Page 71 of A Little Harmless Pleasure

Fuck. A lump rose in his throat. “Well.”

She shook her head. “You’re at a loss of words.”

“How can I not be? You just said the most beautiful thing, and my brain went blank.”

She leaned closer and brushed her mouth against his. “I love you, Chris. And yes, I will happily move in with you.”

He studied her for a long moment. Happiness shone from her eyes, her dimples winking at him.

“I’m a lucky man.”

“You are.” She reached over and turned off the light again. “I’m going to hop in the shower.”

After another quick kiss, she slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He lay there, happiness filling him. The woman he loved was moving in with him. They both had jobs they enjoyed, and some day, he would talk her into marrying him and having his babies.

The water started running and he heard the shower door open and close.

“You know, I’ll need an explanation about these stupid hickeys.”

“No one can see them. They’re on the back of your neck.”

“And just why did you do something so juvenile?” Her teasing tone made him chuckle. It was, but there was something primal about it too. He’d wanted to possess her tonight, in every way.

Instead of answering her, he slipped out of bed. Padding across the floor, he made his way to the bathroom. It wasn’t large, but it was decadent, with a waterfall showerhead Cynthia had proclaimed to be one of her favorite things in the world.

He opened the door to the shower. She turned to look at him and he groaned. Water dripped down her body, off her nipples, and bubbles gathered at the apex of her thighs. He smiled at her.

“You start something now, it’ll be dawn before we get to sleep.”

It was true, but that was one of the benefits of owning a restaurant that didn’t handle breakfast. Ignoring her, he stepped in behind her, slid one hand to cover her breast, another down to her sex. Her body was warm and slick…andhis.

He bent his head and kissed the back of her neck. She shuddered in reaction and pushed her ass against his growing erection.

“I don’t want to hear any complaints from you tomorrow about how tired you are.”

He chuckled, turning her to face him, then went down onto his knees. “Believe me, there’s no way I would complain about this.”

Then he set about proving his point.

Epilogue

“Pussy whipped.”

Chris turned off his office computer and threw a nasty look at Evan. He had one of those shit eating smiles he had been wearing lately.

“What did you just call me?” Chris asked.

“You heard me.”

That smile now curving Evan’s lips told Chris he was itching for a fight. In the past, Chris would give it to him. Normally a fight, even a verbal sparring, was fun, especially with Evan. But tonight, he was refusing. Well, dammit, he wasn’t going to give it to him. He didn’t want to propose to Cynthia with a black eye or a busted lip. And with Evan, there was always a chance that could happen—especially when he was in one of his funks. He’d been in one for weeks now.

“If you think I am, why did you insist on going with me to pick up the ring?”

Evan shrugged. “You were acting like you needed moral support.”

That much was true. Picking up the ring he had designed for Cynthia was the next to the final step in his plan for Christmas. They had slipped away after Cynthia left for work to head to the jewelry store. He knew how much of a friend Evan was when he agreed to go to Kahala Mall on Christmas Eve. The Honolulu Mall was insane on the best of days during the Christmas season, but on Christmas Eve, it was beyond crazy.

But now they were back atDupree’s, Chris was worried Cynthia would say no. She had been avoiding the subject of marriage even more than usual lately.

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