Page 145 of Out of the Gold

“I want to make you come, but I’m not sure we have enough time.”

“I trust you’ll make it up to me later.”

“Without a doubt.”

I let my fingers roam over his hard muscles. Muscles he works hard to maintain, both in exercise and diet. He’s very disciplined in all aspects of his life. Except when it comes to me. With me, he’s carefree and so loving.

“I love you so much, Charles,” I say, wrapping a fluffy white towel around my body.

“Right back at you.”

My heart swells. “I’ll let you get dressed and I’ll meet you in the living room.” I kiss him once more.

Exchanging the towel for a breezy navy blue dress, and sans shoes, I head to the kitchen to put together a power snack for Charles before he heads out to work. I understand his worry over being onBattle of the Real Estate Matchmakers, but I think it could be fun. However, he does have a valid point about everyone knowing our new address. I pause from cutting up his apple—I’m feeling very domestic at the moment, plus I’m taking advantage of it being Sunday and don’t have to work—and text this idea to King and Angie.

Setting the table with his apple and a jar of peanut butter, I begin making his protein shake. My eyes land on the spoon rest boasting “Positano” resting on the oven, a grin tugging at my lips.

Clad in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, Charles strolls into the kitchen. “A man could get used to this treatment.”

“Don’t get too used to it, Big Boy.” I pour his shake into a glass. “Tomorrow’s Monday, and you’re back to being on your own.”

He slumps into a chair. “I hate Mondays the most. You have to work, and I get to mope around all day.”

I steal a piece of apple. “You have your acting classes on Mondays.”

“True.” He slurps down the shake. “That is the bright spot until you get home.”

“I’ll try to leave the office earlier. We’re in the middle of shooting, though, so you know how that goes.”

He spreads some peanut butter on his apple. “I do. And that’s why I’m in the ‘theatre’ now.”

I laugh at the affected way he pronouncestheater. “I’m sure you’ll survive one day without me. And how about what I have to endure as the fiancée of a man of thetheatre.” I use his same affected pronunciation.

“What? All the fans throwing themselves at me?”

I frown. “I wasn’t thinking of that until you brought it up.” I grab another slice of apple from his plate and chomp down while he chuckles.

“No,” I continue. “I was thinking of how my Wednesday nights and Saturdays suck. You have doubles those days.”

“We’ll work it out, Goldie.”

My cell beeps with an incoming text. “King says we could give an oblique neighborhood versus the actual addresses of the places we go visit. Or the address of places we don’t buy. If we decide to go on the show.”

He crunches the last bit of his apple. “You really want to be on the show?”

“Not really,” I admit. “However, I do want to support my brother. And I know you’re a big star,” I bat my eyelashes at him.

Charles’s jaw tenses. Then a wolfish grin overtakes his face. “I’m sure you can think of a way to make up the shoots to me. Something along the lines of what you just did in the shower would be a good start.”

I step back. “Are you sexually propositioning me to be on the show?”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly. More like offering you a way to sweeten the pot.” His phone alarm sounds. “This conversation isn’t over.”

He steps into the kitchen and embraces me, kissing me with all the passion we shared this morning. And will share again tonight. “I love you, Goldie.”

He opens the fridge and grabs a fizzy water before striding across the room. As his hand lands on the doorknob, I yell, “Break a leg!”

Charles smiles and disappears into the hallway.

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