Page 40 of Holidate Pursuit

I grab her hand again. “Lucy, there’s more to it than that. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“So it’s okay to regret losing you but not my trust fund?”

“It’s not just your trust fund you’d be losing, sweetheart.” I bring her hand up and softly kiss it. “Your dad made it clear that if we married, they would no longer be a part of your life. I’m not worth a future with no parents.”

“That’s for me to decide. What if you are my future?” Her baby-blue eyes stare at me, full of emotion.

I look up at the ceiling and exhale loudly. “Christ, you have no idea how badly I want that… but you shouldn’t decide tonight. Take some time to think it through. How about this? Let’s start over—date. Get to know each other all over again and see where it goes. What do you think?”

“Well… I guess the third time’s a charm. But I’m telling you now, if it ends up being a strike, you’re out for good this time.”

“I’m going for a home run, baby.”

“Are you running or walking? Because I’m ready to—”

My lips cut her off. That’s enough talking for tonight. I’m sure we have many battles ahead, but for now, I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than burying myself deep inside my woman until I’m etched into her soul, the same way she’s infiltrated mine.

Lucy

It’s Valentine’s Day and Justin’s taking me to a swanky new restaurant downtown. I came home from work to change and get ready for the evening. We’ve been bouncing back and forth between his house and mine, spending more nights together than not.

Justin’s been true to his word,datingme since New Year’s. But now I’m ready for more. We haven’t said the L word yet, and I’m working up the nerve to say it tonight, even if it’s not reciprocated. I’ve felt it for a while but haven’t found the right moment to tell him.

At Justin’s request, I haven’t told my parents we’re seeing each other again. He didn’t want any interference while building our relationship, and we both know they’d interfere plenty if they found out. He also wanted to avoid causing any unnecessary problems if I changed my mind. I’ve assured him that won’t happen—that my decision is final, but despite that, he’s still insisting I wait.

Since we’re staying at his house tonight, I’m tossing clothes into a bag when the doorbell rings. I give myself a once-overin the entryway mirror before opening the door to a delicious looking Justin, smelling good enough to eat.

Maybe we should skip dinner.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He comes in, shutting the door behind him and wrapping me in his arms. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby. You should’ve stayed over last night so I could’ve told you the second your eyes opened. Plus, I’m getting used to having you in my bed. I missed you.” His lips graze mine before kissing their way toward my ear, nipping it with his teeth. “Maybe you should consider letting your lease go.”

Hold up—did he just ask me to move in with him?I think he missed a step. I must take too long to find my voice, because he pulls back and carries on like he didn’t just drop a bombshell on me.

“Is your bag ready to go? We have reservations at seven, so we should get going.”

“Uh… yeah. Let me grab one last thing.” I’m still a little blown away by his comment. It could’ve just been a passing thought, nothing literal. Or… maybe he realized what he said and changed his mind right away. Oh my God, this is going to bug me all night.

He follows me to the bedroom where I grab a nightgown, but he takes it out of my hand before it makes it to the bag.

“You won’t need that,” he says, throwing it on the bed and zipping the bag.

“Justin,” I admonish.

“Yes, dear?” he calls, already halfway to the front door.

I shake my head and follow, grabbing my coat on the way out.

“I took on a new client today. It was a referral from the Dubrees and requires surveillance. The request reminds me of Sebastian and Lily’s initial situation.”

“Really? How so?” We’re sitting in the restaurant, having just finished dinner, waiting for dessert to arrive.

“Well, this Jackson guy wants a girl followed who will have no idea we’re protecting her. The difference this time is that we know upfront she’s in danger. It makes us more diligent and requires greater focus than cases only requesting tracking.”

“I think I know who Jackson is, if it came from the Dubrees. But anyway, that’s good, right? Referrals are what business is made of.”

“Definitely. But the reason I’m telling you is because it brought back memories of the situation with Lily and how my actions impacted what happened.” He’s looking at me intently, like his next words are difficult to say.

“Oh.” This is it. He’s breaking up with me the night I was going to tell him I loved him. On Valentine’s Day, for Christ’s sake.

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