Page 411 of One More Kiss

After a few seconds, he murmurs, “I’m feeling optimistic right now, so I’ll make you a deal, Donny. If Gibson comes on tour, babysits Fen, and sings a song or two on stage, then I’ll make it happen.”

Silence.

“Yeah, you owe me one,” he mutters.

Crawling over to him, I press a kiss between his shoulder blades, then dig my fingers into his tight muscles. His head rolls forward as he fights off a groan of appreciation and says, “One more thing, Donny. I want you to extend the invitation to Gibson’s friend.” He looks over his shoulder at me. “What was her name again?”

“Dove Walker,” I answer, kneading his muscles with all my strength.

“That’s right. Dove Walker.” He melts into me and closes his eyes, trying to focus on the conversation, though I have a feeling I’m making it difficult for him. “I want you to make sure she’s invited to tour with them. I think she’d do well.”

Silence.

“Yeah, I know she might be a nobody, but she’s got talent, Donny. Trust me. I saw it firsthand.”

Silence.

“Alright. Let me know how it goes,” Hawthorne replies. “We’ll talk soon.”

He hangs up the phone, turns around, and gives me his full attention. “Sorry about that––”

“You gave them another shot,” I interrupt.

Squeezing the back of his neck, a sheepish Boris shrugs one shoulder. “I guess I did.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I like you.”

My heart stalls in my chest before making up the lost beat in double time. Pushing the feelings aside, I challenge, “And you decided that was enough to put your reputation on the line?”

“Maybe.”

I press a soft kiss to his lips and peek up at him, committing the moment to memory. It might not seem like a big deal for this strong man to bend like this and give Broken Vows another chance, but I think it is. And he did it for me.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

He cups the side of my face, dragging his calloused thumb along my cheekbone as his icy blue gaze scans my face. “I want to stay, Princess.”

With a subtle flinch, I blink slowly. “W-what?”

“I said…I want to stay. With you. Here.”

“But…” I shake my head.

He’s toying with me.

That has to be what he’s doing.

“What about work?” I ask. “What about your job? Your life? Why would you want to give all that up? Because I’ve what? Intrigued you?”

His soft smile melts a bit of my reservations as his warm hand squeezes my bare thigh. In my bedroom. After we just spent the perfect night together.

“Sam, you’ve done more than intrigue me. You’ve made me feel alive for the first time in years. As for my job, I travel for work. Who’s to say I can’t keep doing that as long as I come home to you?”

Home. To me.

This can’t be happening. It’s too good to be true. He’s too good to be true.

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