“Did you enjoy that?” he asks me, knowing full well what the answer will be.
I nod with a meek smile, hoping it conveys even a fraction of the devotion I’m feeling for him. I feel so valued and appreciated and spoiled it’s unreal.
“Thanks would never even begin to do it justice,” I tell him. “But thank you. I’m utterly blown away.”
“If you like these gowns, just imagine what it’s going to be like picking out your wedding dress,” he laughs. “This experience will have nothing on that.”
I get jitters at the thought. He says it so naturally that my whole body is tingling, desperate to show him just how much I love him and want to be his wife, and it’s not about the money, or his position in life, or how gorgeous he is. It’s about the way he looks at me. The way he treats me like a goddess, worth everything he can give.
That’s why I want to be his wife.
I’m deeply in love with Anthony Bradstone, and it’s obvious with every look he gives me that he’s in love with me in return.
“You’re coming up in the world now, Cass. Your new wardrobe will show the people all around where you stand on the road from here on in. You’re the best, baby, and you’re going to look the part now wherever you go.”
It’s not something that would ever have occurred to me. My family have never been stuck up or snobs, and I’ve never judged anyone based on what dress they were wearing. Luckily, he keeps talking before I say anything, as I’m not sure what the hell I’d say to that without countering him with a hey, WTF?
He laughs. “You’re coming up in the world and going down on the world in parallel. Just the way it should be. Fuck, I love you as both. Princess and slut. You are exceptional at both, sweetheart. Exceptional.”
I smile out of the window with aches and tingles, screwed up with love and longing. I’m churning in a mass of threads I’d be afraid to untangle, so I don’t. Just focus on how much I adore the god of a man at my side.
We stop for dinner on the way home, and I’m still in such a haze of shock that I sit back as he selects from the menu for us. It’s a crayfish salad with mussels, and I don’t care whether I like it or not, just grin and stare over at him as I eat.
“What time is your wedding event tomorrow?” he asks.
“I need to be there for midday, going on until likely midnight.”
“That’s a shame, baby. It’s going to be hard to watch you leave in the morning without me going along with you. I want every minute of your time I can get.”
His possessive tone is hot, but it’s also heavy. He leans across the table for my hands, and that possessiveness gets even heavier.
“I think we need to talk again about you quitting work altogether, princess. It’s about time we started looking to the future, and what lies ahead.”
It’s not the time to talk about it. How can I justify wanting to keep hold of my career and day job with thousands of pounds worth of presents in his car?
His eyes are intense, though.
“What do you think, Cass? Think it’s approaching time to quit work for me?”
I need to be honest. “Not yet, Ant. Not quite.”
“No? Why not?”
I feel on trial, spouting absurdities when so many women would be leaping up from their seats thanking their princes for the offer.
“Because I love my job… I love Janie… I love all of it…”
“More than you love me?”
I blink in shock.
“Sorry?”
He’s so casual as he pats his mouth with a napkin before he answers.
“I said, more than you love me?”
I laugh at the question, because it sounds so crazy.
“Um, no. Definitely not. They aren’t even comparable.”
He shrugs. “So why not, then? Why not quit the daytime bullshit and make the most of your time with me? Life is short, Cass, and we’ve got a lot ahead of us. We’ll have a wedding of our own to be planning soon enough.”
I can’t argue with his logic, since I’ll feel like an ungrateful cow. So I stay quiet, trying to work out my response.
He tips his head and pulls an expression like he’s surprised at my lack of enthusiasm.
“Ok, baby. If it’s not worth it, that’s cool. Let me know when it is.”
“No, that’s not it, not even close,” I reply, but he shrugs.
“It’s ok, Cass. Sometimes the balances are uneven between people and they take their time to steady out. At the moment I’m the one who’s all in like an obsessed lover, and you’re clearly taking your time to catch up. That’s fine, as long as you’re sure you will do.”