Page 112 of Play Book

“Are you and Canyon Marks dating?” someone else calls out.

“We are.” Saylor smiles, pausing to look up at me.

“Is it serious?”

“He’s here, isn’t he?”

There are at least another dozen questions before Stevie comes into the room and they move on.

“Wow, that was intense,” I say against her ear.

“It’s part of the game.” She grins. “A game I’m no longer playing. Are you ready to take off? I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? What kind of surprise.”

“Let’s just say it’s something I’ve been wearing all week. Just for you.”

I’m confused for a second before it hits me.

“Oh, shit. Are you talking about…” I let my voice trail because there are too many people in the room for me to say something so personal.

“Yup.” She gives me a mischievous grin and I lean over to kiss her.

“I can’t wait to get you alone,” I whisper.

“Me too.”

“Don’t forget!” Chey comes over to us, speaking softly. “Breakfast is at eight.”

“Why do we have to get up so early?” Saylor demands, since she has no idea about the surprise.

“Because we’re surprising Stevie with a welcome back breakfast, but the guys have to catch a flight, so we had to do it early. Now hush, and don’t spoil the surprise.”

“It’s fine,” I say quickly, since that was the story we’d come up with. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

We make a quick exit, leaving the building hand-in-hand. A few paparazzi are lying in wait, but we just wave and get into the car we’d hired for the night.

“I’ve got champagne and lobster on the menu for a late dinner,” I tell her.

“Ooooh. Champagne, lobster, and anal.”

I laugh, pressing my lips to her. Her mouth opens and our tongues come together softly, playfully. We have all night and there won’t be any interruptions for once.

I skim my fingers along her side, memorizing the lines of her body. She’s beautiful, inside and out, and I know I’m a lucky man to have her. Love has never been my thing, but I’m willing to give it a try with this magnificent woman. The timing isn’t the best, but it’s not the worst either.

“Did you enjoy the show?” she asks when we finally break apart.

“I did. All of you look so natural up there, even in high heels and practically blinded by all those lights. I have a lot of respect for what you do. It seems so superficial, but seeing it from the inside now, I realize it’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“Thank you for saying that. It is a lot of work. But tonight was more fun than usual. Partly because it was an Alexa show—and her shows aren’t like other designers’ shows—but also because of Stevie. We were determined to get her through it, so we all agreed to have fun, no matter what. And then Bailey threw herself into the mix, which was a distraction for Stevie because she was worried Bailey might fall. It just all came together perfectly.”

“The friendship you ladies have reminds me of our group on the team. Me, Ivan, Gabe, Marty, Jensen, and even Connor. We’ve gotten tight this season, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had friends like that. Maybe not ever. I’ve always been kind of a loner, but this happened organically, and I feel lucky.”

“We’re a good group,” she says. “Especially you and me.”

“That’s for sure.”

“How’s Marty doing?”

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