Page 106 of Tempt Me

“I’m being honest with you. This is what you get.” She waved a hand over herself. “I’m prickly and sweary and nothing like what a princess like you imagines for herself. But if you want to be with me, I promise to try my hardest to be what you need.”

My heart stilled. “You want to be with me? You trust me again?”

“I trusted you all along. I couldn’t help it. That’s why it hurt so much when you…”

“When I went all Nancy Drew on you?”

“Yeah. I thought we were close enough that you’d have told me before you did something that extreme.”

I swallowed. “I…I…was afraid I’d screw it up like I always do.”

“Baby girl, I’d love you even if you did screw it up.”

“Wait. You love me?”

“Goddammit! See, I can’t get this right. I thought with the call to Della and the cactus, you’d understand.”

“I hoped, but I didn’t know.” My heart fluttered.

“I’m sorry. I told you I suck at this. Yes. I love you.”

My chest was almost too full to breathe. “We can be public? I can be your…your girlfriend?”

She gripped my hand almost painfully tight. “I want to be all in with you. I’ll even let you be in charge sometimes. Whatever you need. Because I need you.”

I leaned toward her and whispered, “Call me baby girl again?”

“I love you, baby girl.” She kissed my lips, a gentle press.

“And I love you…Mila. Can I call you that?”

“Only when you’re happy with me. Not when I make you mad.”

“You’ll never make me mad.” I kissed the corner of her mouth.

“Oh, I promise, I’ll make you mad. Not on purpose, but I will. And I’ll be really”—she kissed my lips—“really”—she kissed my jawbone—“really sorry.”

I shuddered. “Will there be makeup sex?”

“Absolutely.”

With effort, I pulled back. “Then I’m all in too.”

The hard angles melted from her face. Only her plush lips, her warm eyes, and her gorgeous cheekbones remained. And they were all mine.

“Are you out to everyone you care about?” she asked.

“I told my mother and Charles. My sister. My brothers. I think everyone else either knows or suspects. Or they love me enough not to care.”

“Then let’s tell everyone here.”

“Everyone?” I surveyed the party guests, but that was old Natalie scanning the crowd. New Natalie didn’t care what anyone thought. It wasn’t my job to please them or make them happy. The only person I cared about pleasing was myself—and Jamila.

“Okay,” I said.

Gripping my hand, she tugged me up. “Here’s the plan. We tell them we’re a couple, then we sneak off to my room.”

“But everyone will know what we’re doing!”

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