The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,35

and kissed her once again before he said a firm, “No.”

With that, he left the bathroom.

Following him, she watched as he pulled on his boxers and slacks, then pushed his arms into the sleeves of his shirt.

“No? No what?” she demanded, but deep down inside of her, she knew.

“No, you are not paying for our home. I’m the provider, Pepper. You choose the home and I will pay for it.”

She watched him, wondering if he was truly as implacable as he sounded. “You’re being a sexist jerk again, Dimitri.”

He sliced his hand through the air. “You are not paying for our house. You keep your money. Better yet, invest it with your brother-in-law’s firm. You don’t need to even work anymore. I will take care of you.”

Oooh, that burned. Pepper tried not to take his words the wrong way, but she was very aware that, not-so-deep-down, Dimitri was a die-hard sexist.

“No!” she replied firmly, then turned on her heel and marched into her closet. She could feel Dimitri’s anger behind her, but pretended to ignore him as she selected a big, warm sweater and a soft pair of leggings. She didn’t feel like sucking in her stomach all night tonight, so the leggings would be more comfortable.

“No?” he snapped, standing in the doorway of her closet? “Just no?”

She turned, hugging the clothes to her chest along with the towel. “Hey, you started the tone of this argument,” she replied. “If you’re going to be adamant and uncompromising, then so can I.” One of her hips swung out and she put a hand on it, defiantly.

“Are you always going to be this stubborn?” he demanded, stepping into the closet after her.

Immediately, Pepper backed up, feeling the line of her clothes behind her. “Probably. Got a problem with that?” she asked, adding a little saucy ‘tude to her voice.

“Not at all,” he replied, pulling the towel away so that she was naked, pressed against his fully dressed length. “I think I like it.” He nuzzled her neck as she squirmed. “I like it a lot! Especially when I can do this.” Before she realized what he was going to do, she heard the smack.

The sting immediately followed, but the sensation wasn’t enough to hurt. In fact, it almost felt…good!

“Did you just spank me?” she asked, that lighthearted feeling causing her anger to disappear. Playful Dimitri was so much easier to deal with than Stubborn and Sexist Dimitri.

His eyes didn’t look repentant. “Yes. I did.” He moved closer, daring her. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I…!” she stammered, trying to come up with something suitably dire. But she only laughed, delighted with him and with life at the moment.

He released her with a soft chuckle.

“Get dressed, my dear. We’re going out to dinner, and then we’re going to my place so that we can plan our wedding.”

Pepper wasn’t sure if she wanted to scream or laugh. Instead, she grabbed her clothes, dressing quickly before stepping out of the closet. By the time she looked at him again, he was straightening his tie and tugging at the cuffs of his dress shirt. She wondered how he did that, changed from playful man to autocrat just by putting on a suit. It was a fascinating change.

He didn’t take her to a fancy restaurant as she’d expected. Instead, they walked hand in hand to her favorite place: Tony’s place.

The older man greeted her with his usual effusiveness, and glared at Dimitri until he spotted the diamond ring on her finger. “You are…?!” the proprietor gasped, taking her hand and laughing with delight. “You are going to be married!” he announced to the entire restaurant. The guests stopped talking in order to glance over at her and Dimitri, who draped a protective arm around her shoulders. “Yes. She finally agreed to marry me.” He leaned forward. “Now, how can I convince her to let me buy her a house?”

Tony laughed, then laughed harder when he saw Pepper’s glare. “He’s the man, my dear. He should pay for the house! You may bankrupt him by furnishing the house as retribution.”

Pepper couldn’t hold onto her irritation in the face of so much sincere joy and relented, nodding slightly at Tony’s suggestion. “That sounds like a workable plan.”

Dimitri laughed, pulling her in for a kiss. She was cute and he loved the fact that she actually thought she could bankrupt him simply by decorating a house. He could buy her fifty houses with an unlimited budget for decorating