Chapter 35
“I need to lock my Lace down, so she can’t escape me.” ~ Eli
Several months later
Eli
I freeze when I hear the door open. Shit. Paisley’s home. I throw everything in the suitcase and shove it under the bed.
I sprint to the bathroom and flush the toilet. I’m washing my hands when she walks in.
“Hey, Lace. You’re home early.”
She narrows her eyes on me. “What are you doing here?”
I furrow my brow. “What do you mean? You gave me a key.”
What an argument it took for her to give me that key. She used every stalling technique in the universe. I’m not ready. It’s too soon. We need to slow down.
I was ready to move in together after she said she loved me at my birthday party. Paisley has other ideas about how fast our relationship should go. Which is why I’m hurrying things along on my own.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re not fooling me. ”
“Sorry, Lace. You’re going to have to explain. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “No idea? That’s the excuse you’re going for?”
I raise my hands. “What’s up with you? I’ve been waiting for you in your house when you came home from work before.”
“You know damn well your presence in my house is not why I’m annoyed.”
Crap. She figured me out. I should have known I couldn’t fool her. Paisley is the most intelligent and observant woman I know.
But I’m not giving in. I can be just as stubborn as she is.
“I do?” I scratch my chin.
She throws her arms in the air with a huff. “If you won’t admit it, I’ll show you the proof.”
She spins around and marches to the bedroom. I trail after her. Of all the days for her to catch me.
Paisley scans her bedroom before getting to her knees and searching under the bed. I debate several excuses but it’s no use. She knows exactly what’s happening here.
She drags the suitcase out and sets it on the bed. “Do you want to explain?”
“Do I have to?”
“No. But an explanation would be nice.”
I sigh. Time to lay my heart on the line. I sit on the bed and grasp her hands. I tug until she’s forced to straddle me.
“I want you to live with me. ”
She purses her lips. “I’m well aware of this since you make an underhanded comment about us not living together at least twice a day.”
“Twice a day?”
“Yesterday morning you remarked how it would be easier to drive together to work if we were living in the same house. And then, at lunch, you claimed if we were living together we could go home for a quickie.”
My cock twitches. We didn’t go home for a quickie. Instead, I trapped her in her office and took her against the wall. It was awesome. Every time with Paisley is awesome. Sex with her gets better and better every time. It’s amazing.
“I’m not wrong.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’ve explained how I’m not ready to move in together.”
I lay my palm on her cheek. “No, Lace. You’ve made excuses because you’re scared.”
Her eyes narrow. “I am not scared.”
I lean close. “Prove it.”
Her eyes spit daggers at me. “You are not going to dare me into moving together.”
Damn. It was worth a try. It’s worked before.
“But you are afraid.”
She glances away. “Being concerned about jumping into a relationship too soon is not an indicator of fear.”
I pinch her chin and force her gaze to meet mine. “Lace, love of my life, we are not jumping into a relationship. We’ve been tap dancing around each other for years. I know what my heart wants. And it wants you. Hell, if I knew you didn’t approve of marriage, I would have already proposed.”
“Instead, you’re gradually moving all of my things into your house.”
I shrug. “I have no remorse.”
She snorts. “Of course, you don’t.”
“What do you expect? You can’t possibly think I’m going to apologize for wanting the woman I love to live with me.”
“It’s a big step. I don’t want to be dependent on you for housing.”
I smirk. “I have a solution to your problem.”
“If you dare me again, I’m going to deny you sex for a week.”
I chuckle. “As if you can resist me for a week.”
She sniffs and lifts her nose in the air. It’s adorable. “I can and I will.”
“Good thing I’m not going to dare you then.”
I pull a manila envelope out of my pocket and hand it to her.
She doesn’t accept it. “What’s this?”
I wiggle it. “You won’t find out unless you open it.”
She snatches it from me and starts to stand. I grasp her hips to keep her right where she is. I want to be near when she reads the documents.
She frowns at me but doesn’t put up a fight. Instead, she flicks open the envelope and removes the paperwork. She scans the first page and her frown deepens. She flips through the entire document without speaking a word .
A pit grows in my stomach. Is she going to reject my proposal? Reject me?
“Well?” I push when I can no longer handle the silence.
“This proves it.” She shoves the document back into the envelope and throws it on the bed. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m crazy because I deeded you half of my house?”
She nods. “Yes.”
“Why is it crazy to give the woman I plan to spend the rest of my life with half of the house I want her to make into our home?”
She throws her arms over my shoulders. “Because I would have moved in without ownership of the house.”
“When would you have moved in? After our children graduate from college?”
“No. Next month.”
My breath hitches. “Next month?”
“I have it all planned out. I didn’t want to move in together until six months after your birthday party. In two weeks, it’ll have been six months. Basically, you wasted a lot of money for nothing.”
I growl. “Not for nothing. I want us to be equal partners. I want you to have half of my wealth.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want your money.”
“Too bad. You’re getting it anyway.”
She shrugs. “I’ll just spend it on good causes.”
“If you want to donate to good causes, we should probably attend a few more charity events. ”
My blood heats as I imagine her in the green dress she wore on our first date to the fundraiser in D.C. The memory of bending her over my couch and sliding into her warm heat has my cock hardening and lengthening. Sex with Paisley is always fantastic but that night was one of my favorites.
“Fine. But I’m not having sex in the jet.”
I dig my hands into her hips and haul her near until her breasts press against my chest. “Lace, we are totally having sex in the jet. Probably more than once.”
She sniffs. “The flight crew are literally feet away. No thanks.”
“Feet away?” I lift an eyebrow. “Are you saying my jet is small?”
I lift my hips to press my cock against her core. Her eyes flare and she gasps.
“No,” she sighs. “Your jet is not small.”
I nibble her jaw. “Are you going to move in with me?”
“In two weeks.”
I bite her earlobe and she moans. “Are you scared to move in with me earlier?”
“I’m not scared. I have a schedule.”
I kiss the sensitive skin behind her ear and she tilts her neck to give me better access. “Prove it.”
She scowls at me. “Stop daring me.”
I lift her up and throw her on the bed before climbing on top of her. I shackle her wrists and lift her arms above her head.
“Paisley Bardot, do you love me?”
“Yes,” she breathes out .
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to give me children?”
I hold my breath. We haven’t discussed having children yet.
“Yes.”
Satisfaction winds through me. This woman is everything. And she’s mine.
“Are you going to move in with me?”
Her eyes flash.
“Put me out of my misery, Lace. Agree to move in with me.”
“Fine. But I’m keeping my house.”
I figured as much. It’ll make a good investment property.
I rip her jeans open. “This is going to be fast. The movers will be here in an hour.”
“Wh—”
Her question is cut off when I shove two fingers into her pussy. Her warm, wet pussy.
“I love you, Lace. I will give you everything you want. Even if you don’t know you want it. Or are afraid to want it.”
She rears up and bites my jaw. “Prove it.”
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re enjoying Smuggler’s Hideaway. I love this island! It’s so much fun to write about.
Unfortunately, Beyond the Hate is the last book in the Smuggler’s Hideaway series. But don’t worry! We’re not leaving the island just yet.
There’s a new series on the way featuring Eli’s brothers. The first story features Dakota and Rhett. Mr. High and Mighty can’t help but want to protect Dakota but she doesn’t need his protection. She’s perfectly capable of saving herself. Thank you very much.