“I just—I don’t—” She stops and presses her lips together.

Something softens in my chest hearing her confidence waver.

“Hey,” I say, hopping to the floor. “Maybe we need to back up and appreciate how huge this offer even is for someone who opened her first business with a zero percent offer on a credit card.” I smile, reminding us both of the early days of Ooh La Pooch. I gesture to the offer on the laptop screen. “Look what you’ve achieved, Lydia. Most businesses fail within five years—this is unimaginable success.”

She blinks at me, her eyes shining a little.

I sink down in front of her and take her hand. “I know this is a huge decision, but I’ll be right here with you. Once it’s done, you can regroup, take some time to focus on things you haven’t had time for. Maybe you could even open another business down the road. Whatever you want to do, I just want you to know I’m proud, and I support you.”

“Anton, I—” She looks down at our joined hands, and a tear tracks down her cheek. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much that means.”

I give her fingers a gentle squeeze, and my heart nudges open just a little more. When she raises her head, we share a shy smile, and by the color of her cheeks I’m sure we’re both thinking about how we spent the last twelve hours. A vivid future unfurls in my imagination, one I could never have fathomed a couple of weeks ago. Where we actually play together on the same team, like a real married couple—maybe even as a family. Something stirs deep within me and I lose myself in the possibilities as we lean toward each other, our lips meeting in a slow, hopeful kiss.

“I’ve already decided,” she whispers against my cheek. “I’m going to turn it down.”

I open my eyes, so lost in the vanilla scent of her hair, I must have misheard what she said. “Huh?”

“I’m not going to sell.” She pulls back to look at me, a bold glint in her eye. “Like you said, I’ve achieved so much. I’m not ready to stop.”

I flounder, trying to take my next breath. “I uh—that’s not actually what I was suggesting.”

She tilts her head. “What do you mean?”

“Accepting this offer—selling the Pooches—could change your whole life. Our life.”

“Well, yeah, obviously. But so could turning it down.” A smile plays at her lips. “You just reaffirmed to me—I am already successful, and can continue to be. I guess I’ve just been so overwhelmed opening Pooch Park II, I couldn’t see my own potential until someone else was interested.”

“Come again?” I ask, struggling to follow.

“Why let ABizCorp take the Pooches to the next level when I can do it myself? I could add boarding or pet sitting to the daycare if I figure out the logistics and insurance. And I’ve been wanting to add a mobile service to Ooh La Pooch—oh! Actually, I might even be able to offer obedience training!” She turns to her laptop and starts typing up notes.

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