by Inara Scott
“I don’t think Connor’s ever had a party before,” Leticia observed. “At least, not that he’s invited us to.”
“Like you would have come,” Minnie snorted. “He’s not the only one who’s been doing some changing lately.”
It was true that Milton was playing a lot more bridge these days and locking a lot fewer doors, as Leticia worked to overcome years of fear. Perhaps the best evidence of how successful she’d been was the tall, white-haired gentleman who’d accompanied her to the party. He was a champion bridge player she’d met at a competition a few months ago. Leticia had shocked everyone when she announced that they were dating—and sharing bidding strategies.
“Zoe, take a picture,” Connor called. “She’s got frosting on her face.”
Nate winced. “Please tell me that dog doesn’t have an Instagram account.”
Zoe elbowed him. “Shut up. The guy’s in love.”
“We know,” Shirley said, beaming. “With more than the dog. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Zoe flushed. Even though their secret had been out for months, she still got flustered any time people openly referred to them being in love. It helped that she was so busy now with her own clients that she’d stopped working for Livend completely. At least she didn’t have to feel like she was doing something naughty with a client.
“How’s your research coming along?” Zoe asked Leticia.
She rolled her eyes. “We’re waiting for more clearances. Those university people are so touchy.”
“Funny how they get like that when you start experimenting with nuclear fusion,” Zoe mused.
Leticia shrugged. “We’ll get it done.”
“Family picture time!” Tess announced loudly. “Zoe, come over here!”
Zoe moved next to Connor, smiling as he picked up Lady and held her close to his chest, then wrapped his other arm around Zoe’s waist. And when he leaned down to kiss her and everyone cheered, she felt the final bit of fear she’d been holding deep in her heart melt away completely. They were a family. The one thing she’d never thought she’d have again was finally hers.
…
Hours later, when the crowds were gone and the cake cleaned up from the kitchen floor, Zoe collapsed onto the couch. “Are we done? Isn’t there a basketball game on?”
“There’s always a basketball game on,” Connor said. He tapped the side of the dog crate and Lady obediently climbed inside, then ran out, barked, jumped on Connor’s leg, and bit his hand. He sighed and tapped the crate again. Lady ran in again, barked, and ran back out. Connor tapped a third time, and this time the little dog settled in and lay down.
Connor praised her before closing the door of the crate and rising to standing. “Do you think she’ll ever do something the first time I tell her to?”
“Probably not,” Zoe said, closing her eyes and laying her head back against the sofa. “Doesn’t seem to be in her makeup.” Connor cleared his throat, and she opened her eyes again. “What?”
“Any chance I can show you something?”
“Does it require me moving?”
He nodded. “A little.”
She heaved herself off the couch, eyeing him suspiciously. Connor liked to surprise her with funky restaurants and the occasional new distillery, but that seemed unlikely right now. “Okay. Do I need a coat?”
“Nope.”
Her curiosity piqued, she followed him outside the apartment and then down the short hallway to the other end of the building. He unlocked the front door of the apartment there and motioned for her to enter in front of him.
Inside, the space had been gutted, apparently in the first stage of a massive remodel. There were no interior walls to speak of, the floors were covered with layers of dust, and open beams exposed what had apparently been an interior wall. The view here was even better than in Connor’s apartment, with larger windows bringing in even more light. From where she stood, it seemed the place was bigger overall.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“This was actually the space I wanted when I first bought this place, but there were tenants who’d been here for fifteen years and had no interest in leaving. They retired about a month ago and moved to Arizona. We just started the demo.”
She walked deeper into the space, contemplating the area that she assumed would be the kitchen. “You should put the stove on the island,” she said. “In your apartment it’s on the wall and you don’t get to stare out the windows while you’re cooking.”
“That’s a great idea.” He stopped beside her. “But what do you think about it? Overall, I mean.”
She wrinkled her forehead in confusion. “What do I think about the apartment?”
He paused and swallowed. “Yeah. I mean…what would you think about living here?”
Zoe laughed. “You mean trade in my apartment for this one? I’m not sure my bank account could handle it. Even with a special discount from the landlord.”
“Not that. What if you traded in your apartment altogether?” He touched her waist and turned her toward him. “What if we moved in together? Remodeled this together. Made it our space. Our home.”
She started, caught off guard. “You want me to live here? With you?”
He touched her chin and tipped her face toward his. “I do. I understand why you wanted to keep your apartment, and I know I had a lot of making up to do. I hurt you, and you gave me a chance to prove myself. I hope I’ve done that.”
Zoe blinked rapidly, unprepared for the tidal wave of emotion. “You have.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” he said, cracking a genuine smile. “Because I hope you know I’ll be fighting to earn your love for as long as you’ll have me.”
“You’ve got me,” she said huskily. “No fighting necessary.”
He leaned forward to kiss her. “And that’s great, but the thing is, I don’t want you sometimes, or even most of the time. I want you all the time. I want us to be together, here, in a place that’s not mine or yours but is ours. I want us to start a new life together. Our life.”
“Our life,” she repeated, blinking rapidly.
“Don’t think you have to answer right away,” he added hastily. “Though you’re welcome to if you want. Not that I’ll be worried or anything. I mean, you know, whatever.” He held up his hands in a gesture of uncaring. “No big deal either way.”
She laughed helplessly and collapsed against his chest. “You big oaf. Of course I want to be with you. It could be in this apartment or down the hall. I don’t care. Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”
They shared a long kiss. Zoe looped her arms around Connor’s neck, and he picked her up in his arms as her legs settled around his waist. “I love you,” he breathed against her neck. “I’ll spend my life proving it if I have to.”
“From here on out we build our life together,” she said, melting into him. “Forever.”
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Mark, the extraordinary bartender from the Top of the Mark who introduced me to the Sazerac, and my darling husband, who has consumed a lot of Sazeracs in my quest to make the perfect cocktail. To all the lawyers who never looked down on me or treated me differently because I am a woman, and to the women who went before me and suffered so I could walk down this path. To my son, who hopefully never will get a motorcycle because I’m a mother and I worry, and to my father, who has a motorcycle and so far has lived to tell the tale. And of course to my daughter, who can be anything she wants, but maybe being a lawyer wouldn’t be so bad? And last but not least, thank you to all my readers for the endless support and love you’ve given! I couldn’t do it without you.
About the Author
Inara wrote her first book when she was fifteen—a romance called “A Wild and Stormy Passion” that featured swordplay, a pirate heroine, and plenty of naughty bits (all of which came entirely fr
om her imagination). Since then, she’s written romances of the category, contemporary, and fantasy varieties. Her books are sinfully sensual and deeply emotional. Inara reserves the right to enjoy country music, puppies, and love at first sight. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time wandering around in the woods and has been known to occasionally dress up her little white dog in princess costumes.
InaraScott.com
Don’t miss the Bad Angels series…
Heartbreaker
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Rules of Negotiation
The Boss’s Fake Fiancee
Falling for Mr. Wrong
Reforming the Playboy
Seducing the Girl Next Door
Radiant Desire
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