Page 192 of Bound By Her

Adria nodded. “I’ll try.”

Loretta kissed each cheek before saying, “I’ll be in touch with the auction’s guest list for approval. There are a lot of interested parties.”

Adria’s gut clenched. “I’m sure.”

CHAPTER 45

NORTH CAROLINA

The sunlight warmed Adria’s skin, and the hot summer air carried the scent of marigolds lining her sundeck. She relaxed into her lounge chair.

“Can I ask you something?” Kaydon said.

She opened her eyes, glancing down. Kaydon’s broad frame was crouched at her feet, red nail polish in hand.

“Have you finished?” she asked, wiggling her toes.

“Hey, keep still, this is hard enough as it is without you moving everywhere,” Kaydon said.

She closed her eyes again, trying to enjoy the feeling of a powerful man serving her.

Kaydon’s large hands were warm against her skin. His careful, precise touch should have been enough to put her at ease.

But her mind kept wandering.

Loretta’s advice.

Talk to them.

It sounded so easy. And perhaps, for some people, it would be.

For Adria, it felt impossible.

So, instead of confronting it, she had chosen to ignore the situation entirely.

It was working.

Mostly.

And yet, here she was.

Kaydon at her feet, his presence effortlessly magnetic. His energy pulling at her even when she tried to resist.

Adria sighed. “Ask me.”

She kept her eyes closed, but she could hear the way his smile curled into his voice.

Ridiculously, it made her want to smile, too.

“Are we going to the Summit this year?”

Her eyes snapped open.

That was not the question she had been expecting. She sat up, removing her sunglasses, studying him.

“Why do you ask?” she said, not ready to answer.

Kaydon didn’t look at her. His focus remaining on his work, carefully painting her big toe. The nail polish brush looked tiny in his large hands.

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