Page 35 of Their Greatest Strength

“One day, I’ll prove that I’m more than that. But I’ll take it. Thank you.”

She nods slightly. “Will this meeting take long? I haven’t told Nate about any of this yet. I’m hoping that after this, I’ll be able to. He’s not usually up too late. Even on Saturdays.”

“No. I’ll make sure it’s right to the point. We’ll get you home quick,” I swear.

The toes of her simple black flats scuff the floor as she taps it and adjusts her dark-washed jeans. “You’re going to offer to drive me home again, aren’t you?”

Dropping my head an inch, I lean in close enough to catch a whiff of vanilla. I capture her eyes in an easy stare and grin.

“Yeah, I’m going to offer to drive you home. Gonna keep asking until you agree.”

I half expect her to turn me down. Instead, she proves once again that over the course of this marriage, I’m going to be kept on my toes.

“We’ll see.”

I’m left standing in the hallway, watching as she pulls her shoulders back and struts the rest of the way to the office door. With a glance over her shoulder, she has me laughing.

“Are you coming? You’re not off to a great start, Pretty Boy,” she says flippantly.

I raise a hand to my chest and hold it there in case she uses whatever voodoo magic she’s tapped into to demand my heart leap through its cage and into her palm.

“Do you take apologies in the form of words or sacrifices?”

“Surely that would depend on the sacrifice.”

“What type do you prefer? The fluffy bunny kind or the bloody heart kind?”

She rolls her eyes, a muscle in her cheek twitching. “Are those my only two options?”

“Give me another one.”

We’re stalled in front of the office, but I don’t have it in me to stop this conversation in exchange for a stuffy business meeting. Not until I have to make that call.

“Fine,” she says, tilting her head like she’s deep in thought. “How about a year’s supply of tea? Or a public declaration of undying loyalty? I could accept skywriting as well.”

I smirk, leaning on my back foot. “Skywriting, huh? Well, as long as you’re not asking for much.”

She shrugs, her coy attitude back in full swing. “Bunnies are cute, and bloody hearts are messy. Tea is practical. And skywriting? Timeless.”

I store that info away. “What’s your favourite kind of tea?”

“Peppermint. I hate ginger.”

“And no coffee?”

“Are you keeping a list of answers to all of these questions somewhere?” she counters.

I tap my temple. “It’s all up here, baby. In a very organized filing cabinet with your name on it.”

“Don’t call me baby.”

“Why? Is it making you fall for me already?”

She huffs, turning to give me her back. I chuckle while eating the space between us with long strides. When I reach her, I brace a hand on the wall beside the door, bracketing her with my chestwhile not touching her directly. We’re a foot from the door now; every second we stay like this is another that we risk being ripped open. I’m all for seizing the opportunity to show everyone how well we’re already doing together, but Blakely . . .

She’s breathing heavily, her arms flat at her sides. I’m a bastard because instead of stepping back to give her space, I dip my head just enough that I can catch that vanilla scent again.

“For the benefit of our agreement, I recommend acting like you are,” I rasp, clenching my jaw to keep from rubbing my cheek against her hair like a dog. “Or like you could. You might not be a mega fan, but I’ll convince them that I can make you one if they pick up on anything. All you have to do is pretend that you can stand to be this close to me long enough to make this work.”

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