Page 48 of Brant
"No."
"Brant," she protested. "I can cook, and I want to do something for you, my husband. I'm not allowed to do much around the house."
"Which is precisely the point. You work a full-time job managing a very busy store. Why on earth would you want to come home to housework?"
"Because I'm not accustomed to being waited on." Propping her hand on his chest, she rested her chin on her folded arms.
"I happen to be a very wealthy man, darling, which means you're going to have to get used to being waited on." He tucked a coil of hair behind her ear. "Are you complaining?"
"No," she told him honestly. "It's just that I went from being broke and almost homeless to this. Not to mention the fact that you love me." Her eyes misted. "I never expected anything like this. I never dreamed this could ever happen to me."
"Hey. No tears."
"I'm sorry. It's just that I keep thinking that I'll wake up and this will be a dream. That you'll be gone, and I will find myself all alone and in the same position I was in."
Lifting her chin, he kissed her with bruising intensity. "Does this assure you in any way?"
Wrapping her hands around his neck, she snuggled.
"Absolutely."
"Now go to sleep before I end up tiring us both even more."
Giving him a dreamy smile, she dropped her head to his chest. "I love you."
His heart slammed against his ribs, and he felt the warmth invading his body.
"I love you too. Go to sleep."
Within minutes, the sound of her even breathing told him she had finally fallen asleep. He closed his eyes and tried to follow suit, but his brain was too active and refused to shut off. He had declared his love for her. It was a first for him. He had never told a woman that he was in love with her before. He had liked some of the ones he had slept with immensely but had been too cautious and smart to confuse lust with love. He had known the difference.
With Indigo, he had sensed that it was different from the get-go. And wasn't it incredibly strange that he hadn't planned any of it, that she would have been the last person he would have thought he would end up spending his life with! And he wanted that. To spend the rest of his life with her.
With that in mind, he had an idea. His bedroom suite had been done to his very precise specifications. She had not complained or asked for changes, but he wanted it to be hers as well. He knew her tastes and was going to surprise her with a complete makeover.
Kissing her forehead, he wrapped his arms around her and drifted off.
*****
She stirred slowly, stretching languidly, and felt the soreness in the intimate areas of her body. Her eyes flew open as the memories of last night surfaced. He loved her! And he wasn't in bed. The realization had her sitting up quickly. He had woken her up sometime during the night with his mouth on her body, apologizing while he did things to her that had her coming fully alert and needy. It hadn't taken long for her to come fully awake.
And afterward they had made their stumbling way up the stairs and into the bedroom. A glance at the clock showed that it wasalmost ten. And it was still snowing, lazy drops pinging on the windows and sliding down. A fire was burning in the hearth, and it felt completely cozy. It would have felt better if he was in bed with her.
Deciding to go and find him, she made her way into the bathroom to discover the evidence that he had already taken a shower. Stepping into the large enclosure, she quickly attended to her own. Dragging on a pair of thick navy blue leggings, she paired them with a matching sweater. Scooping her hair into a ponytail, she gave a cursory glance in the mirror and put on a pair of fleece-lined ankle boots. She was going to suggest they go outside for a little bit.
She was also starving. It was no wonder after all the sexual activities they had indulged in most of last night and early this morning.
Shaking her head, she marveled at the way her life was turning out. She had a man, no, a husband who happened to be an excellent lover, the best lover a woman could ever hope for, and it turned out he was in love with her. Pressing a hand to her stomach, she made her way downstairs, and the scent of coffee greeted her.
He was also the type of man who would rouse himself to make breakfast.
He was standing by the window, with a cup of steaming and aromatic coffee in one hand. Sensing her presence, he turned with a smile, his wonderful tawny gaze sweeping over her.
"I was about to come and get you up."
"Oh?" Crossing over to him, she wrapped her hands around his waist and inhaled his scent before lifting her head to claim his lips. The kiss was soft and potent. His free hand wrapped around her waist as he deepened the kiss.
"I made a run to the diner a few blocks from here and got us some croissants." He kept his hand around her waist.
