“Hadrian, what’s going on? Did you get robbed?” More likely, he’s moving, but this is the first I’ve heard about it, and an anxious pit grows in my stomach, wondering how I fit into whatever his plans are.
“No, I didn’t get robbed. I made space.” He shoves his hands in his pockets—nervously, perhaps? Though his tone sounds as certain as I’ve ever heard him.
“Space for…?”
“For you.” He removes a hand to scratch behind his neck. “I know you probably need time to be independent, but I want you here, Brystin. I want you in every part of my life, and I don’t want to carve out a little corner of my world and expect you to cram yourself in. You deserve more than a drawer or a closet or a room. I want you intermingled with me, whether that means bringing in your own items, or shopping together or—”
I don’t need to hear more, and I can’t hold back any longer. “I love you.”
His eyes widen, and a smile spreads slowly. “Does that mean—?”
“It means, yes. Yes, I’ll move in with you. Yes, I want to intermingle.” Dammit, I’m crying again. “I don’t need time to be independent, Hadrian. I’ve lived for years with a man who gave me more independence than I wanted.”
I close the gap bet**en us, and he instantly wr*ps his arms around my waist. As though they belong there. Which, in my opinion, they do. “I want to be wholly part of someone for a change. So, yes, I’ll move in with you. I’ll never leave if you let me.”
“I’m definitely letting you never leave.” He wipes a tear from my cheek. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” Oh no, the giggles are back.
“Is loving me funny?”
I shake my head. “It’s so not funny that it makes me lose control of myself.”
“I think I get that.” He wipes another tear, then p**sses his forehead to mine. “I always thought falling in love would be such a brutal twist of fate, after everything I’ve done to avoid it my whole life. But Brystin, the brutal twist of fate is that everything people envy me for, everything I’ve been clinging to—my money, my lifestyle, my family. My job. All the things that I thought made me happy—they’re nothing. I’ll give them all up for you.”
I k**s him, the kind of k**s that will lead to the bed because we are who we are, but also the kind of k**s that tells him I feel the same, and that this isn’t just about sex. The sex is just a bonus.
Sure enough, I’m soon scooped off the floor and carried to the mattress, but I stop him after he unb**tons one blouse b**ton. “Out of curiosity…I appreciate that you’ll give everything up for me, but did you?”
He grins. “Are you worried that you might have really ruined me? That you might have to be the breadwinner of the family?”
I shrug. It would certainly be a change. For both of us.
He unb**tons another b**ton. “You have nothing to fear.” Another b**ton. “Even if I lose the job, I still have my resumé.” Another b**ton. “And this apartment.” Another. “And Adeline.” He spreads the fabric apart and l**ks my bare skin. “And the hundred-million-dollar trust fund from my grandfather.”
“So you won’t be needing me to pay half the rent,” I t**se.
“Don’t you dare even offer.”
Talking is over then because Hadrian has other ideas for occupying my mouth—indecent ways—and I willingly comply, still a girl who loves to be treated mean, but also a girl who, turns out, loves to be treated nice.
So I give him all of me, and he takes every bit offered, and when I fall asleep in his arms, I’m not diminished. I’m finally whole.
Hadrian POV
Seven months later, April
Jessa sidles up next to me and Shiloh as we look out over the yard at the game in progress. “I didn’t realize croquet could be so bloodthirsty.”
“Steele’s girlfriend is cutthroat,” I agree. Poor Brystin. She can be so hard-nosed when it comes to her work—or arguing with me—but she doesn’t have it in her to carry that aggression to the real world. Particularly, if it means breaking rules or playing unfair.
It’s a good thing, frankly. Or she’d still be working for SNC instead of helming her own current events show. Similar in theme to what Our Nation Now was supposed to be, Real Talk airs once a week on SHE, which gives her the opportunity to really delve into her topics, and explore all sides of issues that often get ignored in day-to-day political forums.
The show’s first episode aired last night, and I might be biased, but I’m convinced it’s a hit. However it fares, the viewing was an excuse to gather the crew and friends and family for a weekend at Adeline, much like our old brainstorming retreats when I was still at SNC.
“Look.” Shiloh nudges me toward Grandpa Irving who is also watching the game from the sidelines. “He’s trying to give her pointers.”
I’m dubious about what Grandpa thinks is helpful, and sure enough, when I pay attention, he’s leading her to hit her ball through an area that’s out of legal bounds.
She can take care of herself, I know, but I can’t help being protective. “Grandpa, quit trying to convince her to cheat.”
Brystin looks up from the shot she was about to take. “Wait, what? Is that not part of the course?”
Grandpa shrugs, as though he’s innocent, that devil. “The boundaries are vague.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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