Page 92 of Forever Wild

I feel my mouth drop open, and my chest tightens. Is he for real?

“I can send you the contract with all the information, but not knowing your current salary, I think the amount we are offering should be about twice as much as what Hungry Guy offers their directors.”

“Oh, I—” Jameson shakes his head, silently trying to communicate that I shouldn’t tell Conrad that I quit today, but I don’t want to start off by lying to my boss.

I look Conrad in the eye and say, “Thank you so much for the offer. It truly sounds like everything I could have dreamed of. And I know this isn’t the best tactic, but I want to be honest with you. I quit Hungry Guy today. Turns out, they promoted the guy who leaked the article about Jameson and me to the press. Doubling my current salary of zero dollars shouldn’t be too hard.”

Conrad laughs. “Okay, first professional development day will be spent working on your negotiation skills. I actually know a former hostage negotiator who can do wonders for you.”

“I also want to make sure you’re not doing this because of Jameson. I can find another job on my own. I’m—” Conrad holds up his hand.

“Let me stop you right there. I do not hire people just because of who they know. I looked into your work at Hungry Guy. I even talked to your boss, Tara. I believe you are the right fit for our company. Jameson might’ve been the one who suggested the idea, but I would’ve never agreed to it if I didn’t want you for your own skills and experience.”

I smile, appeased by his statement. “I’ll definitely need to look over the job offer, but this sounds amazing.” I exchange an updated email address with Conrad, and he promises to send over the offer first thing in the morning.

Our food arrives and we fall into casual conversation, the men carrying the bulk of the conversation while my brain tries to process everything that has happened today.

I can’t believe I started my morning thinking I was going to get a promotion at Hungry Guy, have to move permanently to California, and lose Jameson in the process. Now, I’m employed by one of the top investment firms in the country, am free to work from wherever, and it’s all because of Jameson. Because he believes in me and supports what’s important to me. Because now that I’ve had the chance to think about it, I know I would’ve never been happy just following him around. I need the challenge of work. I like the mental stimulation of my job.

But I also want to be with Jameson.

And somehow, the man managed to coordinate the perfect opportunity for me to do both.

Chapter forty-seven

Jameson

“I never thought that dinner would end,” I say, pulling Bryn back to the house I’m renting as fast as I can. Would it be too much to just fireman-carry her?

“I can’t believe you did that for me,” she says, practically jogging to keep up with me.

“I would do anything for you.”

“I’m beginning to understand that.”

“Trust me, by the time I’m done with you, you will believe it with your whole entire being.”

I push the door open, pulling her into the living room and dragging her body against mine. Leaning in, I press my lips gently against hers, savoring the taste of her, the warmth of her against my skin. Our kiss is tender yet fervent, a silent plea for forgiveness, for redemption in each other’s arms.

My fingers tangle in her hair, pulling her closer as I deepen the kiss, pouring all of my love and longing into the moment.

I pull away, breathless and dizzy with emotion, and look into Bryn’s eyes, seeing the depth of her love reflected back at me. “I love you, Bryn,” I whisper, my voice raw with emotion. “More than anything in this world. More than golf, more than money, more than anything. If having you means I need to give everything else up, I will. You just say the word and I’ll quit and become your personal assistant or dog walker or anything that would allow me to be in your life forever.”

She smiles at me, and I know it’s going to be okay. I know I haven’t lost the woman who makes me whole. I wasn’t sure this whole plan was going to work, and my assistant and I were both working overtime all weekend to make it happen, but seeing the smile on Bryn’s face tonight made it all worth it. Especially after hearing how shitty of a day she had. I can’t focus on Kyle and Alexis’s betrayal now, but I mentally file it away in a “Future Revenge” folder of my brain. No one fucks with Bryn and gets away with it.

“I love you, too, Jameo,” Bryn murmurs, her voice barely a whisper. “More than you’ll ever know. But please don’t become my assistant. You would be truly terrible at it. Maybe stick to your golf hobby for now.”

I laugh, a deep, throaty sound that vibrates through my soul. Her eyes scan my face, darkening at whatever lust she must see there. Bryn places a hand on my chest, pushing me back gently until my legs bump against the couch, forcing me to sit. Taking the hint, I grip her hips, thumbs stroking the curve of her side as she moves her thighs to either side of my legs.

She lowers tauntingly slow onto my lap, and I reach out, guiding her hips until her core is directly over my straining erection still held captive by my pants. Bryn leans back slightly as I continue to guide her up and down, running her center along my length.

She crashes her mouth to mine and I tangle one of my hands in her hair, pulling slightly.

“Fuck,” I moan. “I was so sure I’d never have the chance to do this again.”

“I know. I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t want to end this. I was just scared. I was so scared I would just end up letting you down, or that I’d get lost in the process of keeping you.”

Just as I feel her start to tense, I stand and carry Bryn to my bed. She flops back on the mattress and I reach out, grabbing the waistband of her pants and slowly pulling them down. Her body relaxes, her head tilting back as she lets out a contented sigh.

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