Page 31 of The One Night Match
“Thanks,” she murmurs, taking a long drink. “How’d you know I’d drink this?”
I shrug. “Just had a hunch, I guess.”
Not a lie, but also not the complete truth. Every time I got her a drink tonight, I’d return with a glass of champagne for her and a beer for myself, only to watch her look longingly at my drink. I would have given it to her if she’d asked, but she always took the champagne without argument.
I have a feeling my kitten is used to trying to fit herself into other people’s expectations. But that will be ending. She can be whoever the fuck she wants to be, and I won’t watch her try to change herself just to meet society’s standards of what a perfect Mafia wife should look like.
“I’m changing his name to Sunshine.”
I drop my head back and groan. “That cat is no one’s sunshine. I’m telling you, he’s the devil sent here to make me repent for my sins.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re being dramatic. He’s so sweet, he should have a sweet name.”
“And Sunshine is what you landed on?”
“Yep.”
“What about Frank?”
She scrunches up her nose. “No. I’m not giving him a grumpy old man name.”
“But he is a grumpy old man!” I argue.
She rolls her eyes. “What about Mr. Whiskers? Does that suit him better?”
I force a calming breath into my lungs and nod. “Fine. I’ll call the vet on Monday and get his name updated.”
“Your vet knows you named him Asshole?” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you have such beef with a sweet little ball of fluff.”
“He doesn’t have a sweet bone in his body.” I drain my beer and leave the empty by the trash for my housekeeper to deal with.
My sister was right. I am messy by nature, but I’ve gotten better since I moved out of our family home and into my own place.
“I planned to have all your stuff taken to your room, but I thought you might want to have some of your possessions around the living spaces and didn’t want you having to lug them back down here. If you sort through what you want where, I’ll take them wherever you want.”
Her brows tug together, confusion washing over her before a flash of sadness shoots through her vibrant eyes. She blinks it away and shakes herself off. “That’s okay. I can deal with it. I’m pretty tired. Could you please show me to wherever I’ll be sleeping?”
I swallow heavily, knowing the plan was for her to sleep in her own room at the other end of the hall from mine, but now that she’s here, I’m not sure I can handle having her so close and yet so far.
I step around the kitchen island and press my hand to the small of her back, guiding her toward the stairs as I desperately try to think of a way I can take her to my room.
There’s a longing inside me that’s so foreign it took me a while to identify it. I long to sleep with Riley pressed against me, to have her body curled in my arms, her gentle snores filling my bedroom. I want to wake her up with kisses before giving her unbelievable pleasure for breakfast.
But it’s too soon.
Giving her space is the right thing to do, even if it goes against everything I need right now.
I stop at the top of the stairs and push the door open.
Riley steps past me, her soft gasp filling me with pride and dread simultaneously. Maybe I should have made this room uninhabitable. That way, she’d have to stay with me.
Or one of the four other guest rooms,I tell myself.
“I thought you’d be more comfortable in your own room to begin with, while we get to know each other better.”
It sounds so fucking stupid now. An idea that was born out of my own need to not let a stranger into my space is now backfiring in my face.
“It’s beautiful,” she says softly. She sits on the edge of the bed, and the exhaustion in her eyes is the only thing that keeps me from crossing the room, flipping her onto her hands and knees, and fucking her so hard she’ll be feeling me for a week.
