Page 71 of Indecent Ventures

“Look at her. Can you blame me?”

“I guess not. Obviously she’s a beautiful woman.” He shakes his head. “I never thought I’d see the day. The famous playboy Collin Fitz is off the market.”

“Stranger things have happened. I believe the famous playboy Camden Fitz recently went off the market.”

He nods in agreement. “I’m happily and permanently off the market. Has anyone in the family met her?”

I shake my head. “No, not really. Braden met her briefly before we started up, but no one has truly met her.”

He looks surprised. “What’s the holdup?”

A blow out a breath. “We agreed to be casual and not tell anyone about us. We don’t ever go out in public. We always stay in. This is our first time eating in a restaurant in over four months together. Her cousin is the woman married to Carter. When things go south, it could get ugly. We’re better off staying in the dark for now. We’re fine in our little bubble.”

“Whenthings go south?”

“I’ve never dated anyone where it didn’t eventually go south.”

“That’s the case for everyone until they meet the right person.”

I’m silent at that. I’ve never looked at it that way.

“Collin, she’s young and beautiful. She’s not going to want to Netflix and chill every night for much longer. If you want to keep her around, which it looks like you do, you’re going to have to get out of the house and do things with her.”

I smirk. “Netflix and chill? You’re like a teenager. You know, I’m the older cousin. I’m supposed to give you advice, not the other way around.”

He winks. “I got the beauty and the brains in this family.”

* * *

“Where are we going?”

“You’re an impatient woman,” I tell her.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Relax. We’re almost there.”

We’re in my car driving. It’s a Thursday night. What Cam said last weekend really resonated with me. We need to do more than sit in one of our apartments. I certainly enjoy that time with her, but we need a change of scenery. And I really want her to see this.

We pull into the construction site. She looks at me and pinches her eyebrows together. “Where are we?”

“It’s the Wander property. I thought you might want to see the shell before your vision comes to fruition. I know you get visuals in your models, but nothing beats the real thing. Nothing beats watching it come to life before your own eyes. It’s such a high.”

She smiles. “I love this. But it’s your vision, not mine. I just memorialize it. It’s your brilliance.”

“How about, it’sourvision?”

“Okay.”

I squeeze her hand. “You think I’m brilliant?”

“Brilliantly talented in bed.”

I pull her hand to my lips and kiss it. “So are you.”

We get out of the car and walk through the opening that will eventually be the front door. I take her hand in mine. She looks at me in question. We’re not exactly a hand-holding couple. “There’s a lot of crap around. I don’t want you to get hurt.” That and I just like touching her.

She nods. “It’s cool. Your hands are my second favorite part of your body.”

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