I nearly spill my coffee all over the damn floor.
She barrels into the kitchen like a goddamn gorilla. Her hair’s a wild mess, her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, and her chestnut eyes wide and shining like she just discovered a new romance novel.
She’s waving a stack of bills in the air like it’s a golden fucking ticket. “I don’t mean to fucking brag or anything,” she pants, breathless, “but I have enough for first month’s rent!”
My brows lift.
“I can do this! I’m gonna go to the store right now and put the deposit down!”
I blink, still not fully caffeinated, still sulking about what I said to her. My heart’s a mess. My head’s fucking worse. But she’s looking at me like she just cracked the code to her future, and all I can think about is how fucking beautiful she looks.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack before nine in the morning?” I mutter, setting the mug down before she knocks it out of my damn hands with her clumsiness.
She laughs, practically bouncing, as she drops the wad of cash on the counter.
“I woke up and felt this weird push to count everything. My tips, what Reed’s paid me at the bar, and Carter, I have freaking enough. Like actually.”
I watch her closely, soaking in the way her eyes light up. That same spark I saw the first time we walked into Bell’s Books is burning hotter now, like she’s finally found something that feels like hers. She’s practically buzzing, vibrating with excitement, and for a second, I just let myself look at her.
Fuck, she’s so goddamn beautiful it hurts.
All I can think about is how badly I want to protect that fire. Even if it means shielding her from herself.
I step closer, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’d bottle that light inside her and guard it with my life. I soften my voice, trying to lace it with something gentle. Something she won’t want to kill me for.
“Baby,” I say sweetly. “You’ve got enough for the first month. That’s huge. I’m proud of you, I mean that. But what about the second? And the third? Owning a business isn’t just renting. There’s inventory, utilities, repairs–”
She puts a finger to my lips. “Wow,” she snaps, “so basically, you’re saying I can’t do it. That’s what I’m hearing. Real fucking nice, Carter.”
I blink. What the fuck just happened? Am I imagining things?
“Baby, I didn’t say–”
Her finger’s back. “Don’t you baby me with that southern drawl of yours. I’m pissed now. You don’t get to speak to me.”
She crosses her arms, glaring at me like she’s seconds away from a full-blown brawl. Her attitude could set this entire house on fire.
“Catalina,” I warn, “you’re already testing me with that smart little mouth of yours. And what happens when you test me?”
She throws me a glare that could kill a lesser man. “Don’t. Talk. To. Me.” She spins on her heel, stomping back upstairs.
I don’t even try to fight the smirk curling on my lips. She’s so fucking sexy when she’s mad.
Feisty. Fierce.Mine.
I tell myself to wait a minute before I go after her. I make it ten seconds.
She whips around like she just heard the devil himself coming after her. Her eyes were wide, and her pout aimed right at me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I smirk, slapping her ass as she storms up the stairs in one of my t-shirts, the sound echoing through the hall. I watch the fabric stretching over her hips as she climbs up the steps.
What a sight.
“Get away from me,” she snaps, marching faster.
“You don’t mean that, baby,” I call after her.
“I don’t,” she huffs, already halfway to my room. “But I’m mad at you.”
