Page 69 of Boost

She relaxed against the cushions and set her bare foot on my shin.

“Well,no,but further to that, I’m actually thinking of giving Christian the Foundation account so it’s not a personal conflict of interest.”

I would have been offended if I didn’t see her reasoning. My fingertips idly massaged her exposed thigh as we talked. “That’s a conversation you need to have with Colt, not me.”

“He’s aware of the… situation.”

I scoffed. Damn right he was ‘aware’ of it; he was the one who messed me up with all that voodoo pussy bullshit.Nowwho was the fool? That would be me.

“Baby girl, when I go after what I truly want, I don’t jerk around. When I say that I want you to be part of my life—to be my only—I mean it.”

“And all the other women before me?”

“Time fillers,” I retorted gruffly. “Just like the men in your past.”

I recognized historic ghosts when I saw them, and as shadows passed behind her brown irises, she visibly closed off from me. A sense of loss came the moment her foot left my shin, and my heart panged to know that I’d touched on something she kept hidden.

“Greer? Is there something I need to know?” I asked carefully.

She shook her head, clearing away whatever had temporarily consumed her. “Story for another day.”

My grip on her leg unintentionally tightened, then eased when she lay a hand atop of mine.

“I promise I’ll tell you, just not today.”

I conceded with a subtle nod, then changed gears to propel us out of the baggage zone.

“Do you know how to cook? Because my maid is off sick tonight, so I really just invited you around to feed me and clean up afterward.”

The laughter that sang to my soul broke free again and washed away our heavy conversation. Greer playfully slapped my hand away and lunged at me, pushing me sideways and slamming me onto the couch with her body.

“I can only date a guy who knows how to cook, because I work late and need someone who knows how to keep house.”

I hummed suggestively and squeezed both globes of her ass. “Oh, I know what youneed,mamacita, and one way or another I’ll be giving it to you. Seriously though, do you cook?”

Again with her all-consuming laughter. “I’m actually being serious; I reallycan’tcook.”

“What!Bullshit!”

Her lips pursed. “Not bullshit. While I kill it at work, I’ve never mastered the art of cookery.”

I grunted while rolling us both to our feet. After stealing a series of quick kisses, I grabbed her hand and tugged her into my kitchen.

“Tonight, baby girl, I’ll teach you how to cook my mamá’s go-to dish. Then later, you stay with me.”

Greer hedged. “I don’t have my stuff, though.”

“So?” I shrugged. “You can share my toothbrush if you need to.”

It was a tease because I had spares, but the look of pure disgust on her face was completely worth it.

“Ergh, gross!” She waved her hands in criss-cross motions in front of her. “I’m not down for sharing a toothbrush.”

I smirked and dropped my voice so it dripped with all the dirty promises yet to come. “Baby, what we’ll be doing tonight, sharing a toothbrush is going to be a ten-star sanitary rating.”

The renewed blush on her cheeks created a fresh wave of hunger I struggled to ignore; much like how I couldn’t ignore how goddamn perfect she looked in my kitchen, sitting on the counter while I showed her how to create a dish my mamá taught me as a kid. Laughing and talking with me while sipping wine, claiming little parts of my heart as her own without me being able to do a damn thing to stop her.

Chapter 29

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