Page 65 of Enticing the Fixer

“Does she know?”

“Know that I’m in love with her?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Does she know who you are?”

I inhale and roll my neck from one side to the other. “I haven’t told her.”

“That’s what I thought. Don’t you think if you’re in love with someone, that she should know who you are? That you aren’t some lowly accountant. Or one of Truman’s employees.”

“Yeah.” Fear causes my gut to clench. Most women would dance at the opportunity to have a relationship with a billionaire. Kinsley isn’t most women. She thrives on her independence, and the fact I could buy her company with my sofa change will not impress her.

And my cause isn’t going to be helped by using our mom’s maiden name and never telling her my legal name. Or that my dick and ass have been plastered on social media by my ex. That’s not going to earn me any favors either.

Fuck.I rub my hand over my forehead. This sucks.

He motions his open palm toward me and arches his eyebrows. “Well?”

“Yes, I need to tell her. But she’s not going to like any of it.”

“Because of the bet?”

“No. It has nothing to do with the bet. The bet is stupid. Jax doesn’t even care about the bet. He made it up so he could sleep at night in cow country.”

He takes a drink of his beer and drops the bottle on the bar. “Then, you need to tell her.”

“Tell me what?” She swivels past Jagger and hooks her arm around my waist. The fear that clenched my gut moments ago claws its way to my throat and then grabs onto my jugular with its talons. God, I don’t want to lose her.

Her face is devoid of make-up, so there’s no camouflaging the dark circles under her eyes, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.

“Hey, Babe.” I lean down and kiss her forehead.Fuck. I need to tell her.I inhale and fist my hands to keep them from shaking. “Jagger wanted me to tell you more about my past.”

“Oh.” Her eyes soften, and she cups my cheeks. The pure devotion in her gaze makes my knees buckle. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone has a past. The only thing that matters is you’re here with me.”

“Lord,” Jagger groans. “She’s as gone over you as you are over here. It’s gross to those of us who only have our hands to go home to.” He guzzles his beer and drops the bottle onto the counter.

While I feel sorry for him, it’s not enough to step away from Kinsley and console him. I lean down and press my lips to the shell of her ear. “You’re right. The only thing that matters is right now and the future.” I grasp her head and turn her face to meet mine. “You’re my future.”

She bites her bottom lip, and everyone else in the bar disappears. “I want that more than anything.”

“Did everything go okay this afternoon?”

“Yes. Everything is fine. Marge was in a tizzy about Ethan.” She shrugs. “Or any of the other board members for that matter. Did the meeting with Truman get us closer to identifying who’s trying to set me up?”

I slid my hand down to her back. “No. Not really. I re-explained everything I’ve discovered, but he didn’t share any other details. I asked Jagger if he thinks he’s not telling us everything, but he doesn’t think so. I’m not willing to put your life in danger to make sure the law is followed.” Anger surges through me, and to combat it, I hold her closer to my body, wrapping my arms around her. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“God, you’re so sweet.” She throws her arms around my neck and hauls my mouth to hers. Before I can claim her mouth, my brother clears his throat.

“Well, I’ve always hated being the third wheel.” He smacks my back. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah, bye.”

“That’s rude.” Kinsley attempts to pull back.

“Don’t care.” I claim her mouth, and everything I’ve been missing falls into place. Every woman I’ve ever been with was superficial. She is not. The lack of connection and feeling at loose ends is gone. She grounds me and instills a sense of peace that I didn’t realize I was seeking. No amount of money, business opportunities, property, or anything else can compete with having her in my arms.

She’s what I need. Connection. Family. A future. Someone to grow old with. A woman to share a family with. My heart skips a beat. And it’s not from fear. It’s from excitement. I want this. I want us. She whimpers and brushes her tongue along the seam of my lips as desire floods deep into my core and spreads in all directions.

I nudge my knee between her legs and press my thigh against her sex. My desire for her is irrational and all-consuming.

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