Page 88 of A Midnight Romance
“I’ll stay, Lux. But as long as I can come and go as I please.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad. It will make me feel much better.”
“Me too.” She lets out a quiet sigh matching mine.
“River already assigned one of his guys to tail you wherever you go, so you’ll be safe.”
“Wait, what?”
A flush of heat moves through me as I regret blurting out my comment. I may be slowly accepting River’s protectiveness, but Stevie might not be as willing as I am.
“I know it sounds weird, but trust me—it’s for your protection.”
She’s silent for a beat, probably talking herself through whether she wants to protest or not. “Fine,” she groans. “I’ll see you soon.”
I smile to myself. “I’ll see you soon.”
But before I can end the call, Stevie quickly says my name. “Oh, and Lux?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m not bringing my own clothes because I will be wearing all your new ones,” she says. The confidence laced through her voice is in true Stevie fashion.
I laugh. “This is nothing new.”
“Love ya!”
When Stevie and I end our call I contemplate writing some more, but my stomach growls with hunger. With a quick check of the time, I close my laptop and decide to head to the kitchen, knowing Ben usually has dinner ready by now.
The long dark hallway that makes up the East Wing is becoming more familiar. I hear voices as I approach the main part of the house, anticipating River already being there. And with a lightness in my chest and a heart fluttering out of control of thinking I’ll see him, I round the corner.
Sebastian, sitting at the counter eating, turns to nod his head in my direction.
Then my eyes land on the man as tall as a tree, donned in all black, leaning against the counter. I’d really like to revisit our conversation about the cameras, because I can’t let him off the hook that easily.
“Lux,” he drawls, flipping his hat backward, causing me to forget about everything I’m thinking about.
Fuck, he’s hot.
Letting my fingertips glide across the large island, I sway over to him, stopping with only inches between us. My eyelids flutter up to his as I try to maintain the confidence I had earlier this morning. “River.”
Staring down at me, he pops a blueberry into his mouth. “Hungry?”
“Very.” I grin.
He brings a blueberry up and glides it across my bottom lip before sliding it in.
My stomach does that flipping thing it does every time I’m around River as I suck the fruit into my mouth. “That tastes good.”
River’s thumb and index finger pinch my chin, tilting my face up to his. “I have something else that’s good for—”
“God, you two,” Sebastian interrupts and picks up his plate. He walks it over to the sink and drops it. “Get a fucking room.”
River and I ignore him. “Ben made you dinner.” He wraps his arms tight around the front of my shoulders. “It’s in the fridge. Do you want me to heat it up for you?”
Slipping my hands into his back pockets, I give his ass a light squeeze. “I would love that. You have a lot of making up to do for the cameras.”
“I know.” He walks over to the refrigerator to grab the pre-made food.
