Page 116 of Nothing to Deny
Levying her weight back, she curled her lips into her mouth, steadying her breathing. “Any clients today?”
Though she wasn’t so sure she cared about the rules right then.
“No,” he said, unzipping her dress. “Only you, Little Skit.”
“Good,” she said, wriggling up her skirt to climb onto him. “Because I need something only my man can give.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
SHE’D NEVER FEARED her grandfather and still didn’t. They rolled up the driveway and Baer ducked to look out the side window, taking in the view.
“This place is bigger than our vacation one.” Yep, and it wasn’t split into smaller apartments either. “Does he know we’re coming?”
“No.” Maybe. Sometimes, he just knew things. “He always works from the house on a Sunday.”
The car stopped, and she immediately tugged his arm to get his attention. “Hound, you don’t have to come in with me.”
“I have to come in with you.”
With a hold of her hand, he opened the door and led her out. No, she never feared her grandfather, but since Kinloch, she’d never been with a man so willing to confront him. Most wanted her grandfather’s favor, and going in shouting the odds might not make the best first impression. Except Baer’s potential actions weren’t what preoccupied her.
Truman could say anything, do anything, threaten anything. This would be the real test of Baer’s feelings for her, of whether their relationship could survive.
Inside, she took off her coat to hand it off to the valet while Baer ventured deeper into the foyer, absorbing it all.
He whistled. “This is some… We’ll have to put trackers on the twins, we’ll never find them in here.”
Good. That was good. He was talking about their families merging, that was important… if her grandfather allowed it.
“Do you want to wait here? John can give you a tour or get you something to eat or… there’s a billiards table downstairs. You can play some… Or there’s my bedroom but…”
Might not be a good idea to hole him up in her room when her grandfather could be volatile.
Baer’s focus came back as he did, and he held out a hand to the valet. “John?”
“Yes, sir,” the valet said, looking to her for a smile of permission before he shook Baer’s hand.
“Baer Claymore. You’ll be seeing a lot of me. We’ll teach the kids about loyalty to good staff, so your job’s secure.”
She laughed and took his arm, coiling hers around it. “I doubt he wants to be working here in fifty years.”
“Never know, baby.”
The wide corridors and thick carpets gave the place gravity, like God himself couldn’t shake these foundations. Though, with her grandfather in charge, that was probably true.
They stopped at the closed door to Truman’s office.
“Stay here a minute.”
“Lil’—”
“Just a minute, okay? Let me… if we go in hard, he’ll get defensive, no chance of him being reasonable then.” And they needed at least a glimmer of that. Pushing to her tiptoes, she pulled him down for a quick kiss. “A minute, that’s all.”
“One minute.”
He kissed her again and brows high, backed away a step.
This was her cue; it wasn’t familiar to hold such trepidation. Still, shoulders back, she marched into her grandfather’s office.
