Page 43 of A Billion Dollar Romance
I froze, pulling back a fraction. “You know, what I said on your first day still applies, Edie, I won’t hold this against you, I promise.”
“You also said it had been a mistake, a lapse in judgement, and it wouldn’t happen again.”
She was smiling, but…
“Edie,” I said. She pulled her hands into her chest beneath me, the glint of a diamond flashing in the dim room. “Does this feel like a mistake to you?”
Slowly, she shook her head.
“Tell me, Edie. Does this feel like a mistake?”
“No, James,” she said, and lifted up her face to plant her lips on mine. I kissed her, slow and languid this time, feeling her melt into me, even as I hardened against her thigh. When I finally pushed inside, she sighed. “It feels perfect.”
* * *
“Morning, sleepyhead,” I said as Edie trailed into the kitchen. She looked tired–a little thrill went through me at the reason why–but pleased. Happy. Definitely notregretful. A tiny knot of worry in my chest eased. “Coffee?”
“Please,” she said, hopping up to take a seat at one of the kitchen island’s stools.
“Please, professor,” she’d begged last night. I smirked as I depressed the plunger into the fresh French press of coffee I’d had steeping. She laced her fingers together, resting her chin on top and watching me. She was wearing one of my tee shirts, and on her finger glittered my ring.
Giving into temptation lookedso damn good. How soon was too soon to pull her back into bed with me?I should probably at least give her a moment to drink her coffee.
“Milk?” I asked. “Sugar?”
“Mmm, no,” she said, and I laughed.
“Youarea writer. Late nights, black coffee…”
She raised an eyebrow. “I learned from the best.”
“Don’t flatter me like that, Edie,” I said, coming around the kitchen island, lifting her up to sit her on the countertop, standing between her knees to kiss her once before I passed her a cup, clinking my own against it. “I’ll get an ego.”
She laughed, pretty and musical. We’d been up half the night, and I still wanted her again. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough.
“Like you don’t already have one. I bet you read your own reviews.”
“No,” I shrugged. “There’s only so much adulation one man can take, and besides, I havepeopleto do that for me now.”
She glared at me, the smile dancing around the corner of her mouth. “Fine, then I won’t tell you how much I enjoyed last night.”
“Oh, no, Edie,” I said, nudging her coffee aside to kiss her. “That review I do want to hear. Idefinitelydo.”
“No,” she refused, turning her face away, looking at me from the corner of her eye and with a devilish pout. “If you want compliments, you’ll have to pull off a repeat performance.”
Oh…“Edie,” I warned, wrapping my arm around her hips to slide her closer to the edge of the countertop. I bent my lips to the spot beneath her ear that I knew she liked and whispered, “Miss Taylor–”
Her stomach growled. Loudly.
I let my forehead fall against her shoulder, smiling into her skin.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be,” I said. “I’m glad to hear you worked up an appetite.”
Her pout deepened at my bad joke, and I grinned.
“Drink that, and then… I’m not much of a chef, but I can buy a mean brunch.”
