Page 50 of The Bargain
“Who?”
“Nealson. Do you know him?”
“I do. He’s a good fighter. Isn’t he married?”
“Yep. He married one of the ring girls. Honestly, I am not a ring girl. I am not his type. I don’t know what we were thinking.”
“You can be my ring girl.”
I laugh. “Right. You can make that my new endearment. Not good girl, but ring girl.” It’s out before I stop it, and my cheeks heat, my wet hands pressing to my face. “I cannot believe I just said that.”
He’s laughing now, too, but it fades away quickly, and he tugs my hands from my face. “How about I just call you beautiful, at least until you let me call you mine?” His voice is low and gravelly.
He wants…did he just…no. Yes. “Be careful what you wish for. I’m kind of a mess, Ethan.”
“If you’re a mess, you’re my kind of mess. And I need to warn you about New York. That’s where you’re going to see what kind of mess I am. The minute you come into the fold of my family, you’ll see what kind of mess I am. So, beware, baby. New York and the Dalton clan are about to blow your mind. And unfortunately, that comes with my ex. Being with me means dealing with her.”
“I’m tough.”
“I know you are, but she’s devious. I need you to remember that. I assure you, she came to the hotel to talk to me, hoping to upset you. Don’t let her do that to you. Don’t give her that power.” He pushes to his feet, water dropping from every hard inch of him, as he helps me stand, and despite being wickedly hard, he wraps a towel around me before using it to tug me close. “When she tries to make you feel less than her, remember, no one does that to you unless they feel less than you. You are not less than her. You will never be less than her. And you, baby, have more of me than she ever had, and you have known me a tiny portion of the time she has.”
“I can handle her. You just take care of family business.”
“I will, thanks to you talking some sense into me. And with you by my side.”
“I don’t think you need me by your side.”
“And if I say different?”
“I don’t know what to say to that.”
“One day you will, hopefully sooner than later.” With that, he steps out of the tub, wraps his arm around me, and scoops me into his arms before setting me on the ground. “One day, baby, we’ll figure this out,” he says, grabbing a towel for himself and securing it around his waist. “Until then, it’s one day at a time.”
One day at a time, I think. He says that as if there will be many in our future, and not so long ago, I was certain there would be only one night. There is something happening between us, a bond weaving with fine thread, but as he and I know all too well, life is fragile. And everything can change in a blink of an eye.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ethan
Iwakebeforedawn,onmy back, with Sofia curled into my side, and I don’t even think about moving.She’s changing me, I think. No other woman ever made me savor every second with them the way she does. And the truth is that had felt normal, which I know now had a lot to do with how I allowed Anna in my life. It felt as if marriage was a business endeavor.
And now I know better.
The right person feels different.
Sofia feels right and different, and I’m going to do my damnedest to hold onto her, including winning over her father.
Spanking her, holy fuck, she’s sweet and sexy, and the way she gave herself to me, the way she trusted me, only makes me want to earn that trust on every level. As for New York, she’s right. Ineed to go back, which I already knew and planned, but there’s a part of me that still wants to head straight to Paris, where I can keep her the hell away from my family.
I think she’s far more capable than the average person of checkmating anyone who crosses her, regardless of them holding the Dalton name or not. Sofia shifts out of my arms and rolls to her side. I follow her, wrapping my arms and body around her, only to have her press her backside against me, a little sound escaping her lips. And not for the first time this very night, I think,this is where I belong,right here, holding Sofia, and I’m in no rush to start the new day. I close my eyes, and the next time I wake, my alarm is going off and the sun is a burst of fuck-me with brightness. I groan and shift to realize Sofia is gone, and when I push up to my elbows and hunt for her, I find her exiting the bathroom, a pink silk robe clinging to delicate curves.
“Morning,” she says, a shy quality to her voice.
I shift to a sitting position using the headboard to rest against. “Morning. Come back to bed.” I motion for her to join me.
“It’s late. Seven-thirty already. We have to make our appointment at the passport office. They emailed me and said to be there right at nine. If I come to bed, I don’t know if we’ll make it.”
“Good point, but I’m not sure I care.”
