Ruby glances back and forth between Hope and me, her studious expression turning to thoughtfulness. Maybe she finally sees what I’ve seen all along: that Hope and I are meant to be together.
Hope giggles as Gram destroys his pup cup. Whipped cream splatters his face, her hands, and catches in her hair.
I comb my fingers through her silky strands to catch the cream. She watches as I suck my finger into my mouth and her eyes turn to liquid desire. Desire I remember all too well from last night, when I made her come so hard she nearly woke the neighborhood.
“Okay, I’m out,” Ruby announces. “C’mon Gram. You two kids have fun. Congratulations on not murdering your sister so far, Hope.”
“Hillary’s at the spa today,” Hope says. “You’re more than welcome to come with us to visit the rest of the vendors. This is your show, after all.”
“Actually, it’s Adrianna’s.” Ruby takes a sip of coffee. “No baby yet, by the way.”
“You sure you don’t want to come along?” Hope asks, and I can’t quite tell if she’s trying to avoid being alone with me or just simply being polite to her friend.
“I’m sure. I promised Caden I’d help out at the gym today since his partner is slacking off.” She accepts the leash I hand to her, not that she’ll need it. Gram knows what it means—he gets to go to his favorite place to hang out.
“Hey, I’m going in tomorrow.”
“Right,” Ruby says, waving at us both as she prepares to leave. “You two kids stay out of trouble. Or don’t. I’m not your mother.”
“I’m keeping you from the gym,” Hope says, the happiness in her expression deflating.
“No, you’re not.” I reach for her hand and tug her toward me. She steps between my open legs, and I trap her there with my knees. “I haven’t taken a day off in longer than I can remember. I needed this, Hope.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. January is going to be super busy. This is the only break I’ll get for a while.”
“You’re not exactly resting,” she says, dropping to sit on my thigh. It all feels so natural. Soright.
“Don’t worry about me.” I comb the hair back from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. She leans in for a kiss, and I swear my entire body comes to life with electricity. Hope Goodwin is kissing me for no other reason than she wants to. My dick perks in an instant. God I want nothing more than to claim this woman I love.
I was planning to wait until New Year’s Eve, but with the way she’s kissing me, I might lose that battle.
“Where are we off to next?” she asks when she breaks apart the kiss.
“I thought we might take a break, actually.”
“Oh?”
“Your sister won’t be done at the spa for a couple of hours, right?”
“Right.” Her cheeks turn red, but I doubt it’s from the cold. Not with the way she’s undressing me with her eyes.
“Would you hate me if I confessed that I really wanted to make you come again?”
“Kind of hard to hate you when you’re so good at it.”
“Is that a yes to going back to your place?—”
“It’s ahellyes.”
7
HOPE
Is sleepingwith Marshall a bad idea? Probably.
Am I going to do it anyway? Absolutely.
