Page 35 of All Hale the Queen

His lips twist to the side. “Hmm, how attached are you to those candlesticks?”

“Not at all,” I reply.

Phoenix nods sagely. “Okay, we can get rid of those, and then choose a few photos to put in albums. Maybe that one, that one, and those three? That would give you room for new pictures.”

“Great. Fantastic,” I chirp cheerily. My nerves are on edge, and I know I need to get him out of the room so Antonio can escape up the stairs. “Thank you for your help with that. Now come have some coffee with me.”

My son brightens. “Do you have any bagels?”

I pat his arm and guide him toward the kitchen. “Of course I do.”

Whew. Crisis averted.

Chapter 13

Antonio

The Monday before Thanksgiving is cold and blustery in Houston, though I barely notice the chill in the air. I had another wonderful weekend with Ophelia, and I’m about to see her again, this time at the request of my boss.

Pulling into her driveway, my heart does a little flip when I see her standing in the open door of the garage. Her smile is brilliant, and I’m in awe that it’s all for me.

Ophelia is dressed in jeans, a red button-down shirt, and a black wool trenchcoat. She looks just as beautiful as when she’s wearing one of her designer dresses. Large tubs surround her, and I frown a little when I get out of my SUV.

“Did you move those yourself?” I ask, earning me an eye roll.

“Yes, but they’re not that heavy.”

I step into the shade of her garage. “What good are my muscles if you don’t let me carry things for you?”

Her small hands run up my biceps and over my shoulders. “Oh, you certainly put them to good use this weekend,” she flirts.

Growling, I push her farther into the garage and away from prying eyes as I pin her against the side of her pearl-white SUV. Our lips meet with a searing kiss.

“How is your bum?” I ask once I’ve had my fill of her sweet mouth.

“You mean after you defiled it Saturday night?” she asks with a quirk of her eyebrow.

My eyes go to the empty spot in her garage where I park my car when I come over, and the memories make all my blood go south. We’d played hide-and-seek like a couple kids Saturday evening, and when it was her turn to hide, she chose to run to the garage and hole up in the front seat of my car.

I’m well trained in tracking, and it took me less than three minutes to locate her. After hauling her out by the waist, I’d bent her over my classic Corvette and fucked her tight little arse.

“I didn’t hear any complaints from you,” I retort a bit smugly.

Her pretty brown eyes sparkle. “Because you made me come three times.”

“Bloody hell, woman,” I groan. “I thought you were going to break my cock.”

“Maybe I’ll try again next week,” she teases before pressing a hard kiss to my lips. “You want to come over for dinner tonight?”

“Yes,” I reply immediately. “But first let me earn it by loading these bins in my vehicle.” I take a step back, reluctantly releasing her.

“I think I’ll go with you,” she muses as I begin to pick up the heavy-duty plastic totes filled with Christmas ornaments and place them in the cargo area. “I’d like to see Mindy again. I met her once when she was visiting with her aunt. Of course, that was before she worked as Remi’s assistant. Phoenix told me she’s a fantastic addition to the company.”

“Mindy is a fine lass. Very smart, and she doesn’t take any of Remi’s shit.”

“Oh, I like her already,” Ophelia says with a smirk.

She sits up front with me on the way to the Hale office building. Apparently Mindy is doing some decorating around the office, and Remi called his mother to see if they could use some of her old ornaments. I’m eager to see what Ophelia thinks about Mindy because I’m fairly certain her son is in love with his assistant, though he won’t admit to it.