“Ah,” she said, sighing and spinning around in my arms so we were chest to chest. A slight blush painted her cheeks. “Well, I feel like you have enough experience to know never to tell a ladyyou need to talk.Especially, before kissing her.”
“Oh, that’s what I did wrong, then.” I bent lower and lower, taking my time bringing my mouth to hers, and she let out a little groan when I finally pressed my lips against hers. She tasted like mint and smelled like flowers. She hummed against me and dug her fingers into my shoulders and kissed me hard. It started out as sweet, but it turned hot really fast. She ran her hands over my pecs and shoulders and nipped at my bottom lip before pulling back.
“So what did you need to talk about then?”
“You tease.” I narrowed my eyes and tried to yank her back to me, but she escaped my grasp. “Was that payback? Get me hot and bothered for fun?”
“Perhaps.” She wiggled her brows and went into the living room. She changed from work attire and wore an extralarge pink shirt and those tight little shorts underneath, and I joined her on the couch, moving her legs over so they rested on my lap.
It felt cozy. Warm. Nice.
She studied me with slightly parted lips and nudged me with her foot. “Go on then. You look nervous.”
“I haven’t really planned this out in my head,” I said, leaning my neck back onto the edge of the couch to stare at her ceiling. “So this might not make sense, but you’re the first person I wanted to talk to about this.”
She smiled and nudged me again. “I have conversations with plants, Fritz. I can handle whatever you throw my way.”
I laughed. “Fair point.”
“No pressure either, okay? I don’t think I’ve seen you this worked up before. Take your time. I just like being with you. Do you want the TV on? Sports? YouTube of a greenhouse in the rain?”
“No, no,” I said, looking at her and my chest feeling lighter. “When you’re able to open your place…what if you get stage fright?”
“Why would I when I’ve been dreaming about it my whole life? Stage fright? No. I might have nerves and not sleep for a year, but stage fright is just anxiety about not doing well. I’ve done so much research and planning. I’ll be in the best position possible. Sure, things could go wrong, but I’ve planned for that.”
“So you’re saying, enough preparation should help with…taking a huge chance on something knowing it could easily fail?” I rubbed my hand up and down her calf muscle, kneading the soft skin and grounding myself in the moment. My heart raced, but it wasn’t out of only fear. There was excitement and the possibility ofwhat ifthis thing with Peter worked.
“I think there is always a chance of something to not work. You adjust. You alter. Those aren’t necessarily failures. I take it you’re at a crossroads of doing something big?”
“Sort of.” I sighed, hating the fact I couldn’t be honest with her yet. After the conversation with Angelica the week before, I came to the conclusion that once I knew for sure Nora wasn’t going to ask for the fake marriage for money, I’d tell her.
I needed that assurance that money wasn’t a motivator, a solution to her problem. Yes, it meant I continued a semi-lie to her, and Gilly disagreed at my urge to double down, but Samantha had poked a huge hole in my soul doing what she did.
I had to protect myself from feeling that hurt again. So either I told Nora right at the conclusion of her time in Normalville and hoped she decided to stay here, or…if she told me she didn’t need Anthony Carter for any reason, then I’d tell her.
But neither were options right now, and I continued talking. “I have a chance to do something that gives me a feeling that I’ve been searching for—for a long time, actually. It makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing and excites me. But doing it is a real risk and could end up hurting someone else too.”
“Hm, that’s tough.” She pursed her lips and moved her attention to her plants. “If this is something you want, this feeling you said, then I think you need to follow through with it. From what I know about you, Fritz, you do the right thing. You’re patient. You’re incredibly quick-witted and smart. You’ll figure out all the things you need to do to make it the best you can. I have no doubt there. If I’ve learned anything from being here, away from my parents and endless credit, is the things that scare us the most tend to be worth it.”
“What do you mean?” I slid my gaze to her and counted her bright-orange earrings today. Her faded pink hair had grown out a little bit, and her smooth creamy neck had one freckle on it. She was so fucking pretty, my breathing hitched.
“It’s silly to someone like you,” she said, blushing and looking down for a second. “But I was terrified of learning how to get food on my own. Clothes. Basic houseware items. I had no idea what to do, and it was mortifying to be my age and not know. Going to a job that was handed to me with people who thought I was ridiculous? Horrifying. Going on those dates you insisted toget experiencewas exhilarating and scary.”
“I hope there’s abutcoming because now I feel bad.”
“But,” she said, grinning at me, “every one of those experiences has been worth it. I now canadultpretty okay, and all those moments led me to you.” She narrowed her eyes as a soft, warm expression relaxed her fast. “I don’t know what this thing is for you, but I promise you, you’ll regretnottrying it rather than going for it.”
“God, you’re right.” I nodded to myself, to her, and let the feeling settle over me. I had to go for this because I’d regret it if I didn’t. I had the contract, and my lawyers looked it over. Both myself and Peter were protected.
The only harm would be losing one hundred thousand dollars if Peter went belly-up with the business. I’d be a silent partner and meet with him once every week for an update, but that was it. I could offer guidance, but he’d handle the rest.
I had to trust the contract was solid and that Peter wanted this enough to not fail.
“I’m going to do it.” I stared at my pixie neighbor. “I’m going to take a risk.”
Her answering smile was filled with tenderness and pride. She reached over and squeezed my forearm. “I knew you would.”
I watched her fingers move over my skin and adjusted our positions so my hips aligned with hers. “One day, I’ll tell you about it.”
