Page 20 of Picture Perfect Love

“It’s all about compromise,” I announced as he placed the box in her lap. “Maybe this will prove to be a good example of what kind of compromises you and I could reach.”

“Another gift?” she rolled her eyes with a smile. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“You were just lecturing me about working hard. Doesn’t this count?”

“No,” she groaned, pulling the satin ribbon and removing the lid.

She carefully unfolded the tissue paper to reveal a Chanel-style brown suit, tailored perfectly to her measurements, which she would discover later when she tried it on.

“What’s this?” she gasped. “A suit? A designer suit! And it’s so elegant!”

“Good for the courtroom, don’t you think? And the perfect attire for our next date.”

“You’re taking me to court?” she quipped.

“A buddy of mine is a big name lawyer, and there’s this dinner club he’s always going on about. He says all the big wigs of the city hang out there and discuss their cases over cocktails. I thought it’d be good insight for you and the life you’re getting yourself into. And you’d meet a lot of important people that could help you when you’re done with school.”

“Wow. That’s… that’s so thoughtful.” She smoothed her hands over the fabric before packing it away again, keeping it safe. “But I told you. I’ll be in law school forever. Some people I know in school don’t work half as much as I do and have twice as much money, and they’re still barely snailing along through their classes. It’s challenging work.”

“Work that you’re perfectly capable of doing,” I told her, refilling our drinks. “The world needs you as a lawyer, if that’s what you’ve set your mind on.”

“You don’t know me, Joshua,” she reminded me, sounding resentful this time. “How do you know if the world needs anything I do or not?”

“You don’t know me either though.” I leaned in closer, inching my face to hers. “And one of the things you don’t know about me yet is that I have killer instincts. I was the one to encourage Lucas’s lean towards going down the dating app route. I think that’s why they tolerate me. Because none of it would exist without me.”

“I see you’re humble too,” she teased, her eyes burning into mine with a kind of look that suddenly felt less funny.

“And that same instinct tells me you’re something special,” I rasped, eyeing her plump, pink kissable lips.

Her eyelids fluttered, inviting me in to press my mouth to hers. Her lips tightened against mine, and then the sake must have set in. She sucked in my bottom lip and bit into it with just the right amount of stinging pleasure.

It could have gone on like that for a while—our tongues dancing in and out of each other's mouths. But I wasn’t about to let her think all these gifts and all the chasing was just about sex.

I stopped and pulled back, holding out my hand to hers instead. “Let’s dance.”

“Dance?” she gaped. “What… now? There’s no music.”

Once again, the waiter was cued to strike up a song in the speakers I had planted around us for the evening. An old jazzy love song came on with perfect timing as I pulled Abby onto her feet and twirled her around under the moon and stars.

We danced with her head on my shoulder and our hands locked together until I could feel her shivering against me. I wrapped my arms around her and ran my palm up and down her back.

“Let’s get you inside before your dancing feet freeze off.”

It was soothing to see Abby walk around my penthouse, passively studying everything she saw as she put down her bag and coat.

“I’m glad to have you back here again,” I confessed. “This whole place is plagued with my memories of you from that first night.”

She darkened her eyes over me. “Like you haven’t coaxed other waitresses and bar floozies back here since then.”

“I haven’t actually. Haven’t had the taste for anyone else.”

“I’m not that gullible, Joshua.”

“And I’m not the sleazy playboy you think I am,” I told her, crossing the room to pull her against me again. “Remember… for everything I don’t know about you, there’s just as much you don’t know about me.”

“Then I guess we should sit down and talk. Get to know each other better,” she suggested, as if it was a dare she didn’t think I’d take.

I waved my arm over the couch. “Whatever you want. Let’s sit then.”

Her eyes sparked and I knew that wasn’t what she wanted at all. She was just testing me, and I called her bluff. I could see exactly what was on her mind, what she wanted to do. It was everything I wanted to do, but would have pushed aside if she really wanted to talk all night.

“Lucky you,” she murmured, darting her eyes across my lips. “I’m all talked out for the day. Maybe you can show me to the bedroom instead? There might be something of more interest to me in there.”

“Abby Matthews. Are you trying to use me for sex? Do I mean nothing more to you?” I teased her. “I’m a human being, you know. With thoughts and feelings and everything.”

“Oh?” her brow raised. “Let’s hear those big important thoughts then. Far be it from me to objectify you.”

I grinned and smoothed my tongue along my bottom lip where she had sunk her teeth in earlier. “I am thinking about big important things… like what I’m going to do to you when I get you into that bedroom.”

She laughed as I lunged forward with a playful growl, smacking her on the butt as I chased her into the bedroom. I couldn’t wait to lay her down and remind her of just how amazing that first night had been. My whole body was reeling for it.

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