* * *
Igroan when the reminder pops up on my phone. In all the excitement of the day, I forgot about my meeting with Charlotte and yet another investor. I swear, I’m juggling more PR now than I did during the initial launch.
I’m fully aware that my ex-fiancée could field many of these meetings by herself, but I hope that if I play nice, this project will achieve a speedy liftoff, and Charlotte will be on a private jet back to San Francisco. Far away from my new life with Tally.
Hey, a man can dream.
I left the shelter about an hour after Earl, assuring both Beth and Marla—about a million times—that I was fine. I then reminded Tally with a nip to the earlobe that she owed me, and I planned to collect.
I hate how little I see my girl lately—a few moments at the hospital, or at some public event, where stripping her naked and licking every inch of her is frowned upon.
Not that I wouldn’t do it. All Tally has to do is smile with that come-hither look, and I’d take her right then, no questions asked.
That’s what the woman does to me. The best part? She really doesn’t see it.
The doorbell rings, and I groan again. It better not be Charlotte. She’s made it a habit of dropping by my condo, despite my repeated protests.
I swing open the door, a smile crossing my face.
It’s not Charlotte.
Instead, my tiny vixen stands on the threshold, a bag of goodies in her arms. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” I stand aside, letting her into our condo. Well, it will be ours when her stubborn ass finally moves in. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Tally sets the bag on the counter, pivoting toward me with a smile on her lips. “I wanted to see if you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I reply, closing the distance between us, my hands running the length of her arms. “Is that the only reason you came by?”
She bites her lower lip, and I have to hold myself back from ripping off every stitch of her clothing. “I may have had an ulterior motive.”
“Do tell.”
“Well, besides the repayment plan, of which we are both in debt, I wanted to talk to you.”
“Good talk or bad talk?”
“I think it’s good, but I’ll let you make that decision.”
I smile, brushing my lips across her forehead as I will my heart to settle. She’s finally going to tell me, so I can stop wondering and start preparing for our new arrival. Hey, I got three bedrooms for a reason. “Can I get you a drink? Water, I presume?” I fill up a glass and offer it to her, leaning against the counter with a smirk. “How long are you on the wagon for, Darlin?”
She giggles, sipping the water. “I guess that depends. How’s your jaw?”
“Sore, but I figure I’ll invent some crazy story for the guys at work about how I acquired it.”
“Isn’t the truth crazy enough?”
“Good point. So, what did you want to talk about?” Yes, I’m pushing. The sooner Tally tells me, the sooner I tell her I’m thrilled and then proceed to give her about a dozen long overdue orgasms. “Do you want to sit down or—”
The peal of the doorbell cuts through my words. Fuck.
This time, there’s no doubt in my mind who’s knocking. Charlotte.
No matter how innocent it is in reality, this doesn’t look good.
Tally’s gaze shutters, locking me out. She already knows who’s on the other side of the door. “I should have realized you’d be busy. I’m interrupting.”
“No, you’re not. I have this stupid meeting with Charlotte and an investor. She was supposed to meet me at the restaurant. Just hold on for a moment.”