Page 149 of The Price of Scandal
“I know it is,” I said.
“Shut up. You do not,” she argued, playfully slapping me in the chest.
I caught her hand in mine and pressed a kiss to her fingers.
“You’re a bloody brilliant genius,” I told her.
“Did you know you say ‘bloody’ when you’re drunk?” she pointed out.
“I’m hungover now, not drunk, darling.”
“So what do you say?” she asked, bringing her hands to rest on my shoulders.
“Partners?” I pressed.
“All the way around.” Her fingers toyed with the ends of my hair.
“I know it’s not exactly worth much right now,” she said. “And it might not seem like an even trade or even a good investment. But I promise you—”
“Shut up, love. You’re Emily Fucking Stanton, and that’s all I want.”
She cupped my face in her hands tenderly. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Her lips danced over mine softly. But I couldn’t take soft or tender. Not with relief and hope burning so bright.
I took over the kiss, demanding her surrender. But Emily never surrendered without a fight.
It was aggressive and wild. No holds barred. Just the way I loved her.
Her tongue swept into my mouth. It tangled with mine, making me forget about the hangover and the heartache.
I loved this woman fiercely. And I’d do anything she asked.
“You should have told me about Lita.”
“I should have tried harder to tell you about Lita,” I countered.
“You can’t protect me from things by keeping me in the dark,” she said.
When I made a move to speak, she pressed her palm to my mouth. “Let’s skip the part where you remind me that I wasn’t open to any critical truths and focus on how to get even.”
I tugged her hand away from my mouth.
“I need you to know that nothing happened between Lita and me. I know how those photos look. But they were staged. I didn’t… I wouldn’t…”
The realization hit me. If Emily believed that I’d come on to Lita, she’d have kicked me in the balls and kneed me in the face. There wouldn’t be any early morning break-in and coffee.
“You already believe me,” I said.
She made a “duh” face. “Of course I believe you. I had to fight my way through the initial mad. But you’ve made it very clear how you feel about me.”
“I have?” I kissed her again.
“Tell me again anyway,” she said, pulling back.
“I find your mind endlessly fascinating,” I said, nipping at her neck.
“Mmm.”
“Your body is my perfection, my playground,” I breathed, darting my tongue under the scoop neck of her shirt to taste the curve of her breast.
