She pauses for a moment, then admits, “I’m lying in bed, but I’m about to get ready for class. I start a little later today.”
“What time do you have to leave?” I have a plan building in my head.
“About three hours.”
“Good. My driver will meet you there.”
“There’s no need for that,” she objects.
“Damn it, Lexi. I told you that you’re mine and you agreed. That means your safety is my concern. Please just do this for me without fighting me on it,” I exclaimed, digging through my closet for some clothes.
“Okay. I didn’t feel like taking the CTA or driving either. How do I know who he is?”
“You won’t miss him. I’ll see you later, sugar.” I have to call the office and let them know I’ll be out. I’m sure they’re going to have a field day with it since I never take time off, and I sure as fuck don’t call off, but Lexi makes me want more.
“Just so you know, my last class ends at three, so I should be home by four.”
“Okay, sugar. Be careful.”
“Have a good day at work, Lucas.” Her voice hits me straight in the chest.
I reluctantly hang up, but I have a plan in motion before I get out of the house. I need her tied to me, but first things first, she’s not going to live somewhere else. I’ll get the stuff for the dog and prepare his space.
About an hour later, I’m out of the condo and meeting with my driver, Jeffrey. I give him the address, but we have a couple of stops to make. Everything is set up as we pull up to her apartment building. Oh, I forgot to tell her that I was coming too. I stand outside the SUV and wait.
A minute later, the door opens, and she comes out with a blushing smile. Her book bag slung over her shoulder. “Oh my. What are you doing here?”
“I came to take you to class. I believe you deserve a proper escort.” I briefly introduce her to my personal driver.
She stands in front of me with her head tilted upward, looking ridiculously adorable. “Wow, and does that include kisses?”
I give her a kiss on the cheek and exclaim, “Yes it does, now get your ass inside because it’s cold as hell out here.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She rolls her eyes as I hold open the door for her. “Oh my goodness, you didn’t!” she screeches, climbing into the truck. Inside there’s about a dozen different-sized stuffed animals, three dozen roses, and several boxes of chocolates.
“I did.” I lean over and tell Jeff, “Drive please.”
She grabs the mid-size teddy bear and hugs it, then looks up at me like I fucking hung the moon or something. “I can’t believe you did all this.”
I shrug because I’d do so much more if she asked. “I would have done more if I had time, but I wanted to make sure we got here on time.”
“What about work?”
“I called in this morning. I’m a business lawyer, so I rarely see the inside of a courtroom unless there’s a lawsuit, but even most of those get resolved before it ever gets to trial. Most of my day is filled with paperwork. I’ll be working late on Monday to get it all knocked out, but it’s not important at the moment. I have the entire weekend to convince you to move in with me.”
“Move in?”
“Yes, I don’t want to wake up without you again.”
“What about Vlad?”
“I’m so glad I know that Vlad is a dog, but he can come along too. In fact, we can pick him up after class if you want.”
“Really?”
“Actually, we can take him now if you want. There’s a pet grooming place inside the building. They ordered the supplies I’d need and had it delivered to my condo this morning.”
“What? You are freaking amazing.” She throws her arms around me and kisses me. I growl and pin her back against the seat, deepening our kiss and sliding my hand under her coat, and sweater, feeling her soft skin. Fuck, I’m so damn hard, I could do her right now, but I don’t want anyone else to hear her come.
I pull back and straighten up, and sit right before I say, “Jeff, turn around. We need to pick up the dog.”
“Yes, sir,” he responds, making a turn as we reach the corner.
“Thank you,” Lexi adds. I fucking love her. It hits me at that moment that I really do. It’s insane how I feel, but I’m not going to let the quickness of it bother me.
We get to the front of the apartment building, and I get out first, taking her hand and helping her out. As we head to her apartment, I get a sinking feeling that something is wrong.