Billy shook it and asked, “Is a week from today too late?”
“Not at all. I’ll be in touch.”
…
Billy blinked the world into focus. He shot Lacey a head nod in the direction of her office. She led the way.
He shut the door and slapped the contract on the desk before he picked her up and kissed her loudly on the mouth. When he set her down, he asked, “What the hell just happened?”
Lacey laughed, her eyes ablaze with joy. “Chip, that bastard of a manipulator, finagled himself into a potentially multimillion dollar deal!”
He shook his head. “With me as the cash cow!”
She gave him a playful punch on the arm. “Come on, you can’t be mad at your manager for doing his job.”
He scratched his chin and tried to gage her reaction. “I’m sorry to put you on the spot like that.”
“Me?” She stared at him with a silly grin. In that moment, she loved Chip. Billy’s manager had just guaranteed Lacey a four-times-a-year commitment from Billy. “I’m the one who signed first,” she reminded him. “If anything, I put you on the spot.”
To keep from dragging her into his arms again, he shoved his hands in his back pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Well, we haven’t discussed us.” And now that he thought about it, she’d never said the three little words to him. Even after he’d said them.
She stepped closer to him, lifted the hem of his shirt, and touched his stomach with her fingertips. She rose on her toes and managed to press her lips to his chin. “You want to discuss us?” She cupped her hand behind his neck and pulled his mouth to hers.
His groin tightened. With the heat from her hand under his shirt distracting him, he almost forgot the question. “I want to know there is an us before I make any decisions that could change us. What about those three little words?”
She chewed on her lower lip and lowered her fingers to hook just inside his waistband. “Sign the contract.” Though the words were serious, her tone was playful and her look was filled with intention.
He grabbed her wrist to stop her from unbuckling his belt. “Tell me you love me.”
A fire lit her eyes, and she licked her lower lip. “Not until you sign the contract.”
Damn he loved her all defiant and sexy. “You really want me to sign under duress?”
She leaned her upper body away from him and picked up a pen. “I do,” she challenged, and after placing the pen in his hand, ran her tongue over his lips.
He opened his mouth and tasted her desire, tugging her into him, and even when she arched, he used the opportunity to bend over her and nuzzle in the deep V of her breasts. He knew the contract wasn’t the issue, but if he signed, it would lock him to her for at least four shows for one year. He wanted more.
He dipped into her neck and licked. She shivered, and he changed tactics. “Lacey, before I sign, I just want to say that I think we should find a place to live together.”
“We have my place.” She shot a meaningful glance at the ceiling. “We could go there now.” She bit his earlobe. “Once you sign.”
She was killing him. He wanted to haul her over his shoulder, but not until she answered his unasked question. And not until she agreed to find someplace new with him. “Exactly. Your place. I want our place.”
She released him and stepped back, tilting her head to the side and regarding him with what could only be wonder. “You really want to live with me? So soon?”
He heard a faint melody form in the back of his mind as he admitted, “I don’t want to live without you.”
Her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. “Can we really have it all?”
It was then he saw the slight uncertainty. Did she really still doubt his affection? His commitment to making a relationship with her work? Without letting go of her, he stretched his arm and shoved aside some papers until he found the one page that mattered most to her. After scrawling his name on the appropriate line, he tossed the pen, wrapped his arms around her, and planted a kiss to her forehead, her nose, and her lips.
“Yes.”
Acknowledgements:
First and forever, thank you to all the readers and believers of romance and happily ever afters.
Infinite love to my mom and my Aunt Mary, and most especially to my man, Simon, for making me a believer in true love and for singing to me at a time when I needed music in my life.
Every writer’s journey to publication takes a different path, but luckily mine was paved with helping hands. A world of infinite thanks to Mary Sue Seymour and Nicole Resciniti for listening to my dreams and making them happen. Liz Pelletier is a visionary in publishing and truly my super heroine. Kaleen Harding’s brilliance makes me a better person.
Thanks are not enough to express my appreciation for Nicole, her ideas, and her wisdom.
Sniffles and smiles for Judi McCoy. Gymnastics judging brought us together, and without her, I might never have found RWA in the first place.
About the Author
Marisa Cleveland loves to laugh, hates to cry, and does both often. She’s been called admissions counselor, assistant director, teacher, coach, analyst, friend, and wife. As a writer, she writes. Every day. Perhaps because she married her best friend, her adult romance novels focus on playfully naughty relationships developed through friendship and family-oriented values. She is a member of SCBWI, RWA, and YARWA. www.marisacleveland.com
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