“I’ll just deliver your meals here, then?”
She laughed. “Perfect.”
She was. He needed to put the brakes on his snowballing emotions. For one thing, they were still in the very early stages of dating. For another, they were tangled in a web of half-truths that had thepotential to tie knots in a lot of relationships. He needed to tread carefully but he also didn’t want to deny the intoxicating feeling of falling. Whether this was why no other woman had seemed right, he didn’t know. What he did know was that Alexandria made himwantall of the things his mother nagged him about finding, that his sisters teased him about feeling.
Lexi used a cloth, ran it up and down his thigh. His knees were bent on either side of her and even though he’d never given much thought toward bathtubs, he was grateful to the designer of this one. They fit perfectly together.
“I was thinking, since you wanted Maisie to meet Ethan anyway, maybe we could meet up at Side Tap this week. Introduce them.” Maybe if they spent more time with people who knew the truth, she’d realize how much of what was between them was real.
He wanted to show her that the only thing fake about them was the termengagementand the announcement in the paper.
She sighed and he loved the contented sound of it. “Sure. We’ll have to see how the week goes, though. I said no to Brett for a shift and if he asks me to work, I need to say yes.”
It took effort to push down the part of himself that wanted to smooth out her life. He knew better than to offer and needed to be okay with plans being a maybe rather than a for sure.
“I understand. I enjoyed meeting your mom today. You sure you feel okay about things?” He’d enjoyed witnessing Lexi’s happiness over seeing hermother’shappiness more than he anticipated. Regardless of her self-deprecating personality, she definitely put others first.
Her body moved against his and he forgot his own question until she spoke. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this good.”
The near purr of the words had him gritting his teeth. She leaned her head back, angled it so she was looking up at him.Beautifulwasn’t the right word. It wasn’t enough to encapsulate how looking at her stole his breath.
“I wouldn’t have predicted her happiness over my getting married.”
Will stroked a finger along her jaw. “I’m glad it didn’t make things worse. Our anniversary slash birthday celebration is next Saturday. It’s fall-themed,” he said.
“It’s a special night for your family,” she said with what sounded like a hint of uncertainty.
Leaning forward, he grabbed the body wash and squirted some in his hands, pushed her forward a bit to wash her back. He moved his hands over her, pressing into the tight muscles, wanting, more than was prudent, to take care of this woman.
He ignored her sigh of enjoyment and explained. “It is. I want you there. By my side. With me. I don’t always love the flashy events but this one is being put on by my family to celebrate my grandfather. I want you to meet him. I want him to meetyou.”
“Fall-themed. Will it be ultra-fancy?” Her shoulders tensed even as she dropped her head down, exposing her neck.
He stroked his hands over her back, let his thumbs dig in. “I wouldn’t say ultra. Something tells me you’ll look amazing in a cocktail dress.”
He felt the muscles tense under his hands. “Lexi. I’m going to ask you not to be stubborn about what I say next.”
“No guarantees.”
Will cupped his hands to hold water, let it wash over her back. “You’re already on a limited budget. I’m not going to feel right about causing you financial stress.”
“You’re in a very vulnerable position to be offering to Pretty Woman me,” she said, a warning in her tone.
It made him smile and recall Shakespeare’s famous quote:Though she be but little, she is fierce!
“Pretty Woman you?” It’d been a while since he saw that one with Kyra.
“Yeah, you know, give me your credit card and send me shopping on Rodeo Drive.”
He pulled her back against his chest, wrapping his arm around her middle, doing his best not to get distracted by her skin.
“Rodeo Drive is in Beverly Hills. The best I could do here is the Shops at the Bravern,” he teased, referring to the luxury mall his sisters and mother often shopped at. He squeezed her closer when she started to turn, a low growl in her throat that absolutely delighted him. God, she was adorable and fun. “But I was actually hoping that you’d allow one of my sisters to lend you clothing for this and whatever future events we might have. There won’t be many and they have more dresses and outfits than most of the shops they frequent.”
She relaxed almost immediately. “Oh. Okay. I suppose that would be all right.”
Will pressed a kiss to her neck, his fingers trailing up and down her arm. “Thank you.”
“I have told you repeatedly, I’m not really a fancy-event kind of girl,” she said, that hint of vulnerability nestling into his heart.
