Page 64 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”

“But the money…” she whispered, reminding us of the cross we both bore.

“Money has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”

“And how do you feel about me?” She licked her lips, and I watched that pink tongue slide across the plump flesh, another part of me also took notice and hardened.

“I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Sitting in front of the woman of my dreams, my ring on her finger, us planning to get married and start our lives together as one family.”

She pressed her forehead to mine. “Good answer.”

“And what about me? How do you feel about me?” I asked, needing the answer more than I needed my next breath.

“I feel like I was meant to meet you from the second you sat down in the seat next to me at the bar in Las Vegas. There was this shiver that ran down my spine as if something supernatural was saying, ‘Pay attention, this moment matters.’ And there you were, all smiles and kind eyes.”

I wove my fingers into her long hair and kept her close, our breaths puffing against each other’s faces. “Whatever fight we have before us, with your parents, with mine. We’ll win them over together. If it takes an hour, a week, a month, a year, or more. Me and you…we got this.”

A knock interrupted our private moment.

“Come in,” Naomi called out.

Rupert opened the door, took one glance at the two of us, Naomi still in bed and me half dressed, and averted his gaze.

“Your mother has come home from the hospital. She would like the courtesy of your presence in the parlor off her suite in one hour for brunch.”

“Thank you, Rupert. Please tell her we’ll be there,” Naomi answered.

Rupert nodded and shut the door.

“Time to armor up for battle,” I teased.

Naomi chuckled and flung her body forward, knocking me back onto the bed, her body straddling mine. “But first,” she grinned, “shower time!” Then she curled her fingers around the hem of her satin nighty and pulled it over her head.

I instantly went for her bare, bouncing breasts, but she was too fast, jumping off me and dashing into the bathroom.

“Come on, slow poke! I thought footballers were fast!”

The day started with highs and lows, and I was beginning to realize that when a person had something important they were building with someone else, there would always be highs and lows. What counted most was how they handled them.

I was about to enjoy the hell out of Naomi in the shower.

Definite high.

Brunch with her mother after the chat I had with her father…could be a high, could be a low.

The outcome has yet to be determined.

“Are you coming or what?” I heard Naomi holler from the bathroom.

I chuckled, shucked off my shorts and entered the bathroom.

I was learning with every new day that life was all about balance.

Episode 51

Teen Angst

MAIA

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