Page 191 of Her Reluctant Hero
She leaned against his arm. “This is what you worked for, remember. This is what you wanted.”
He lifted her hand to his lips, holding her gaze. “A man shouldn’t have everything he wants. Seems unfair.”
“There’s a price to pay tonight.” She bumped his shoulder gently with hers. “Get out of the car, Adrian.”
He opened the door, slid out, then reached for her. He smiled at the manicure she’d gotten for the party launching their book two nights ago. They’d ended up coauthoring it, and if that didn’t prove their marriage was meant to last, nothing did. Neither of them had a small ego and finding a balance had been tough, but they’d weathered that as well as the creative process. He flicked one of her fingernails now, teasing her. She laughed before she leaned into the cab to say something to the driver, the dress draping over her world-class ass. Adrian fidgeted, eager now to get this evening over with and head back to the hotel with his wife.
The trunk popped open. Mallory straightened with a toss of her hair and slipped past him to open the trunk, where she pulled out…his duffel.
She held it by her thigh, the ratty canvas incongruous with her pretty dress.
“What the hell?” He looked from the duffel to Mallory’s smile.
“The funding came through for the Etruscan site today. Toney and Jacob are already on-site. So all you have to do is get through this and we can leave right after.” She dangled the duffel in front of him.
Excitement surged. Freedom beckoned. He could damn near taste the ocean air. “I don’t need to get funding?”
“No.”
“So why do we have to go here?” He motioned to the building behind him.
She leaned close, chin tilted up, eyes glittering, lips shining with a layer of gloss he was determined to kiss off. “Your moment of glory, Adrian. Just a few hours, soak it in, and we’ll be on our way.”
He slipped his hand around her bare back. Her eyes darkened, her breathing deepened. He didn’t deserve her, this woman who knew him so well, who loved him so much. He’d do everything in his power to make sure he was worthy.
“We can go back to the hotel after this, for a few minutes?”
She looked up at him through her lashes, chiding, but her mouth curved. “We have a plane to catch. A man shouldn’t have everything he wants, isn’t that what you said?”
But as he followed her up the steps, he knew he already had it.
