Page 496 of Dark Love

“Noted.” Vex pulls me in closer.

My suitcases! “We have to go to my place to get my suitcases.”

“No, we don’t. I have everything you need at my place already.”

No.

No.

No. “We aren’t talking about your excessive spending and need to buy me things that are completely unnecessary.” But beautiful. “I need to go grab my suitcases.”

“Dahl, I have everything you could need. Don’t worry.”

Vex doesn’t understand. He can’t understand because I haven’t told him about my trip. Why have I kept it a secret this long? There were so many times that I could have mentioned it throughout the week.

But they were sweet moments.

Going on a work trip shouldn’t be a big deal, but something tells me Vex is going to make it a very big deal. There’s no more time to procrastinate. “We need to talk.”

“Not here.” Vex nods towards the men in front.

The walls quite literally have ears.

This is going to be the longest car ride ever.

***

Twenty minutes later as the elevator doors slide open to reveal Vex’s penthouse, he scoops me up into his arms. “What are you doing?”

“It’s your tradition to have campfires with bad news, and it’s my tradition to hold you in my arms when you tell me something bad.”

“Since when have you had this tradition?”

“Since today.” He sinks down onto the couch with me on his lap.

“This isn’t conducive to fighting.” Or thinking. How am I going to hold on to a single thought like this?

“Then don’t fight with me.”

“I’m not going to fight with you. You’re going to fight with me.”

“Dahl, just tell me.”

“We haven’t kissed yet.”

His rough groan makes my whole body shiver and almost lose my train of thought… “What I mean is this isn’t a serious relationship—"

“It’s serious. Very serious.”

How can I mess this up more?

“Dahl, whatever it is, just spit it out. We’ll deal with it and go to bed.”

You know how to make a girl melt inside. “I need my suitcases.”

He sighs. “Okay, if it’s that important, I’ll send a guy to grab them.”

And he’s sweet. “Not tonight. We can go after you take me to the bookstore tomorrow.”