Page 59 of Be My Reason

“Surprised?”he asks me.

I nod my head. “How long have you been seeing a therapist?”

“On and off for a couple of years. I knew after you came to Raleigh that I had to do something to get my head straight.” He laughs silently. “The thing is, I went to try to get you out of my head, but all it did was make me want you more.”

“Why?” I stretch a look over my shoulder at him.

“Because once I got Claudia out of my system, and out of my mind, I realized that there couldn’t be anyone else for me but you. No matter how much I tried to find someone else, I couldn’t. And my shrink wouldn’t let me break my promise not to contact you. You know what they say about absence, right?” He kisses my forehead.

“Well, I guess I need to meet him and thank him,” I tease.

“I already have.” He laughs. “Thanked him, I mean. I called him last week and told him the news.”

“Oh? And what did he say?”

“The usual. Do you make me happy? How do I feel about it? You know, shrink crap.” He sighs. “Then he went off on me about my mom again.”

“Why would he do that?” I ask.

His body tenses up behind me. “Because she still lives here and he thinks I should see her.”

I whip my body around and sit up. “She lives here. . . in Savannah?”

He nods his head. “She still sends me birthday and Christmas cards every year and the return address is here in Savannah.”

“What does she say? In the cards she sends you.” I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“I don’t know.” He looks down at his hands. “I throw them away without reading them.”

“Don’t you think she might be trying to apologize to you?To let you know she still loves you?” I ask.

“Of course that is what they say.” He moves away from me, looking pissed. “My sister eats that stuff up, but I don’t. I don’t want to ever talk to that woman again.”

“But she is still your mom.No matter what she did, I’m sure she still loves you,” I plead with him.

“Don’t go there, Brooklyn,” he warns me. “I already have my sister and my shrink on my back.I don’t need you there, too.”

I decide to drop it, not wanting to ruin what we shared last night by having an argument this morning.I scoot myself over to him and straddle his hips. “Okay, how about if I’m on your front then?” I tease.

I see the tension drain from his face as he stares at my naked body. “God, I love you.” He runs his hands up my rib cageto my breasts and puts one in each hand, studying them with his head cocked to the side. Then he frowns and gets a bitter look on his face. “I hate the fact that Ryan has seen your tits.”

I smile sweetly and put my hands on top of his. “What does it matter, babe? They belong to you now,” I say, hoping the use of the endearment will pull him out of his funk.

He smiles half-heartedly. “I know what you’re doing . . .babe.” He winks at me and runs his fingers over my nipples, making me shudder as shock waves dance through my body.

“And Ilovewhatyou’redoing.” I watch him play with my breasts like a kid plays with a favorite toy.

“Tell me about your business relationship with him.” His look is all serious and hardened.

Okay, so no morning sex then. My goddess within frowns.

I explain to him that I needed an investor to buildmy business. That, with the funds Ryan invested, I was able to purchase a second industrial oven, a catering van and hire additional help. I say that we’ve been able to expand our offerings at the bakery and take on larger catering jobs. I tell him that Ryan doesn’t have any creative control over the business, that he only has a say in the business end and that I still retain over half of the overall business in my name.

I see the cogs working in his head as he processes the information I’m telling him.“So he controls when, where and how but not the what?”

“I guess if you look at it that way.But it’s more detailed than that. He can’t close the bakery in the current location, if that is what you are asking. Emma owns the building and I lease directly from her. Our contract states that he can’t mess with my location. But he does have the authority to dictate other major business decisions should they arise.”

“Hmmm.” He narrows his eyes at me and I realize that he still has his hands firmly on my breasts as if claiming them from Ryan.

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