Page 157 of Hale Damage
I can’t help my hoarse giggle. “Well, now you’ve done it. You’ll never be able to get rid of me now.”
Remi’s fingertips trace the shape of my face, his expression turning serious. “I’ll never want to.” He kisses me then. Not a demanding, hungry kiss, but one filled with love. Pulling out of it, he says, “For the record, you blew my mind too.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He chuckles, rising from the bed, and I’m utterly pleased that it takes him a second to get his legs to fully function. And then he scoops me up into his strong arms. He’s all wet too, and I look down at the bed. I’m horrified. It looks like someone hosed down the sheets.
“Oh my god, Remi. Housekeeping is going to hate us.”
He carries me toward the master bathroom. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll leave them a thousand dollar tip.” Looking back at the mess we made, he winces a little. “Actually, make that ten grand. They’ll probably have to bring in a hazmat team.”
While waiting for the shower to heat up, he uses the phone in the bathroom. “Yes, this is Remington Hale. I’d like a fruit platter delivered within the hour. They can leave it in the kitchen.” He pauses, looking at me with an amused grin. “And no strawberries, please.”
I cover my mouth to hold in my laugh. Poor Remi will probably never be able to eat strawberries again after what happened in his mother’s room last night.
The first light of dawn peeks in when we finally fall into a deep sleep. Throughout the night, we’d showered, eaten, switched to the other bedroom since we desecrated the master bed, made love several more times, talked for an hour, and finally finished up with a final round of sweet sex that left us both exhausted and wholly sated.
And as dreamland comes for me, I smile into the darkness in the arms of the only man I will ever love.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The love eyes
Remington
“Why am I nervous?”Mindy asks, smoothing down her black pants for about the hundredth time. The January evening wind whips around us, and I pull her black wool coat more tightly around her, using the lapels to tug her closer for a reassuring kiss.
“I don’t know. You’ve already met them all, and you literally worked for my dad. They all love you.” Clicking my key fob, I lock the McLaren and guide Mindy up the long sidewalk to Phoenix and Jordie’s mansion.
“Yes, but now we’redating,” she explains, like I’m not fully aware of that. “I’m probably not the kind of woman they’re accustomed to you bringing home.”
Bending my knees so we’re eye to eye, I lock our gazes. “First of all, I’ve never brought a woman home to my family. Second, don’t piss me off with that ‘kind of woman’ mess.Youare my kind of woman because you’re the only one I’ve ever loved. Third, if anyone has a problem with who I date, they can fuck all the way off, but I can assure you, they won’t.”
Mindy taps my nose. “See? That’s exactly what I’m worried about. I won’t let you alienate your family because of me. You’re a stubbornman, Remington Hale, and if the people who know you best have concerns, don’t go flying off the handle.”
“My family does indeed know me well, which means they have more sense than to try and dissuade me from doing exactly what I want. And what I want is you.”
A smile hooks up the corners of her lips. “So you want to do me?”
I pop a wink her way. “Always. Now relax and come inside before our noses freeze off.”
We’re greeted at the door by my niece, Reece, her dark curls bouncing with excitement as she jumps at me. I catch her and lift, pulling her onto my hip. “How’s my little chickadee?”
“I’m good, Uncle Remi. I just turned seven.”
I chuckle. “I know. I was at your birthday party in December, remember?”
She nods, and her blue eyes brighten when she sees who’s with me. “Mindy! You’re at my house!”
“I am,” Mindy says enthusiastically, reaching out to receive Reece’s exuberant hug. “I think you’ve grown since September.”
My niece beams, pleased that someone noticed her recent growth spurt. “Mommy and Daddy had to buy me all new clothes and shoes for Christmas because I got so big,” she announces proudly.
“So you met Mindy when Grandpa was still working?” I ask.
Reece nods. “I went to work with Daddy, and then he had a meeting, so I went to sit in Grandpa’s office, but he was being boring, so I hung out with Mindy,” she replies in one long, run-on sentence. “She let me help her.”
I hug my niece again. She’s so fucking cute. “I bet you were a big help.”
