"I am getting help for it," he clarifies.
"I don’t doubt that." He glares at me and I tip up my chin.Do not back off, not now. Don’t look away.I hold his gaze as he takes a step forward and comes around to stand in front of me.
"Does anyone else know about what you are going through?"
"The Seven are aware that Riley and her mother died in an accident." He rubs the back of his neck. "They helped me keep the news from the media."
I can only imagine the circus it would have been if they'd found out that, not only did he have a daughter and a girlfriend, but also that they were dead.
"And your...uh—"
"Affliction?" He chuckles without humor. "Only Meredith and Arpad are aware of the true extent to which I haven't been able to let go of her." He hesitates, "And now...you. So you see, in my own way, I have turned to you. Maybe from the moment I saw you... My subconscious has known that I wouldn't have a choice but to let you in."
My heart stutters. What does that mean? The fact that he revealed his secret to me? Okay, to be fair, I had barged in on him, had literally forced him to share this part of himself... But still... He'd trusted me enough to be open about it. He hadn't hidden this from me.
"I have a proposition for you." He turns to face me.
I grimace. "If you’re going to offer me money again—"
"No money," he snaps. "I do need your time, though."
"Time?"
"And your orgasms."
"Orgasms?" I frown. "You’re out of your mind, you know that?”Oops.I wince, then look up to gauge his reaction before continuing, “Sorry, but... It’s one thing to believe that giving me orgasms fires up your creative muse, another to—?"
"To?" He folds his big arms across his chest, and of course, I clench my thighs. I take in the breadth of his shoulders, the smattering of hair across his chest that felt so good, so delicious when I was pressed up against him.
"—to live it." I clear my throat.
"Are you complaining about it?"
"No." I fold one leg over the other and he lowers his gaze to my thighs. My pussy clenches and my toes curl. I fold my hands in my lap, wriggle around to relieve the gnawing that’s creeping up in my core. "Umm."
"What then?" He frowns. "What do you want in exchange?"
"I want." I lick my lips.Jeez, can I say it? Can I?
"Say it." He slaps his hands on each side of the chair and brackets me in. "What is it? What do you need?" he peers into my eyes. "Tell me, I'll do anything."
"Anything?" I tilt my head.
His gaze narrows as he considers what I’ve said. "Anything," he confirms.
"Marry me."
37
Julia
"You did what?" Isla shrieks.
I stare at her from over my glass of wine—which she had brought over, because I’ve barely been in the apartment long enough to order in provisions since arriving from Australia. Not to mention, my time has been taken up by an alphahole of a rock star… The one who’s agreed to become my husband.
"Yeah," I nod.
"And he…?" She takes a healthy swig from the wine glass, "He agreed?"