Page 76 of Seduced By You

Resting both hands on her hips, I dropped the teasing act. Dark circles, almost like bruises, framed her eyes, more prominent in natural light. “How are you feeling about it all now that you’ve had some time to process?”

She sighed. “One second, I’m fine. The next, it hits me out of nowhere.”

“It’s not all that surprising. Hell, I’ve struggled to comprehend the odd celebrity who took their own life. You knew Ayesha. You worked with her. That’s gonna hit hard.”

“You’re pretty smart for a pretty boy, Kingcaid.”

“And my fabulous, amazing, sarcastic woman is back in the room.”

Standing on tiptoes, she pecked my lips. “Right, spill. What are you planning?”

“I want to take you away for a week or so, but it’s in France. And we don’t leave for nine days. That’s plenty of time for you to rest and recharge.”

“That’s also only five days before Christmas.”

“Yep.”

“Won’t you want to see your folks at Christmas?”

“I’ve already told them we’ll fly out early in the new year.”

“We?”

“You don’t think I’m leaving you here, do you?”

“You want me to meet your parents?” A look of fear mingled with curiosity inched across her face, almost as if I’d told her she had to stick her hand in a basket filled with poisonous snakes and she couldn’t help but wonder if they would bite her or if she’d escape unscathed.

“Yeah. You’re my girlfriend, and I want to show you off.”

“What if I show you up?”

“You won’t.”

“I did the first time I met Benedict’s parents.”

I clenched my jaw at the mention of that jerk. Dad hadn’t yet uncovered what Benedict knew, or thought he knew. As time passed, I did wonder whether he’d been fishing for information after all. It seemed far too coincidental for me, but stranger things had happened. Either way, he hadn’t made the information public, although that meant little with a man like Benedict. Not that blabbing about something that had happened nine years ago would cause me any harm. The authorities had given me the all-clear, but I hated the idea of bringing bad press to the family firm. Conglomerates like ours had enough enemies without me adding to the pile.

Despite my antipathy toward Benedict, curiosity got the better of me. “What did you do?”

“I choked on a piece of steak. His father got up and thumped me on the back. The chewed-up morsel shot out of my mouth and right into his mother’s lap. Oh, but not before slapping her in the face first.”

I burst out laughing. “You’re kidding?”

“Nope. A hundred percent fact.”

“Oh my God.” I got out my cell and tapped the screen.

“What are you doing?”

“Telling Mom no steak for dinner unless she wants to wear it first.”

Her eyes popped. “You didn’t.”

I turned the screen toward her. On it I’d typed “Gotcha.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

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