Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 90899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“I’ll try,” I say, rubbing her instep. “But just in case I have a more average life span, I’m hoping you won’t fault me for not wanting to wait too long to take the next step.”
Then, I ask her to move in with me. She says, “why the heck not,” and we head back to bed, this time with Pudge, who tails us up the stairs, refusing to be left by himself. As we slide under the covers with Maya’s head on my chest, he curls up beside us, purring, clearly pleased with the way things are progressing.
“But I have one request before I take you up on the loan,” Maya says, yawning as she snuggles closer.
“Name it,” I say, kissing the top of her head, hoping she knows I’d give her a kidney if she asked for it.
“You have to keep the money I paid for the escort service,” she says, a smile in her sleepy voice. “My entire life, I’ve been a very good girl. I need one scandalous story to tell when I’m old and gray. And saying that I met the love of my life after I hired him to sex me up is about as scandalous as it gets.”
I grin at the ceiling. “You are very scandalous.”
“So, you’ll keep it.”
“I will,” I say, already making plans for that seven-thousand-dollars. “And I’ll never forget how kind you were to me when you thought I was an aging boy toy who needed someone to believe in him to change his life for the better.”
She sighs. “You’ll always be my boy toy, baby.”
My smile stretches wider, even as a sweet ache spreads through my chest. Fuck, I love this woman. “Thanks. And you’ll always be my dirty little virgin who couldn’t wait to be fucked hard.”
Pudge makes a disapproving sound low in his throat.
“Oh, hush,” Maya says as I laugh. “If you don’t like the dirty talk, you can sleep downstairs. Daddy and I have no plans of cleaning up our act anytime soon.”
Daddy…
I like the sound of that.
Apparently, Pudge does, too. He scoots closer to the side of my leg, starting to purr again as we all soften into sleep. And for the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel surrounded by family.
Like I’m where I belong, and that life is only getting better, from here on out.
chapter 23
MAYA
Two days later…
The view from Rainbow Room takes my breath away. Sixty-five stories above Manhattan, the city spreads out beneath us like a blanket of stars, holiday lights still twinkling in every direction. A drizzly winter rain falls softly outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the city gleam in the golden light from neighboring skyscrapers.
It isn’t as pristine or peaceful as the snow, but it’s beautiful in its own way, and it’s not like we’ll have to go far in the rain after the party’s over. Anthony got us a room at a nearby hotel, a gorgeous suite that made me feel like a princess when we checked in this afternoon.
I can’t wait to climb into that big, canopied bed with him tonight and eat room service breakfast in bed in the morning.
I told Anthony that I’d never had room service before and he immediately called the suite’s private concierge, placing an order for an obscene amount of food. Come tomorrow morning, we’ll be propped up on our giant fluffy pillows, devouring omelets, gourmet French toast, pastries, a smoothie sampler, and a fruit plate that cost more than I used to make in an hour working for my parents.
And then, tomorrow afternoon…we’re moving in together!
Pudge is already at Anthony’s place with the pet sitter, and I called my parents to tell them that I won’t be returning to Maine, after all. I told them that I’m in love, moving in with the man of my dreams, and starting my own rental business.
Were they shocked? Absolutely.
But they weren’t nearly as resistant to the idea as I’d expected them to be.
I’m sure it helped that Anthony was on the video call, too, looking gorgeous and devoted and promising to do everything in his power to keep me safe in the big city. He’d already had a background check on himself delivered via express courier to my parents’ house that morning, a detail that seemed like overkill considering I’d already explained to them the day before that Anthony used to be Weaver’s boss and wasn’t really a “stranger” at all.
Weaver’s a local boy and comes from a well-respected, albeit cold, family. My parents know Weaver, have seen how wonderful and loving he is with Sully, and were happy to take his word for it that Anthony is a solid guy.
I was worried my father, in particular, would think the background check was Anthony protesting too much and might mean he had something to hide. But Dad seemed charmed by the special delivery. He kept referring to the report as we chatted, asking Anthony about his vacation home in Key West and if he enjoyed fly fishing, particularly for tarpon, a giant fish my dad has apparently always dreamed of conquering with his rod and reel.