Page 239 of The Re-Proposal

I set the cup down, wrap my fingers around her waist and drag her closer.

“Cody!” She laughs. “What are you doing?”

“You said we have an audience. Let’s give them a show.”

My lips collide with hers. Ris slings her hand over my waist and melts into me like butter. I don’t even have to pry her mouth open.

With a soft moan, her tongue tangles with mine, her teeth grazing my bottom lip.

I drag my mouth down to her chin and jaw before pulling back with a groan. We’re both breathing hard and it takes me a second to remember how to talk. “You’re getting bolder and bolder, princess. Someone’s been a bad influence on you.”

“I wonder who that bad influence could be?”

“Joel?”

“You’re blaming the child?”

“For a kid with a new heart, he sure has the same old attitude,” I mumble.

“I don’t know. He’s starting to sound and act like you. He’s even interested in studying business when he goes to school.”

“The kid is a natural shark. He conned me out of fifty bucks the other day.”

“Fifty bucks is nothing to you.”

“It’s the principle.”

“Maybe, rather than blaming Joel, you should look inward.”

“Funny,” I growl, sliding my hand over the small of her back where her spine indents.

I give her another quick kiss. She tastes so sweet that I moan softly. “Never change this lip gloss.”

“My lip gloss?”

“You taste like cherries.”

She snorts out a laugh. “It’s wild rose.”

“I don’t care what it says on the tube. I know what cherries are.”

Her smile lights up my entire world. I wish I could stand here staring at her all day, but I have a mission to complete.

“Go.” I nudge her away. “I need to get this wall done and you’re distracting me.”

“I could help.”

I kiss her forehead. “Not gonna happen. Your days of working hard are over, princess. Leave the sweating and grunt work to me.”

“What if Iwantto sweat?” She slides her hand down my chest. “What if I like grunt work?”

Her eyes look like melted chocolate, light brown in the sunlight, and it makes my heart dropkick my ribs.

I want to drag her into a storage closet and tear her jeans off. It takes everything in me not to act like a hormonal teenager with his first crush. But I came here for a reason and I’m not leaving until I get that blessing.

“You’ll do plenty of sweating tonight,” I promise.

“You better keep your word, Bolton.” She blows me a kiss.

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