black t-shirt clings to him just enough to hint at what’s underneath and his dark wash jeans hang low, snug in all the right places. My mouth goes dry at the sight of him.
“Yeah, just that Jordan wants us to meet her for breakfast.”
“So let’s meet her for breakfast.” he shrugs, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Really? You don’t think that’s a bit much?”
He laughs. “No. It’s only a big deal if you make it one, Ellie.”
“Alright.” I say, looking back down to my phone and typing out a message.
Fine. Laura’s in 30 minutes.
Woohoo!!!
“She’s ecstatic,” I say with a roll of my eyes. “I don’t have time to go home and shower or change. Any chance you have an extra toothbrush?”
He walks over to me, pulls me up off the bed and nuzzles my neck. Jesus Christ that feels good. That simple touch awakens the butterflies that have taken up permanent residence in my belly. “Just use mine.” I can feel his lips twitch up in a smile. I can’t help it but him smiling makes me smile.
“Seriously?”
He looks at me. “I’m dead serious. We’ve already swapped plenty of germs, you won’t die if you use my toothbrush.”
I stare at him like he as two heads. “Oh, alright,” I huff, stomping off to the bathroom to wash up a bit and brush my teeth.
A little while later, Victor and I are walking through the hotel parking garage hand in hand.
“Do you want me to drive?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, I’ve got my car with me.” He stops us in front of a black Range Rover HSE. My mouth drops at the sight of this car that surely costs more than what I make in a year. He notices the look of shock on my face. “What’s the matter?” he asks as he opens the passenger side door for me.
I hop up into the seat and pull the seatbelt on. “Your car costs more than my house,” I say sarcastically.
He throws back his head and laughs. “No, it does not, smartass,” he says as he closes my door. He rounds the hood and seconds later he’s in the driver’s seat.
“Fine. It doesn’t cost more than my house but it’s more than my yearly salary.”
“Babe.” He cocks his head to the side. “I never claimed to be poor. You have a nice car too.”
I shake my head at him. “I have a Toyota.”
“I know. It’s nice.” I just stare at him unable to speak. I know I’m making a big deal out of this when I shouldn’t. It’s none of my business but for some reason it makes me feel inadequate.
“I’m sorry. I’m acting like a brat. It’s a beautiful car.”
He reaches over, pulls my hand to his thigh and starts circling his thumb on my palm. I love it when he does that. “You’re not a brat, Ellie. I understand that it’s an adjustment. I have a lot of money, yes, but I don’t live a flashy lifestyle. I’m a guy. I have a few toys, this being one of them, my motorcycle being the other. To be honest, my most expensive purchases are the properties I own.”
“Properties? Plural, as in more than one?”
He laughs. “I’m not helping the situation am I? Yes, properties. I have my apartment in New York which is my primary residence, a house in Los Angeles for when I’m working over there and I’m actually looking for a house in Miami.”
“A house on the beach?”
“On the bay. You wanna come with me and look at houses in a few weeks? It’s always good to have a second opinion.”
“You want me to come to Miami with you and look at houses?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Sure. Why not?”
My head is spinning with this information. In theory, I knew that he had to be rich but I hadn’t given it a second thought until I was confronted with it. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course, Love,” he replies with his usual patient demeanor. “You okay with all of this now?”
“Yes, it’s not that I wasn’t okay with it, I just never thought about it up until now.”
He leans over and kisses my forehead. “Can you enter the address of the restaurant in the GPS?”
“Sure,” I say, entering the address as he pulls out of the parking lot.
“So tell me about Jordan. Anything I need to know?”
“Jordan is the best. She’s going through a bit of a rough patch with her on again off again