Page 124 of Dirty Rival
“Marry?” My eyes meet Reid’s and he nods, his expectancy at this announcement. “Who is she?”
“A retired school teacher. Forty-four. Widowed. She inherited the ranch. She loves the horses.”
“And you get the oil.”
“It’s not like that. It started out that way, yes. But Carrie, honey, she’s special.”
Reid’s hand settles on my leg, grounding me as I listen to my father ramble for several minutes about this woman, but he never goes at Reid again, which tells me he’s so nervous over the woman, the oil, and my money, that he’s hyper-focused on his defense, not Reid’s execution.
We disconnect, without him asking one question about the convention deal he’s thrown out as ammunition against Reid. That bothers me, but of course, he’s in that hyper-focus mode. I set my phone down and sip my coffee. “Thanks for this.”
He sets his cup on the floor and then takes mine and does the same. “You’re too beautiful, too smart, and too perfect for me, but I am never letting you go.”
I drag my fingers over the one-day stubble along his jawline. “And you are such an evil bastard, but apparently I like you that way.”
He leans in and nuzzles my neck, his lips by my ear as he says, “I’ll show you just how evil if you ever let me use those cuffs.”
I smile, but don’t reply. I think tonight would be a good night to show him I do indeed trust him by letting him have his wish. “I’ll think about it.”
He pulls back. “That’s more than I’ve gotten before.”
“Yeah well, I’m trusting you, remember?”
“I do,” he says, pulling me to my feet. “Just make sure you do.”
I don’t question why he makes this statement. I just heard my father call him an evil bastard.
A few minutes later, Reid and I are in his apartment, in his bathroom, and he walks to his closet, flips on the light and sets my bag inside. “Claim your space.”
“What?”
“I plan to keep you here as much as possible. Claim your space.”
He walks forward and catches my hand, guiding me into the closet where his suits are neatly lining one wall and his casual clothes another. He points me toward the empty center rack. “It has your name all over it. And there’s never been a woman’s clothes inside these walls.”
My stomach flutters and I rotate to face him. “What are we doing, Reid?”
“Everything I can convince you to do. I’m just that kind of evil bastard.” I laugh at the reference to my father’s remark, and he drags me to the shower with him and it’s not long before I’m against the wall, and he’s fucking me into a very good morning. By the time we’re dressed, me in my lucky navy-blue dress, and him in a gray pin-striped suit with a gray tie, it’s nearly nine, and we’re walking to work, the hell of the weekend behind us.
“Does it look bad if we walk in together?” I ask.
“It would look bad if we fucked on the receptionist’s desk, though I’m all in, if you are.” He jokes but then turns serious. “We’re working together on a deal that secures everyone’s future. The staff and stockholders better hope we fucking walk in together.”
“There’s the Reid I know. So warm and fuzzy and diplomatic.”
“I tell it how I see it.”
I laugh and we enter the building. Once we’re in the elevator alone, Reid glances over at me. “I don’t believe I saw what color panties you wore today.”
“Perhaps I didn’t wear any panties,” I say, as I did when we did this before.
“I’ll find out for myself,” he warns. “At the most unexpected time today.”
The elevator opens and an older lady steps on, standing beside me. I scoot closer to Reid. “I’ll spare you the work. I’m not.”
He glances down at me, his eyes hot. “You’re not?”
“No. I’m not.”