Page 63 of Owned By Two

Uhti stepped forward. “I’m here to assist Lizzy with coming to terms with her inheritance and her new duties… assuming she wants them.”

“Inheritance?” I said. “New duties? What are you talking about?”

Lizzy gnawed on her bottom lip the way I liked, only this time it wasn’t attached to amorous feelings but nervousness. “It turns out… well, my father was quite a… rich man.”

“I thought he was a failure at everything he put his hand to?” I said.

Lizzy nodded. “He was. At least, that’s what I thought. That’s what my mom told me. But he founded a business that suited his skills and, well…”

She shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands as if to motion to the walls surrounding us.

I didn’t understand what she was referring to. “What?”

“This. This building. The mansion… It’s his.”

My jaw dropped. “This whole building is now yours?”

“Actually,” Uhti piped up. “It’s more than just the mansion. It’s the sounding jungle too. And surrounding land.”

I recalled the jungle I had flown over to reach the mansion. “But… that’s most of the planet’s surface.”

“Practically all of it,” Uhti said with a superior smile.

It was the kind of smile thatbeggedto be punched.

Somehow, I managed to not lay into it.

“And then there are the business interests and other investments,” Uhti added helpfully.

I raised a hand. “Wait. You left to be at your father’s funeral. Then you learned you’re going to inherit all this stuff?”

Lizzy shrugged her shoulders. “Pretty much, yeah.”

I just stood staring at her a moment before I whooped, scooped Lizzy up in my arms, and spun her around.

She threw back her head and squealed with laughter, banging on my head and shoulders softly with her tiny balled fists. “Put me down!” she giggled. “Put me down!”

I did — very slowly — letting her slide down my body.

My hands wrapped tightly about her waist and held her feet off the floor so her lips were within an inch of mine.

I stared into her eyes and she stared right back.

In them, I saw the same fiery passion that had been present the first time we’d met.

And if we were alone — if this fool of an assistant wasn’t here and taking up space — I would have taken her right where she stood.

Uhti, unhelpful as always, cleared his throat.

I paid him no attention but Lizzy did and turned her face from mine.

She tapped me on the chest for me to put her feet down on the ground.

I did as she asked, liquid hot fury bubbling beneath the surface of my calm exterior, disguising the dislike I felt for the alien male standing opposite me right at that moment.

I would have loved nothing more than to bury my fist in his face and place him in an early grave beside his master.

But once again, Lizzy was there and I didn’t want to make her think less of me.

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