and tug her onto my lap. She sits heavily with a little oof, and I quickly nestle her up against me.
“I’d love to join you in France some day,” she says, her eyes a little dreamy and unfocused, and I’m not sure if it’s from the champagne or her daydreams. Maybe a little bit of both.
I nod. “You’ve only ever traveled to Canada, right? When you had that issue with crossing the border coming back home.”
“Yeah, that was crazy. I was traveling…” She looks at me curiously, her brow furrowed. “Hold up. How did you know that? I don’t remember telling you that.”
Shit. Strategic error. I’m not supposed to let on that I’ve looked into her background. Fuck. Or, that I’ve looked into everything about her.
I shrug. “Thought you mentioned something about it?” My stomach tightens. I hate lying to her.
She blinks, frowning just a little, and I swear she looks even more gorgeous when she frowns than when she smiles.
“Funny. I don’t remember.” Then she gives a little shrug. “But we’ve talked about so many things, it’s all beginning to run together.”
Her phone buzzes in her bag. She looks to me for permission to answer it.
I brush my thumb over her cheek. “Good girl. You’ve learned so well. Yes, answer your phone.” I won’t deny her this when she runs a business and has family that depends on her.
“Lexi again?”
“Hello?” She shakes her head. It’s not Lexi but her ringtone? “Oh. Hi, Mom.”
Her eyes come to mine, widening. “You took Lexi’s phone to call me. Good, I’m glad you did that, Mom, but is everything okay?”
A little worry line knits between her brows. “What do you mean, Lexi’s crying in the other room? She won’t tell you what’s wrong?” She listens, then sighs. “You’re talking on her cell, Mom. I can’t talk to her any other way.” She nods. “Okay, you do that. Call me back, okay?”
She hangs up the phone. “That’s strange,” she says. “Mom called and said she’s worried because Lexi left the dining room crying. They were having dinner together. Lexi got a call. Then left in tears, her phone on the table. Lexi told me everything was fine.”
“Maybe Lexi doesn’t want to worry you?”
She nods. “Maybe.”
“I can have Shane find out whatever you need.”
She blinks, then blinks again. “What do you mean?”
Christ, I need to stop talking. “He’s my assistant is all I mean. He could make a few calls, see if he can find anything out.”
“Find out things about my sister’s private life?” Her blue eyes grow clouded, and her voice is a little tighter. “That’s a little creepy, Gabriel.”
I keep myself calm. I can’t lose her, not now, not when we’re making such excellent progress.
Not when she’s this close to being mine.
“Or we could fly out there again, if you’d like.”
She blows out an exasperated breath. “We can’t exactly fly out to California every time my sister cries.”
“No, but we could move out there.” The idea is out of my mouth before I even decide it's an option.
Her jaw drops open. “Gabriel, are you… serious?”
I shrug. “Why not? We can buy a home out there.”
Stop, my conscience tells me, reminding me not to push too hard. But I’ve never been one that did anything half-assed. When I’m all in, I’m all fucking in.
She shakes her head. “As much as I appreciate your… chivalry,” she begins hesitantly, as if she’s not sure that’s the right word in this context. “That seems a bit drastic. I mean… we hardly know each other.”
Not true. I know everything about her.
She draws in a deep breath. She’s wound up, I can tell. Even after the champagne, even with the reminder of her submission to me deeply embedded between her cheeks, while she’s nestled on my lap, she’s like a bow string ready to snap.
I bring my hand to her neck and gently massage. She closes her eyes and sighs.
“There, baby. Relax. Let daddy help you with this.”
“It’s so much, though.”
“But this is what I like, Miranda. I like taking care of you. I like helping you bear some of your burdens.”
She shakes her head but then melts into me as I continue to massage her neck. “I feel like you’re seducing me, sir.”
I chuckle. “Excellent. Because that’s precisely what I’m trying to do.”
She rests her head against me, and I gently brush a thumb over her breasts. I can feel her nipples pebble right through the fabric. I glance around the room and see that we’re alone now.
I