Page 108 of Trouble Walked In
“Look at me.” He gently lifted her chin until she did. “It doesn’t matter. That’s in the past. What matters is today and tomorrow.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She’d been wanting to ask that for a long time but hadn’t been ready to risk the consequences. She’d treated him so badly, so often, he had every right to hold a grudge even though he clearly didn’t.
His lips quirked. “It was the right move, at the time. You were married. You being mad at me was the only thing that kept my hands off you.”
“I’ve been divorced over three years now.” She tilted her head to wait for an explanation.
“You moved to upstate New York. I couldn’t just casually stop by like I was in the neighborhood. Although now that I’ve seen what kind of talent lurks in these places, I’m thinking maybe we should make a habit of touring off-the-beaten-path spots.”
“We?” She gazed at him, letting herself sink into the love she saw in his eyes.
He kissed her, a light brush of his lips that was a promise of more. “Oh yeah, didn’t I tell you? It’s part of the deal thatwe talent scout as a team. It’s a paid position, with benefits. You should be getting the contract to sign in a couple of days.”
“Paid?” She blinked at him, stunned. “You want to pay me to go to bars with you?”
“Well, Omega does. I was hoping you’d accept the position so we could spend time together. It’ll be like reliving our first date over and over.”
“You think that was our first date? I tricked you to get you out of the house, and then the tire blew. It was pure luck it happened in front of a bar.”
He shrugged. “Luck, fate, whatever. You can’t tell me the idea of christening another parking lot hasn’t crossed your mind.”
She had to admit she had pictured that exact scenario many times now. It was getting a little too warm in this room. She unbuttoned the top button on her shirt with her free hand. “And Nate agreed to that, did he? He’s been making ripples in my life ever since I was seventeen. My own personal fairy godfather.”
Renic watched her with interest. “Well, he agreed to the salary. The fringe benefits come from me.”
She undid the second button. “What benefits?”
Renic pushed the top of her shirt aside. “That’s up for negotiation. So if I only get one night in the inn’s best room, where am I spending tomorrow night?”
She shivered and undid the third button on her shirt. “Tomorrow you check into the Carriage House.”
His gaze traced a path down and lingered on the exposed lace of her bra. “Why not tonight?”
“You know how you said I should do more of what I want?” She only had one more button to go. She fumbled a little to make it take longer, then finally released it.
Renic pushed the shirt aside and gripped her waist. “I remember.”
She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. “Tonight I want to sleep in the Rose Room with you. Tomorrow, we’ll work on building a life together.”
He pulled her close. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”
