He nods but frowns. “All the movers and shakers in the city have been here, and all of them are fake as fuck. That’s why I like you, rabbit. You’re so real it’s refreshing, and it makes me want to be real too.”
“You seem pretty real to me,” I tease and poke his side.
“You might be one of the only people who knows the real me.”
“And who is that?”
“A man who wants someone to take care of and not have to hide for fear of being seen as weak.”
Now I fondle his huge bicep which he flexes. “I know you’re not weak.”
“Hold on.” He grins, so I wrap both arms around his bicep and hang on. Then I gasp when lifts his arm, and I dangle from it before he sets me down.
“So strong,” I purr and press my groin to his hip and look up at him for a kiss which he happily gives me.
“So greedy, rabbit.” He smiles against my lips and kisses me again.
“Well, who do we have here?” A female voice has me startling away from Lex and hiding behind him. “You said you were bringing home someone special. You forgot to mention he was aman.” She doesn’t sound mad or judgmental. “Well, let me see him.”
“Rory.” He tries to move me out from behind him, and when I peer around him, I see a tall, skinny blonde woman with harsh features, but kind eyes. “This is Cece. She’s my chef.”
“You say that like I just feed you. I have to feed the beasts he calls his soldiers too.”
“You’re former military, and that’s part of the reason I hired you. You’re used to feeding soldiers.”
“No one in my unit ever got as big as them, though. I swear it’s like he feeds them growth hormones.”
“It’s all the training Mal puts them through.”
“Hey, boss.” Another voice joins us in the kitchen, and I turn to see a petite woman with long black hair falling in waves around her shoulders and ice-blue eyes that match Lex’s.
Oh shit! This must be his daughter. Will she hate me because I’m a man or seeing her dad or both? Or what if she thinks I’m a gold?—
“It’s nice to meet you in person, Rory.” She holds out a fist, and I bump it reluctantly. “I’m Olivia, but I prefer Liv.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I say, and she steps back into Cece, but instead of apologizing and stepping away, Cece wraps her arms around Liv and pulls her close before burying her nose in Liv’s hair.
I smile at the open display of affection.
“I can’t wait to get to know you better.” My head tilts, and she laughs. “Not what you expected me to say. Would you like me to accuse you of being too young for my dad?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Don’t worry.” She aims a smile at her dad. “He’s happier than he’s been in years, so why would I want to take that away from him?”
“Thanks,” I whisper.
“I feel like I should warn you, though. He’sobsessedwith you. Likeob-sessed. I mean cameras, guards, presents.”
“Enough, Liv,” Lex snaps, but it’s playful.
“We’ll talk more later, Rory.” She winks at me. This girl’s trouble, I can tell, and I like it.
“Sounds good,” I say, and Lex grumbles something about us ganging up on him.
“Come on. Let’s finish our tour.”
“It was nice to meet you both,” I say.
