Page 47 of Possessing Paisley

I already know what she means, so I sit up and quickly remove my shirt so she can trace the lines of my tattoos. As soon as I’m back down next to her, she touches me again, and all the stress from this evening disappears like a cloud of dust. The only thing I can think about or focus on is her.

“You weren’t sleeping well because you don’t belong here.”

Even in the dark room, I can see her furrow her eyebrows. “Where do I belong then?”

I lean forward and kiss her. “At home with me, baby. That’s where. In the bed we share, in the house we will share, where I’m going to love you for the rest of our lives.”

She sucks in a breath, and I tense, ready for her to start an argument or say something sassy to try to throw me off. But in usual Paisley fashion, she shocks the hell out of me.

“Hmm. Maybe. For tonight, will you please hold me, Daddy?”

I might be the Grinch because I’m pretty sure my heart just grew three sizes. So did my dick, but now isn’t the time for that, and sex isn’t what this is all about.

“Of course, baby. I’ll hold you any time you want.”

Pulling her against my chest, I wrap my arm around her and kiss her forehead. Almost immediately, her breathing slows. Forthe rest of the night, I watch over her, and she doesn’t move even once.

18

PAISLEY

Waking up before eight in the morning should be illegal. Although, waking up with Kieran’s mouth between my legs made it much more bearable. Then, after I came, he wiped his mouth and went downstairs to make me coffee. Who knew the man was a saint? Two of my favorite things given to me without even having to ask. I guess the saying “if he wanted to, he would,” is true. It was definitely a great way to start the day before my last big meeting with the Callahans.

The office is already buzzing when I arrive. I came in early to give myself extra time to prepare and make sure everything is perfect. William and Judy Callahan have been nothing but kind to me, but they have a net worth of over two billion dollars, so I still want to impress them.

Just as I’m about to head into the plush boardroom where we take client meetings, John Boldt appears in my doorway. I do a double-take, my eyes bulging. The CEO has never dropped by my office before. Until the party the other night, I had never even met him in person.

“Good morning, Ms. McKee. I had a message from the Callahans this morning asking me to join the meeting. I hope that’s okay.”

Staring at the man in dumbfounded silence, I nod. He hopes it’s okay? He’s the CEO and founder of Boldt Financial. Did he think I would tell him no?

Sweat gathers at the back of my neck. Oh, God. Why did they want him here? I must have done something to upset them. Shit. Did I screw something up? I’ve checked and double-checked everything to make sure it was all perfect and there were no errors.

I force a smile and gather my wits. Even if I messed something up, I just need to own it. People make mistakes. And if I lose my job today, I’ll deal with it. The makeup line will be in business soon, and I’ll have income from that.

“Of course, Mr. Boldt. I’d love to have you.”

The older man smiles and waits for me to gather the files from my desk, then lets me go ahead of him down the hall. Polite. Then again, this man does sort of work for Kieran, and Kieran did introduce me as his woman at the party, so maybe he’s only being kind because of that. Does he know what Kieran does for work?

“How’s your morning going today, Ms. McKee?”

“Please, call me Paisley,” I reply, smiling. “My morning is great. It’s nice that it’s not raining for once.”

Talking about the weather is always a safe topic.

He laughs. “Absolutely. And please, call me John.”

Chuck comes around a corner just as he says that. As soon as he realizes I’m the one walking next to John Boldt, his cheeks turn red, and his eyes narrow. “Morning,” Chuck says in a clipped tone.

John dips his chin. “Morning.”

“Where are you off to, Paisley?” Chuck asks, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Keeping my head up and shoulders squared, I raise an eyebrow. “I’m headed into my meeting with the Callahans. I should be done in an hour or so if you need anything.”

Without waiting for a response, I shift to sidestep around my jackass boss. John follows me without saying anything else to Chuck. Is it just me, or did the air feel chilly between them? Interesting.

My clients are waiting when we step into the meeting room. They smile brightly and stand to shake my hand first, then John’s.