Page 15 of Five Days to Be Mine

“I value my time. I don't like wasting it. Are you ready to do this, Mara?”

“Tell me what I can expect,” her voice is soft, hopeful.

“A very sore bottom, orgasms and great sex. This way,” I take her hand in mine. It’s clammy.

I know this is it; she’s either going to come with me or change her mind.

The way she pushes a stray curl behind her ear is so endearing I wonder if it’d annoy her if I put it back in place.

She meets my gaze. “My expectations, Evan Brennon, are very high.”

“I won’t disappoint, Mara…?” Her last name slips my mind.

“Mara Cotter. Do you always forget the girl's name?”

“Often. I only check it, when it counts,” I smirk.

She laughs, her head thrown back exposing the curve of her neck.

The sound echoes around the now-empty dining room, and I smile. This woman has eased my usual contrariness and I can't wait for this night.

“Good night, Mr. Brennon,” Javier nods to me as we walk out of the double-wide doors.

“Good night, Javier."

"One floor down is where I have an apartment,” I tell Mara as I press the elevator button.

“You live here?” She ducks her head, as if she regrets saying the words.

“I know, who lives in a hotel? But given the amount of time I spend in the restaurant, it made sense to live on-site. Besides, Julian Madden Hugo doesn’t like to take no for an answer. The CEO of the Hugo Empire can be a testy bastard, even if he’s a loyal friend.”

The elevator cars whirl open. I place my hand on Mara’s lower back. I like how it feels there, leave it there, even after the doors close.

"Everything in this place is so snazzy. I feel like I'm on a movie set,” she says, touching the leather wall texture of the car.

“I know what you mean.”

“You didn’t grow up …?”

“Rich?” I supply. “It’s not a bad word, Mara.”

She blushes furiously. “Most of the rich people I know are assholes.”

She frowns, and I want to know who she is thinking of but I don't want to lead her to any emotional landmines-not tonight.

I laugh. “That has been my experience too. My dad is an inventor. My mom worked as a paralegal. We were brought up in chaos, not luxury.”

Mara smiles, and steps a little closer to me. “My mom works for a law firm. It’s how she met my stepdad.”

“Your stepdad is a lawyer?”

I gently take my hand away from her back, and brush over the soft cress of her stomach, then reach for her hand her fingers slip into mine.

The elevator opens silently, and we step out to a tiled hallway.

I guide Mara past a pedestal table with a vase of white flowers. She stops and touches it gently.

“Gorgeous cymbidiums. You didn’t get these from us.”

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