Page 55 of Protecting Bianca

“Wonderful. Shall I wrap it for you, sir?”

“Please.”

As the lady prepared Bianca’s gift, my stomach felt strange. I discovered something recently that I had to share with her, but I didn’t know how she would take the news. However, I didn’t want to have that conversation in a hotel room.

I just wasn’t sure where we should go. The hotel wasn’t too far from my apartment. Or we could go for a walk in Central Park. I’d let her decide.

Taking the elevator to the top floor, the butterflies intensified. I couldn’t remember the last time I was nervous about having a conversation. But I knew depending on how she took the news, this could be the last conversation we had outside of work.

I inhaled a deep breath and knocked on the hotel room door. After a few minutes, she opened the door.

She wore the red dress, but her hair was pulled up into a top knot with the ends still wet. “Shit. I didn’t realize you had nothing to wear.”

She shrugged. “It’s all right. I can change at home.”

“I don’t want to take you home yet. I’ve got another idea.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Do you trust me?” I asked.

“I don’t trust anyone who asks that question.”

I chuckled. “Good point. How about, do you want to come shopping with me?”

She smiled. “Now that I can agree to.”

Her eyes crinkled, and I couldn’t help myself.

Leaning towards her, I pressed my mouth to her temple. She closed her eyes, and I took that as aninvitation to move my lips to hers. I sipped at her mouth, sucking on her bottom lip until she groaned.

“We better go before I take you back inside and rip that dress off of you, and then you’ll definitely have nothing to wear.”

“I could always wear the hotel bathrobe.”

I closed my eyes. “Damn, woman. You definitely know what to say to me. But I’m not going to make you do that, no matter how much my body wants it.”

“Too bad.”

“Oh, don’t worry. That’s not a ‘no’, but a ‘later’.”

“That’s better.”

Before I changed my mind, I asked. “Do you have everything?”

She nodded, and we left the hotel.

I knew taking her shopping was only delaying our talk, but I couldn’t let her wear last night’s clothing for much longer. It seemed disrespectful somehow. And taking her shopping, pleasing her, sounded so much better.

The talk would just have to wait.

“So, where are we going?” she asked shortly after leaving the hotel.

“There are some shops on Fifth Avenue.”

She snorted. “Yes, but none that I shop at.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll like something today.”

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