Page 36 of Good Girls Like it Dirty
He’d never felt like this before, never experienced this burst of hot energy whenever he was around a woman. He’d been in love before, but Monique was a straight-up obsession.
He rolled on the bed and took her with him, her legs entangled with his, her head on his chest. He caressed her hair, gloriously disheveled, and she hummed into him. He kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.”
“If anyone should be thankful, that’d be me.”
He clasped her into his arms. “Nice way to look at it, but I’m glad you came to Honolulu with me.”
She moved on top of him, then propped herself on her elbows and rested her chin on the back of her hand. “And miss out on running into Paula in the elevator? Never,” she said, her voice playful.
“Yeah, that sure wasn’t the highlight of our trip. Still. I don’t come to Hawaii a lot anymore…which is funny because that was one of the first places I wanted to visit once I started making money,” he said, remembering how many times he’d asked Ashley to go with him. She favored mountains over beaches, so whenever they vacationed, they went to the Swiss Alps or to a cabin in Canada. Maybe Colorado.
She ruffled his hair, bringing him back to the present. “Are you ready for the lunch tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You need to go there and kick some ass. I saw the look in your sister’s eyes when you mentioned the hospital wing. Were all of you always so close?”
“Yes, especially after my father died. It was so sudden, we had no option but to rally together and keep going for Mom. She was in a bad place for a while.”
“I’m sorry. You are the oldest, though. You probably had more responsibility than the others.”
“How’d you know?” he asked, then shook his head. Of course. Hadn’t the same thing happened to her? She was the oldest sibling, the one who helped her mom when her father abandoned them. “You know because you’ve been there too.”
She rolled her eyes. “My father didn’t die. Yet. If he continues smoking the way he does, there’s no telling.”
“Yeah, but you trusted him. Then he upped and left.”
“Yeah.”
He wondered if that made her trust men less. Had she had any boyfriends? Had she…ever loved anyone? Tension formed a lump in his throat. Why did he care?
“What’s on your mind? You seem mad.”
“What?”
“You frowned and shut your lips, like you were plotting someone’s murder.”
Crap. Busted. What the fuck did he tell her? He remembered her appeal for honesty and decided to go ahead and say it. “I was thinking about how many hearts you must have broken in France. Or even here.”
“Not that many.”
He ran his fingers down her pert nose. “That’s hard to believe.”
“You’re generous…so generous in fact something just occurred to me. Why don’t you offer your services pro bono? If she says no tomorrow…”
Zaine nodded. He didn’t need the money, and if it came to that, he’d be happy to do the project pro bono. He hadn’t thought about it, because he didn’t want to come across as desperate, especially someone as sought-after as he was. But her suggestion reminded him desperate times called for desperate measures. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
…
“I love your vision,” Lara said after Zaine finished presenting his ideas. He’d brought his laptop with a 3D presentation about how he envisioned the hospital based on the little information he had and also shared his portfolio with her.
“Thanks.”
She tilted her head. “Unfortunately, I met with Doug Benton yesterday. I’m friends with his wife, and I quite like his project.”
“Mine’s better,” he said, without needing to see Doug’s. His former friend never took risks, and his designs were not memorable or groundbreaking.
“His is cheaper. He may not be as famous as you, but he’s probably more available and…”
