His face goes carefully neutral. “Oh?”
“I don’t think you were a fool. I think you were smart and righteous and good, and I like all of those things about you, even though I found them deeply frustrating when I wanted to bang you.”
He grunts. “I want to know more about that.”
I can’t hold back a pleased smile, although I try to hide it with my cup of cocoa.
“Later,” he adds, his voice low and only for my ears. “In intimate detail.”
“I just told you all the detail I’m capable of saying out loud.”
“That’s not true. I know you can try harder for me.” He says it with absolute faith, with the sweetest and most perverted sincerity, and it makes my insides flutter.
“I don’t…I’ve never…out loud…”
“I won’t rush you.”
“It’s okay,” I breathe. “I like you pushing me a little. Showing me things.”
He lifts his eyebrow. Waiting. Wanting a little more.
I dig deep and push past the blushing embarrassment. “Like last night when you showed me I could be…innocent. And then I could say it out loud. So if you tell me to go into details about what I imagined us doing, I will.”
That looks like it pleases him, and I love that so much more than I thought I would. He searches my face. “You don’t mind me being in charge?”
“Mind?” I blink at him. “Jacob, you were literally my boss for two years. I liked everything about that except for the fact that it was business only.”
His gaze softens, and he smiles so deeply I see shallow dimples appear for the first time in his rugged face. “We’ve shared a lot over the last two years, haven’t we? More than most people ever do.”
I swallow hard. “Yes.”
“So you’d like to find another job, or do something else, because you would like our relationship to be personal instead?”
I nod.
“And in our personal relationship, you like the idea of me being in charge.” His voice is soft and low, but the words still make me shiver.
“Yes.” I sound breathless, and I feel lightheaded.
“Good.” He leans in and kisses my forehead. “My bestest girl.”
“Your only girl,” I say, my voice echoing his possessive growl from earlier.
He exhales roughly, deeply, and that smile returns. “Yes. My only girl. And I’m your special—”
“Look at the lovebirds!”
I nearly drop my hot chocolate as Nathan swings onto the arm of the couch beside me.
“Was that necessary?” I glare at my brother.
He grins back. “Very. Hey, guess who we ran into in the gondola line? Dad’s lawyer, the one who recommended we come here for the Christmas break. We told him you’re looking for a new job—”
“I’m not exactly—”
“And he says you could call him.”
Beside me, Jacob has gone still. “Sienna is happy in Conception Ridge.”