“I’m gone for this woman,” I tell my reflection.
Then I grab the arnica and a wet washcloth to go take care of her.
Honor spins around in my rolling office chair, smiling. I love seeing that smile on her face. That once haunted look—the one she had when I found her in the hospital bed—has almost completely faded. She’s not entirely a new woman or done a full three-sixty, but she’s changing, growing more confident every day, and I’ll do anything to help it continue.
“What’s the smile for, Dove?” I come around the desk and kiss her.
She’s breathless when she finally responds, her eyes a little glassy. Fuck, I love that too. The fact that every time I touch her, she loses herself. Makes me feel like a god on high, knowing I have that effect on her.
“Um…” She shakes her head. “I’ve been looking at the books, and everything is totally in the black! Your loans are all paid on time. You’re bringing in some real money, as in money you can use to start a savings account. Isn’t that great?”
I tug on her hands and pull her up to my chest, where I hug her and spin her around. “Really?”
She beams. “Yes!”
“Awesome news, babe.”
A pensive look flashes across her face. “You can totally add more memberships, and then you’ll be way ahead on your profit margin. I can work on some marketing plans, we can discuss advertisements in the local newspaper, and…”
I stop her from continuing, with two fingers to her lips. She quiets abruptly and frowns.
“Babe, I can’t add more members.”
“And why not?”
“We don’t have the room. The gym’s at capacity most nights. Where would we put the people?”
A somber mood settles over her. “That sucks.”
“Sucks?” I snicker, pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve ever heard her say that phrase.
“Yeah.” She wraps her arms around my neck, and that feeling of contentment oozes over me like a nice warm shower spray.
“No worries. Let’s just enjoy this win, yeah? Tonight we have a celebration to attend with my friends. Are you ready to meet them?”
She shrugs and looks down and away. I grip her face and force it up with my thumb to her chin. “Hey, none of that.” I kiss her lips until a little brightness enters her eyes.
“What happens if they don’t like me?”
I shake my head. “Dove, it’s not possible. You’re hot, smart, sweet, considerate, kind, and hot.”
“You already said hot.”
“You’re so fucking hot, it warrants saying it twice.” I punctuate my comment by sliding my hands down to her rear and goosing her good.
She howls and smacks my chest but does it while smiling. Mission accomplished.
“Fine, it will be fine. Go away and get your work done so I can start looking for my own place.”
I snarl under my breath. Every time she mentions leaving me, I get pissed the fuck off. I like her in my space. I’ve told her that a hundred times, but she keeps coming back to this. It’s time I ended this train of thought for good.
Chapter Seventeen
An individual driven by the throat chakra tends to be naturally poetic with their words. That person understands the power a word, song, or sound can hold over others and chooses them carefully and wisely.
HONOR
Nick crowds me and then lifts me up by the waist until I’m sitting booty to his desk. When I’m settled, he raises up my loose skirt enough that he can spread my knees and insert his body between them.
“We’re not doing this right now,” I warn, my voice cracking while my body temperature spikes. My nipples get in on the action too, hardening into tight little points. Instantly, the space between my thighs flushes with heat, readying for whatever he wants to do to me.
He grins wickedly. “If I wanted to fuck you right now, you’d take my cock. End of.” His words are a decadent caress of my libido.
I lick my lips and focus on his mouth. He’s right of course. The second he insinuates any mention of sex or touches me in a suggestive manner, my body’s traitorous reaction is to go soft and open up. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he’s brainwashed me into being his willing sex slave. Not that I’m complaining. It wouldn’t be a bad gig. Definitely a position I’d excel at.
He bites my bottom lip playfully. “See, just mention sex, and you turn sweet on me. Right now, though, I’ve got an important point to make, and I want you to listen. Really hear me.”
I swallow, worried that he’s going to say something about not needing me in the gym now that his profit margins are up, or maybe he wants me out of his home sooner rather than later. A whirlwind of possible bad outcomes spins like a top through my subconscious.
Nick curls both of his hands into my hair behind my neck. “Get out of your head, Dove. Nothing bad is going to happen. You and me, we’re solid. Okay?”
The breath I was holding leaves in a rush. He always knows just what to say to make me trust him, to put me at ease. “Okay. We’re solid,” I repeat, needing to say the words and hear them in order to continuing believing they are real.
“What I wanted to say is that it pisses me off when you talk about leaving the apartment. Do you not like the space?”
I cringe, and a pinch of tension fills the space between my eyes directly above my nose. “Oh my heavens…no! I love it!”
It’s more a home than anywhere else. I think the phrase, but I don’t say it, the fear of revealing too much this soon clouding my judgment.
“Do you not like sharing space with me? A bed, a kitchen, a bathroom?” He nudges his head against mine.
I grip both of his wrists where they are holding me. “Being with you, sharing your space, has been the happiest I’ve ever
