I can’t help but laugh, pulling her closer, and she relaxes against me. Slowly, cautiously, her little arms sneak around my waist. It takes me a second to realise what she’s doing.
She’s trying to hug me.
It’s so cute I can’t help but smile. I gather her up against me, rolling her onto her side so my body is wrapped around hers. She sighs and softens as I start running my fingers through her hair. “This isn’t how I thought you’d be in bed,” she murmurs.
“Hm?”
“You’re usually so uptight. But you’re so soft, underneath it all.”
“What were you expecting?” I wrap a curl around my finger, tugging it and watching it spring back into place.
“Silent missionary sex where you counted your thrusts and thought about the upcoming tax season to get yourself off.”
I bite her hair, and she laughs. It’s a bright, happy sound, and pride swells inside me. I’ve heard her laugh like that with the others. Jack, and Cyrus, and definitely Cami. But this is the first time I’ve made her this happy. It feels good. Intoxicatingly good. I kiss her shoulder and start sifting through her curls.
I remember Samantha, my old assistant, saying that she hated having curly hair, because she couldn’t brush it without it going puffy. I guess she’s right, because the more I comb through Beth’s hair, the fluffier it gets, exploding into a bright red mane around her small face. It’s the cutest thing I have ever seen. I start spreading the curls over the pillow, tangling my fingers into them.
Beth doesn’t notice. “How come this took so long to happen?” She murmurs, kissing my chest. “You must have heard me screwing Cy and Jack around the flat.” She looks up at me through her lashes. “I was loud on purpose.”
I snort. “I figured. Unlike Cyrus and Jack, my dick is usually at the bottom of my priority list.”
“Poor dick.” She ducks her head under the covers. “Don’t worry, I care about you,” she whispers, wriggling down to give it a kiss.
I grunt and grab her wrist, dragging her, giggling, back up to the pillow. “I just found out I have a kid, I have an app launching in a few weeks, and you’re my employee. It didn’t feel like the right time to… get involved.”
She nods, trailing her fingertips down my bare chest. “Mmm. Very responsible. And now?”
“And now…” I don’t know. Seeing her defend Cami like that—seeing her defendme—put our relationship into perspective. Cami loves her. Jack and Cyrus are halfway in love with her. And she obviously cares about all of us. There’s no point holding back from her anymore. “I think you belong with us,” I say quietly. “With all of us.”
She goes stiff.
I glance down at her. “What?”
“Nothing,” she says quickly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Beth—” I’m about to push it, but there’s a sudden cry from downstairs, and I tense, sitting up.
Beth slips out of bed. “I believe that’s our cue.”
I follow suit, tugging my trousers and shirt back on. Beth straightens up her dress, then goes to check herself in the mirror. Her mouth falls open. “What did youdo?” She cries, horrified.
I glance up from my belt. “What?”
“Could you not have fucked me a bit more discreetly?” She starts frantically finger-combing through her bright red curls.
I frown. I liked her hair fluffy. “You look fine.”
She glares at me. “I look like I’ve just had myemployerpull on my hair while he fucked me in his childhood bedroom! What the Hell are your parents going to think?”
“That you had a nap.” I button my collar. “I told them you were tired from the drive.”
She scoffs. “Oh yeah, I’m sure they’re going to believe that.My nanny got really tired from yelling at you, so she took a nap and then got mildly electrocuted, thanks for a lovely dinner?”She shakes her head and looks frantically around the room, her eyes fixing on a stack of rolled-up posters. She grabs one and pulls off the rubber band holding it together. I watch, amused, as she twists her hair back into a knot.
“Do you want to take your underwear, too?” I offer. “I think that might be a better hint than your hair.”