Page 22 of One Night Valentine

She practically preens, and I want to stay in this room with her and praise her all night, but that’s not what she needs right now. She needs to face her family with me by her side. No one is going to make her feel less than with me around.

She clears her throat and gestures to me. “You look handsome, Cruz.” She reaches for me, wrapping her hand around mine. “Thank you for doing this. I know it’s not something you wanted to do in your spare time?—”

I cut her off again. “Honey, right now, I couldn’t think of another place I’d rather be than right here with you.”

She bites her lip and smiles at me as I thread my fingers through hers. “Come on, let’s do this.”

She doesn’t move, though. “I have a favor first. I mean, another one.” She laughs and rolls her eyes. “I feel like after this wedding you’re going to avoid me like I have the plague.”

Fuck, as if that’s possible. Already, I’m trying to figure out how to make this last longer. “Trust me, honey. The last thing I’m going to do is avoid you.”

She points at me. “You keep that up…”

Her voice trails off, and I want her to finish. “If I keep that up, what?”

Her cheeks turn red, but she juts her chin at me. “I’m just saying that you’re a little irresistible when you say things like that.”

I lean down closer to her. “Just a little irresistible?”

She laughs and shoves me away from her, but I don’t go far because I’m still holding her hand. “What’s the favor?”

She turns her back to me. “Can you zip me up?”

Her pale skin is on display from right above her ass all the way to her neck. My breath stutters, and I release my hold on her hand. “Sure, I can zip you up,”

I grab the zipper between my thumb and forefinger and slowly drag it up. I can’t resist touching her, and when I completely have her zipped up, I put my hand on her shoulder, pressing my thumb along her pulse. Her hair is up, and I press my lips to her neck.

She jolts and then her body trembles, and I smile as I kiss her again. When I lift my head, my eyes meet hers in the mirror. I should put some distance between us, but instead I move closer, pressing my front to her back. The evidence of my arousal presses against her back, and I do nothing to hide it.

I let my hand trail down her arm and then clasp our hands together again. “I’m sorry.”

Her voice is barely a whisper. “What are you sorry for?”

My eyes lock on hers in the mirror. “I shouldn’t react to you like I am, but I can’t help it.”

She turns in my arms and leans into me, pressing her belly into my hard manhood. I grunt. She knows exactly what she does to me, but she doesn’t act as if it bothers her. “You know where I stand, Cruz. I haven’t hidden anything from you… I told you what I want.”

I cup her cheek. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m a has-been?”

She doesn’t even blink. “I wish you’d quit saying that. There’s nothing about you that is a has-been, Cruz Payne. As a matter of fact, I’d bet money that your best is yet to come.”

I search her face and see the sincerity shining back at me.

Her phone starts to ring, and she blinks regretfully at me. “I should get that. I’m sure it’s my mom wondering where I’m at.”

Since I don’t want to release her, I hold her hand and then walk with her to the bedroom and pick up her phone that is lyingon the nightstand. I hold it up, and she nods, reaching for it. “Yeah, that’s my mom.”

It’s the anxiety on her face that has me hitting the answer button and putting it to my ear. “Hey, Mrs. Brooks. This is Cruz. Tara and I are on our way.”

With a sugar sweet voice, she says. “Oh, sure, honey. Thank you. We were starting to get worried.”

“Sure, no problem. We’re on our way. See you soon.”

I hang up and then hand the phone to Tara. Her eyes are wide as she puts it in her purse. “Wow!”

We walk hand in hand out the door and toward the elevators. “Wow, what?”

She shakes her head in disbelief. “I’m impressed. She didn’t argue with you, scream at you, berate you for being irresponsible or tell you soon isn’t fast enough. Nothing.”

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