Page 136 of The Book Club Boyfriend
“Twenty-eighty on the puppy. Final offer.”
She pinches my side, but she’s smiling. I can feel it against my skin.
“Go to sleep, Remington.”
“Love you too, Calloway.”
She moves closer in the bed, pressing her body against mine—a perfect fit, like always.
I trace my fingers along her hip, my voice dropping. “Owen looked pretty good on you.”
She stiffens slightly. “Chase...”
“I’m just saying,” I murmur, pulling her closer, my lips finding that spot below her ear that always makes her breath catch. “We could start trying. Tonight, even.”
“We agreed—” she starts, but her voice wavers when I kiss her neck. “We said we’d wait until—”
“Until you finished book seven? Which you just did.” My hand slips under her sleep shirt, skating across warm skin. “Until I made captain? Check. Until we survived babysitting? We kept Owen alive for four whole hours.”
She laughs, but it’s breathless. “That’s a very low bar for parenting readiness.”
“Come on,” I whisper against her skin, feeling her pulse jump. “Let’s make a baby, Calloway.”
She’s quiet for a moment, and I think I might actually be winning this negotiation. Then she pulls back, eyes narrowed.
“Okay, fine.”
I blink. “Really?”
“We can get the puppy.”
I pause, processing. “Wait, what?”
“You win. Twenty-eighty split. You can get your chaos puppy.” She crosses her arms, trying to look stern despite her flushed cheeks. “But no babies. Not yet.”
I stare at her for a beat, then burst out laughing. “Did you just—did you seriously just negotiate me down from a human child to a golden retriever?”
“You’re welcome. Puppies don’t need college funds.”
I laugh harder, pulling her back against me. “You’re brilliant.”
“I have my moments.” But then she pauses, studying my face. “Wait. Was that your plan all along? Start with the baby talk so I’d cave on the puppy?”
I school my expression into perfect innocence. “Would I do that?”
“Chase Remington, you manipulative little—”
I cut her off with a kiss, deep and slow, until she melts against me. When I pull back, we’re both breathing harder.
“For the record,” I murmur, “I’m playing the long game. Puppy now, baby later.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Oh, we will.” I roll her beneath me, grinning at the way her eyes darken. “But right now, I think we should practice. You know, for later. When you finally cave on the baby thing too.”
She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down. “You’re insufferable.”
“You love it.”
