Page 18 of Yours to Conquer

He picks me up and carries me into the water. I feel safe in his arms as the coolness laps against our bodies. I hold him tight, making it seem like we are connected. After tonight, my heart is fused to his forever.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The smell of fresh coffee wakes me from a sound sleep. The dip of the bed tells me I’m not alone. I curl in the direction the bed is leaning and find myself nudged up against the thigh of a very handsome man. His prickly hair tickles my cheek as I kiss his leg. His hand comes up to massage my shoulders.

“Oh, that feels so good. My body aches today. Will you rub my lower back?” I ask.

“Roll over, and I’d be happy to give you a quick back rub. Then we have to go to work. I brought you coffee, and there is oatmeal waiting upstairs for you.”

“Okay, let me run to the potty first. I’ll be right back.” I jump out of bed and dash to the bathroom to empty my bladder. As soon as I wipe, I laugh.

“What’s so funny in there?” he asks from the bedroom.

I finish what I need to do and stroll back into the bedroom with a smile on my face. “I know why I’ve been so moody lately. I just started my period. No wonder I’ve been up and down. I’m so sorry, baby. I must have put you through hell.”

“Thank God! I was thinking that maybe I wasn’t making you happy.”

“You make me very happy. I love you. Never think that, okay?”

“I noticed you don’t have a regular cycle. Why is that?” His eyes look to me in question.

“I take the mini-pill. It’s been good so far, but my periods are always sporadic. I wonder if being as sexually active as we are influences my cycle? I’ll have to visit my doctor and see if she can recommend something more predictable. It would be nice to know when I’m going to get a visit from Mother Nature; that way, I can prepare you for my onslaught of irrational emotions.”

“Lie down so I can rub your back. It’s probably cramps.”

I lie down on my stomach and relax under his firm hands. He kneads my lower back like a baker kneading bread. “I’m not sure if I’m happy that you know so much about women or if it should upset me you have had so many before me.”

“You should be happy I have learned enough to apply the good stuff to you and know that after you––there will be no others.”

“You say the sweetest things. I don’t know how to respond.”

“You don’t get it yet, do you? I knew from the moment that I saw you across the room that you were it. I can’t explain it; I just knew. When I asked you to move in with me, it wasn’t so I could shack up with you. I want you here with me because my life is better when you’re around. I feel at peace. I don’t feel like I have to keep proving myself to others. All I want is to prove myself worthy of you.”

I turn around and look up at the man baring his soul to me. “You have nothing to prove to me. I’m just a poor girl from Arcadia who fell in love with a poor boy from Hollywood.”

“This poor boy can now buy you the moon if you wanted it.”

“I love that he would buy me the moon, but I don’t want the moon.” My hands intertwine with his as he lifts them over my head and leans in to kiss me.

“I love that you don’t need the moon to be happy.” He gently kisses me, sucking my lower lip into his mouth. As he coaxes my lips open, I let out a little moan, leaving him the room he needs to explore me with his tongue. If he could have dumped all of his emotions into a kiss, it couldn’t have been more potent than the one we are sharing right now. He breaks the kiss and leaves me breathless. “Get dressed and come upstairs. You need to decide where you’re going to work.”

I takethe last bite of oatmeal and grab my purse before heading out to the car and jumping into the passenger seat.

“I’ll take you to your car. Let’s meet in my office when you get to work so we can talk about your new project.”

“I remember something about prom being discussed before I became three sheets to the wind.”

“Damn it. She wasn’t supposed to tell you. But I suppose after three margaritas, she couldn’t have kept anything to herself. Okay, well, let’s talk about it when you get to the office.”

We pull into the parking garage where I left my Audi yesterday. He waits for me to get in and buckle up before he goes. I follow him out and straight to the Anthony Haywood headquarters.

Being here always makes me feel like a naughty employee. I see everyone’s eyes when we walk into the building together. Some look like they’re asking themselves if I’m just the flavor of the month, while others look at me with envy. I know how they feel; if I had to watch him with another woman, I’d come undone.

The fact that he’s mine still shocks me. What do I know about love and relationships? I have no idea what a healthy one should look like. I know what we are doing is working for me. I have to stop freaking out about how we got this close this fast.

“Come on in and close the door.” He takes a seat in the big chair behind his desk. I sit in a chair in front of his desk. “So, you heard Iwant to do a prom night promotion. When I heard you didn’t attend your prom, I wondered how many people didn’t get to attend their prom, and it made me think about how successful a do-over could be.” He leans back and puts his shoes on the desk. “To have you spend more time with Kat and utilize your marketing skills, I thought you could be in charge of marketing this idea. I talked it over with Damon, and he thinks it’s a great plan. You will be taking on the PR position, but since that’s not a full-time job right now, we gave you something else to keep you busy.”

“You want to throw an adult do-over prom so that I can experience it? Are you crazy?”

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