Page 30 of The Bet

“Okay.” Rich looks me over from head to toe, and then his eyes land on the basket at my feet. When he returns his gaze to my face, he moves back out of the way.

I pick up the basket and step inside. Rich’s place is small but nice. Everything’s tidy, and there’s an overwhelming scent of lemon filling the air.Not bad.I lower the basket to the floor.

Rich closes the door. “Jenna will be back in a minute.”

“She’s busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Running the bakery for me, so we can…” I swallow. “Talk.”

“I see.” Rich turns the lock, and then, he steps over to the basket and nudges it with his foot. “What’s in the basket?”

“All your favorites.”

“Hmm. Somehow, I doubt that.” His eyes travel over the trench coat and then back to my face.

I shiver at the heat in his eyes – the intense desire warms my body even more than the sun did in this hot ass coat. Even my elbows are sweating.Here goes nothing.“Maybe, you would prefer this.” I unlace the belt and exposed the Little Red Riding Hood costume underneath.

Rich bites his bottom lip and growls, “Yeah, that’s better.”

My clit throbs at his expression. Thank God Tony was right. I would have felt like a dumbass standing in front of him with my tits half showing and my ass barely covered.

“How the fuck did he find that outfit on such short notice?” The corner of his mouth lifts into a half-smile.

“Obviously, Tony has a lot of money and knows a lot of people.” I step into Rich’s space and cup his face. “Rich, you’re perfect for me.”

His hands slide inside my coat and clasp my waist. “I’m nowhere near good enoughfor you, but it doesn’t fucking matter. You’re mine.”

Yes, please.I jump and wrap my legs around his solid form. When his mouth crashes against mine, I whimper. If it were possible, I’d crawl inside his body and never leave.

His hands clasp my ass as he walks toward the sofa. When he pulls back, he stares into my eyes. “Chloe, this time, I’ll make it up to you.”

“Stop it. There’s nothing to make up for. It was amazing.” I lean over and nip his bottom lip. “Until you apologized and ran out on me.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you’d be upset about how I treated you. I’ll never leave you again.” He rips the trench coat down my arms and lays me on the sofa. “God, you’re beautiful.”

“Rich, I want to make love to you.”

The muscles in his neck tense as he grabs the bottom of his shirt and pulls it up and over his head.

I rise to my knees and run my hands over his abs. “You’re so sexy.”

“Stop for a second.” He grabs my hands. “Chloe, I love you.”

My breath catches in my throat. I’d hoped to hear those words, but the reality is more than I expected. I stare into his eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m positive. If you’ll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I grab him and pull him down on top of me. We fall into a pile of arms and legs. “Holy fuck. You’re too good to be true.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Is that a yes?”

I tilt my head. “Was that a question?”

“Saucy wench.” He puts his hands on my face and rubs along my cheekbones. “Chloe, will you marry me? I promise to get you a big, fancy ring, but I can’t risk Tony stealing you away from me.”

“Tony, who?” I scrape my fingernails down his back. “Yes, I’ll marry you. And, Rich, I love you, too.”

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