Page 70 of Tempt

“I use Riley Cosmetics. I like the new lipstick line. But your whole concept needs fresh air or else you’re going to fall behind.”

I stared at Nicki for a few seconds, not entirely sure how to respond to that. At least now I knew she’d looked into me. “This is why I don’t want to run the company—I could care less about any of that.”

“But you’re an architect. Isn’t that a fairly creative field? Can’t you apply that to cosmetics?”

“Yes,” I replied slowly, caught a little off guard by Nicki’s interest in something other than the sketchpad in front of her. “It’s not a matter of my ability to be creative or even take control of the company—it’s a complete lack of desire.”

She hummed under her breath, shaking her head. “Now, this…this I understand.”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Higgins asked from the kitchen. He was clearly put out by not being involved in our conversation.

I gave Nicki a small smile. Maybe we could be friends one day. “We’re just bonding over similar problems with unclaimed destinies.”

He reached up to pull down a strainer from the cabinet above the stove and I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his arm. It looked a lot like the one on Theo’s arm. “Hey, what’s your tattoo?”

He paused to look down at his arm before grinning. “Oh that old thing?” Then he pulled up his sleeve so I could see it. “Theo and I got these about ten years ago. Brothers in Arms.”

I nodded slowly, realizing that Higgins tattoo was on the opposite arm as Theo’s “Despite everything?” I asked. I hadn’t had a chance to figure out exactly how their relationship worked.

“Becauseof everything,” he replied quietly, letting his eyes slide over to Nicki and hold for the longest I’d seen yet, before returning to the food.

I decided right then and there that I liked Higgins. He had a good heart buried underneath all that armor.

We were done and cleaning up dinner when I heard a car pull up outside the back door.

“You.” I pointed at Theo as he came in.

He paused and pointed at himself. “Me?”

“Bedroom.” I pointed toward our room.

He looked past me at Higgins, who shrugged. Theo was pretending to be confused but the bastard knew exactly what was going on—I could tell because he grinned the whole way to the room.

He tossed his coat and briefcase onto the chair and turned on his heel to look at me as I closed the door. “Yes?”

I glared at him. “You…”

His gorgeous grin grew wider and my heart thumped a little faster.He loved me.He’d said it and he was still grinning. As if he were as deliriously happy about this turn of events as I was.

He took a step closer so that he could wrap his arm around my waist. I craned my neck up to look into his eyes. “You think you’re smooth, don’t you?”

I shivered as he took his time studying my eyes and lips, then leaned down to drop a very soft kiss onto my lips. “I love you, Allison. I already knew it, but I fell even harder when you strangled Margaret.”

My cheeks turned red and I looked away. It was embarrassing to remember launching myself at my boss, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Theo tipped my chin up. “It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Sweet. Yeah, violence wasn’t usually described that way, but I still got his point. It was a raw, unadulterated moment where my feelings were clearly on display for everyone to see. I loved Theo so much I attacked his friend—and my boss—for saying something insulting. Dear god, what would I do if someone really hurt him?

I didn’t know myself.

Was this what love really felt like? All this overflowing, raw emotion?

“It was inappropriate,” I whispered.

Theo shook his head and ran his tongue over his lower lip. “Darlin’, inappropriate is how I like you best.” He stole another kiss and paused just an inch from my lips, eyes boring into mine with so much power I could feel him inside me. “That’s why it hit me today. You’re not like other women. You’re bold and sweet. You’re wildly inappropriate in all the best ways.” He took a breath and my world collapsed into blackness as that moment became everything I’d always wanted and everything I was most afraid to hear. “I already knew I loved you, but after that, I couldn’t hide it if I wanted to. And I sure as fuck don’t want to.”

I think I swooned a little. My knees most definitely went weak and I enjoyed every moment of melting into him. Yeah, I wanted romance as much as the next girl, but I didn’t realize how much I craved this strange kind of romance that seemed to come so naturally to Theo. It was intensely sweet, but in the most real and honest ways. Loving and being loved by Theo wasn’t a fantasy. It was dirty and complicated, but it was perfect and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I never doubted how he felt about me because of this, and I loved that as much as anything.

I ran my hand over his beard, roughing it up before I kissed him. “Well we’re in it to win it now, Mr. Sutherland. There are no take backs on the L-word.”

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