Page 41 of Temporarily in Love

I cupped her face. “What’s with the tears?”

She wiped her eyes. “I know how much I hurt you.”

“I know, love, but we were teenagers. Things are different now.”

She nodded. “Okay. I had fun with you today. It was like old times. Except…” she blushed. “Except when you tied me to the bed, that was different.”

I sat up and shifted her into my lap. She curled into me as I cradled her in my arms. “But you liked that, right?”

She nodded. “I’ll tell you if I don’t. It’s so sexy how dominating you are.”

I nuzzled into her neck and kissed her. “Good. Now stay.”

She laughed and pushed me away. She got out of bed and started looking around for her clothes. “I can’t. My mom has been blowing up my phone, asking where I am. I’m thirty-four, and she has to keep tabs on me.”

I laid back on the bed and put my hands behind my head. “Tell her you’re with me.”

She shook her head as she pulled on her jeans. “I have work to do tomorrow.”

“Like what?” I asked.

She pulled on her bra, but I wanted her to take it off and crawl back into bed with me. “I need to find someone to do our marketing. Brian’s trying with the social media, but I don’t think he’s good at it. You sure I can’t steal Gemma?”

“Fuck no! I had to fight to keep her.”

She cocked her head at me.

“Gemma didn’t want the job at first. I had to force her on vacation and then…”

“Then what?”

I smirked. “Avery and I meddled.”

“Explain yourself!”

“Get your fine ass back in bed and I will.”

She looked like she was thinking about it for a moment, then she took her jeans off and crawled back into the bed with me. She slid in next to me, and I put my arm around her.

“Felix needed a vacation badly, so I gave him and Gemma time off at the same time. Avery told Felix he could stay at her dad’s cabin in the Poconos, and then I convinced her to tell Gemma to go there for her forced vacation, too.”

“Why?”

I put my glasses back on so I could see her when I looked at her. “Because they bickered too much, and it was annoying to work with. But then they had a huge misunderstanding when they got back, and Gemma quit the brewery.”

Lila gasped. “What? She loves the brewery!”

I nodded. “Felix had to do a lot of groveling, but they’re good now.”

She laid her head on my shoulder. “Aw, you’re a little matchmaker. Do they know you and Avery colluded together?”

“Nope, and you better not tell anyone.”

She grinned and looked up at me. “What will happen if I do?”

“You know what happens if you break the rules, naughty girl,” I said and bent to kiss her again.

“I’m not going home tonight, am I?”