Page 56 of Saving Mr. Bell

Green eyes narrowed on me, sizing me up. “Yeah, you do. Be honest. I can tell when you lie now.”

That was concerning. “Because I thought that even if you had meant it at the time, that you might have changed your mind, that it was nothing but sex for you, that we were a moment in time you’d forget about as soon as you returned to civilization.”There you go. How’s that for honesty?It wasn’t quite telling him I loved him, but it wasn’t far from it. It certainly set my stall out for wanting him, for wanting a permanence we’d never discussed.

“I wouldn’t have come back if that was the case.”

“I know that now.”

“Yet, you’re all the way over there, just staring at me.”

I stalked over to him, carefully extracting the mug of coffee from his hands and placing it on the kitchen counter beforeyanking him into my arms. He was warm and pliable and smelled like Rudolf. “How long can you stay?”

“How long do you want me here?”

“How long’s a piece of string?”

“How long is the River Nile?”

“What?” I breathed against his hair.

“Oh, sorry. I thought we were just asking questions about how long stuff is.” He stroked his hand down my back, his touch making me shiver after doing without it for so long. “I sacked Jade.”

“Good. She sounded like a bitch. How did your father take it?”

“Surprisingly well. I’ve been letting her drive a wedge between us. If I’m honest, I don’t think she did it deliberately. She just really thought she worked for him and that I didn’t get a say in anything. Partly my fault for not seeing it and for letting it go on for years. Mistakes were made by all parties. I sacked everyone else as well. Everyone except for Nelson.”

I searched my memory banks for whether I was supposed to know that name and concluded I didn’t. “And Nelson is?”

Rudolf’s hands slipped lower to the swell of my arse, my cock immediately showing its appreciation. “My bodyguard. He should have been with me that night at the nightclub. You know, to stop me from getting into fights. Or from getting into strange men’s cars.”

I nuzzled Rudolf’s neck. “Thank fuck he wasn’t there, then. Or God knows where we’d be. How come he made the cut?”

Rudolf shrugged. “I discovered months later than I should have done that he’s a nice guy with a decent sense of humor. Plus, he’s built like the proverbial brick shithouse. Anyway, my father pointed out that I couldn’t sack everyone and then just run away, that if I wasn’t going to sort stuff out myself, that I needed someone to do it for me.”

“And did you find someone?” Rudolf was hard, the ridge of his cock pressing against my thigh.

“Yeah. Sophie Lamb. Have you heard of Faustino Maslin?”

“The violinist?”

“Yeah. She manages him. I called Faustino, and he only had good things to say about Sophie, so I hired her. Sophie is going to sort all my shit out. Clear my schedule. Apologize to anyone who needs apologizing to on my behalf. Make a statement to the media. And then in January, we’re going to sit down together and come up with a plan for my future where I’m not constantly circling the globe. She told me that less is more, that limiting my concerts will only make me more in demand.” Rudolf pulled back, his eyes shining. “So in answer to your question, I’m here for Christmas if you’ll have me?”

“I’ll have you.”

Rudolf tipped his head back, his hips starting a slow grind against mine. “What about after Christmas? I want you in my life. I just wanted things sorted first so I could focus on you properly.”

So straightforward, but that was Rudolf all over, far braver than I’d ever be. A man could change, though. A man could even put a failed marriage behind him and not let it stop him from saying something he knew to be true, no matter how scary it might be. “I want you in my life too. So much. I…”

Rudolf raised an expectant eyebrow when I didn’t finish. “You…?”

“I love you.” The words came out in a rush and then I held my breath for what Rudolf’s response might be. My heart thudded in my chest as he extricated himself from me and took a step back.

“Good.”

I stared at him open-mouthed, so amazed by his flippancy that I forgot to panic. “I tell you that, and that’s all you’ve got to say. Good?”

“I’m just relieved you’re not trying to marry me.”

“Thatis not funny.”

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