Page 104 of Token

“Oh, I don’t know, like a wife and a couple kids. I’ve been told I’d make a wonderful husband and father,” he stated with the same humility it must take for a man to declare himself the handsomest in the world.

Suppressing a smile, she arched a brow. “Oh really? Who told you that?” Women who wanted to be said wife and bear him said children, no doubt.

“My mom,” he replied, his expression deadpan.

Kennedy erupted in a fit of giggles, and soon he was laughing along with her.

After the laughter subsided, his expression sobered. “You know, if the whole scholarship business still bothers you, I think I’ve come up with a solution.”

Kennedy blinked twice in quick succession. She thought they’d moved on from that. And what could possibly resolve a debt north of two hundred grand?

“What do you mean? What solution?”

“You can pay me back.”

“Pay you back?” she squeaked. Okay, that took an unexpected turn. She certainly hadn’t seen it coming.

“You said you didn’t want my money and I’m trying to fix it. So if paying me back would do that, that’s what I want.” This time she didn’t miss the amused twinkle in his eyes.

Beast.He was playing with her.

“But I wouldn’t have gone to Columbia without the scholarship because I wouldn’t have been able to afford it,” she reasoned, playing along for shits and giggles.

“I’m sure you can afford it now you have your own business,” he murmured, stroking her hip and his other hand encompassing her breast over her shirt.

Kennedy’s breath hitched as her nipples pebbled beneath his questing fingers, pleasure swamping her. “I guess I could if I were paying it on my back. But then, what would be the point? You’re already getting that for free,” she said in a breathy, uneven voice.

“And I love my freebies,” he said, his voice dark and low as he eased her back and grasped the hem of her shirt. In one swift motion, she was half reclined on the sofa in her cranberry demi-cup bra and yoga pants.

Dragging his smoldering gaze up from her pert breasts to her face, he said, “Will you please do something for me?”

Anything.Kennedy nodded. She wanted out of the rest of her clothes and Nate out of his. It had been a long four days, and the deleterious effects of sex deprivation were coming to a head.

Yes, all the puns intended.

“Say you accept it as a gift and then we’ll never talk about it again.”

Pushing up on her knees, she began unbuttoning his shirt. “No, I don’t want it to be barred from all future conversations. We should be able to talk about it.” She paused after the second button, braced her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him sweetly on the lips. “Thank you.”

Nate gave her a slow and seductive smile. “The pleasure was all mine.”

“There’s a chance that when this is all over, we may not have a business,” she warned lightly, resuming the unbuttoning of his shirt. “Which means your girlfriend may be unemployed.” She didn’t intend to change direction completely, but their service of supplying companies with diverse employees for show had run its course. Hopefully, they’d be able to make up the financial loss elsewhere.

“I’m not going to think about the worst happening. But even if you don’t have the agency, you’ll still have me, Kennedy. For as long as you want.”

Brushing her hands away, he assumed the task of unbuttoning and removing his shirt.

His chest bared to her lustful gaze, she eagerly ran her hands over the taut muscles lightly covered by hair. He inhaled sharply. Lifting her eyes to his, she said huskily, “That could be a while.”

“Take all the time you want. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his voice dropping to a throaty grumble. And then he removed the rest of their clothes and took his time bringing her pleasure throughout the night and into the wee hours of the morning.

EPILOGUE

One year later

“Do you want to stay through the karaoke?” Kennedy asked, looking across the table at her boyfriend.

They’d been together over a year, and she’d moved in with him six months ago. Truthfully, it hadn’t been that big an upheaval in her life. She spent most of the time there anyway. In the months before the move, she’d barely seen her apartment, usually only going there to get more clothes and collect her mail.

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