I lean forward and press my lips to his.
I move past, only to have him grab my hand. He interlinks our fingers, his eyes dropping to them before rising to mine.
“This is a big move for you, Pen. Be certain.”
“I am. This is an emergency.”
He raises our joined hands to his lips.
He lets go of my hand and ushers me towards the door.
“Go. Do what you need to do.”
Heeding his instructions, I head toward the enormous spiral staircase. I hear Kris move into the kitchen, his voice echoing as he makes a call to his pilot. I know he’ll also be making us both a coffee. This man has many lovable qualities.
I drag my overnight bag out. I don’t need to bring clothes. I have a separate wardrobe at home. My belongings won’t be shipped until after the wedding when I move here permanently. Not that I need much. Kris’s home offers everything a woman or man could ever want. It sits on acres of manicured lands, a twelve-bedroom mansion. Modern in style but with old-fashioned touches, like the winding staircase. On-site housing accommodates the key staff. Kris is preparing a house for my mother, should she decide to join us.
Kris was born into wealth. His family made their fortune by importing and exporting tobacco, sugar, and rum after emigrating from Scandinavia to America in the eighteen hundreds. But Kris has taken his personal wealth to a whole new level.
We’ve talked about keeping my home as our UK base. It will make travelling with children much easier than staying in hotels. However, the wedding is only a couple of months away, and we still have so much to do, so we’ve put off that decision for now.
Kris appears in the doorway. Two steaming coffee mugs in hand.
“You’re a lifesaver,” I say, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. It takes three cups of coffee to kick-start my day.
“Any idea when you’ll be back?”
He drops down next to me.
I turn my head to stare at him.
“I’m not sure. Gabriel didn’t say much, only that my skills were needed.”
He smiles and squeezes my knee.
“Ah, my little hacker.”
I nudge him with my shoulder.
“No, my superior coding skills, actually,” I say, my tone full of sass.
If only he knew how close to the mark his nickname is.
“I hope they appreciate you,” he says.
“They do.”
I know that for sure.
He wraps an arm around my shoulder, and I sink into his side as he kisses my temple.
“I look forward to getting to know them properly when we finally get married.”
“I do, too,” I tell him truthfully.
Elijah and Kris are competitors, know each other only as business associates. As for the rest of the Frazers, Kris met Kat, and I introduced him to Gabriel and Caleb at a couple of charity events we all attended. If I’m honest, our busy lives have kept us apart.
“I’m sorry to abandon you. I know it’s your sister’s birthday this weekend,” I say. “I’ll send her a note and an additional gift.”
