Page 61 of Must Have Been Love

“Maybe I like complications,” he mutters. “And you said no bed. You didn’t say no strings.”

Oh, he looks really annoyed.

“Isn’t that every man’s dream?” I ask him. “For a woman to offer up sex without expecting anything from him?”

“I have no fucking idea,” he says shortly. “But it’s not my dream. There are definitely strings here. A goddamned web of them.”

“What kind of strings?” I rub the pads of my fingers against his scalp. He closes his eyes, his face relaxing.

“Obviously I want to see you again,” he says when he opens his eyes. “Next Tuesday. And every Tuesday after that.”

“Tuesday?” I say. “That’s very specific.”

“Autumn has Ayda sleep over at her place on Tuesdays.”

My heart does a little leap. “Okay,” I breathe. “What else?”

“We don’t see anybody else.” His eyes catch mine.

“I guess I’d better break things off with Mylene,” I say sighing. “Shame, she makes a mean coffee.”

“I’m serious, Skyler. I don’t share.”

Of course he doesn’t. “No sharing,” I agree.

“Good. And maybe I’ll need the occasional massage,” he says grumpily, picking up my dress from the floor and putting it over my shoulders like he’s worried I’ll get cold. “Because I’m going to end up with a fucking slipped disc at this rate.”

My breath catches. “Just how long is this thing going to go on for?” I ask him, sliding my arms through the denim. Because he’s making it sound like a long term thing.

“Maybe we should make it less bedless…” he murmurs.

“It’s non negotiable,” I say firmly. Because I need to have some power here. I have a feeling that not only would this man walk all over me if I let him, I’d actually enjoy having his foot in my face.

Not literally. I’m not a foot fetishist. But I still need to assert my authority, or what little of it I have. And keeping this relationship out of bed is all I’ve got.

“I’ll bill you for my chiropractor,” he says, pulling his pants on. “I’m way too old for this.”

“Shut up, you’re in your thirties. You’re not exactly at death’s door.” I smile at him and he shakes his head.

“I’ll get you into a bed if it kills me,” he mutters.

“Not going to happen,” I say lightly, secretly enjoying the way he looks so grumpy. My dress is still gaping and he can’t stop looking.Good. “But you can use your imagination. Just because we won’t be having sex in a bed doesn’t mean you have to give yourself sciatica. Don’t be a killjoy. If you want me, you’ll have to take what I’m offering.”

He reaches out to trace my lips with the pad of his thumb. “I want you,” he says gruffly.

Another thrill rushes through me. “Then work for it,” I whisper.

Something about my words makes his eyes darken further. “Christ, you’re aggravating.”

“Right back at you.” I lean forward to kiss him softly, and his mouth yields against mine, the scowl on his face replaced by a warm gaze. “Now let’s finish getting dressed and eat dinner. I think we might need the calories.”

nineteen

HUDSON

“You’re in a weirdly good mood,” Autumn says the next week when she brings in a stack of bills for me to sign off. They’re mostly for the bar renovation, for the building supplies and the first installment for the contractors.

The lead contractor is a good guy. Sam also worked on the hotel when we were remodeling it. I know for a fact he has a soft spot for the bar. He and his workers spent every night there back when they were working on the hotel.

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