Page 20 of Buy Me, Love
“That was me,” I reply. “I went to your table and retrieved the coat, brought it out to the hostess. I told her you’d be back for itshortly.”
“And at the dog run last week,” she says, turning around, fingers gliding softly against the window. “You were there, weren’t you? That was you, with the sunglasses and the newspaper. The man who couldn’t take his eyes off ofme.”
My fingers dig into the armrests of the chair. I stand slowly to approachher.
“That’s right, Kit,” I say, taking a careful step forward. Her eyes are glittering and her lips part softly. Her vulnerability is showing. I want to protect it. “That was me. I was watching you,yes.”
“Please don’t ever stay away from me again,” she whispers, a breath breaking in her chest. “Please. I don’t know what I would do withoutyou.”
I take her chin in my fingers and crush my lips to hers in a bruising, consuming kiss. She wraps her arms around my neck and her fingers cruise against my scalp, linking up behind my head. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me. She opens up for me, compliant, pliant, sweet, and I lick my tongue against hers. She slips a moan against my lips as I deepen the kiss, claiming her mouth. I tear away to tell her what I’ve wanted to for sixmonths.
“I love you, Kit. I loved you the moment I saw your picture. My biggest mistake wasn’t watching you from afar. It was not walking right up to you and asking for a date. Asking for some time withyou.”
“I love you too, Max,” she whispers against my lips. “At least that’s certainly what this feelslike.”
“They say never marry the first person you fall in love with,” I tell her. Her expression softens and I kiss her again, taking her round, perfect little ass into my hands andsqueezing.
Did I just propose to Kit? Not the proper way, not with a ring. A ring the size of the sun if she wants it, which I know she will. She likes pretty things. Can you blameher?
She pulls away from me. I’m just now noticing that the sun is setting behind her. Every time I think she couldn’t look more perfect, be more perfect, something inside me shifts and I see more of her. A different angle. A differentview.
“Then I better not marry you,” shebreathes.
“We’ll discuss that later,” I reply, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. I let the glossy strands slip through my fingers. We have all the time in the worldnow.
But there’s a detail, like shesaid.
“You’ve already told your father?” I ask. She nods softly and sears her teeth against her lower lip. “How did he takeit?”
“Well. He said you betrayed his trust, went against his wishes, and that you’re fired effective immediately,” she says, ticking each point off on herfingers.
“He can’t fire me,” I say, holding her close, “because Iquit.”
“You didn’t let me finish. There’s one more thing hesaid.”
“What’sthat?”
“That he knows you’ll take care of me. That he knows you’ll love me. That there’s no one in the world he trusts more thanyou.”
“That’s three things,” I correcther.
“Minordetail.”
She smiles and throws her arms around myshoulders.
“Can we get the hell out of here?” shewhispers.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than somewhere else with you,” I whisper against her lips. Anywhere with her is better than anywhere else without her. I’ve spent enough time staying away. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my life staying right damn next toher.
Forever…
…
“Wait. There is one more thing,” she says against my lips. She slips away and takes a seat at her father’s desk, reaching into one of the drawers and pulling out a piece of paper. I walk up behind her to see what she’sgot.
“The check from last night?” Iask.
“Yes,” she breathes, looking up at me. “My dad wants us to decide together who should get the money. I have a fewideas.”
