EPILOGUE #2
He laughed. “Again? Already. You did say we had to rehearse for a potential naked wedding.”
“Everything you say sounds like wedding vows.”
Seizing her waist, he snatched her tight. “You never say that when I’m inside you.”
Shit. She shivered. Because the things he said should be reserved for a naked wedding… with zero guests and one big bed.
“Usually, I can’t form thoughts, let alone words, when you’re talking to me like that. Give a girl a chance.”
“Back to business?” he said with a semi-side nod, his head still in the pillow. “So you’re getting the other finalists back?”
“And some of the Experience winners.”
“None of whom will have their own security teams.”
“Thena and Mimi will guest star too.”
“That should be interesting.”
Thena and Mimi were Knox Collier’s mother and grandmother, respectively. Hollywood heavyweights. And that might tempt Jane to poke her head around the camera once or twice.
“We have a sort of transition from the documentary to the show. There will be interview segments. We’ll have Queens and Delights and Crimsettes. It will feature a lot of women supporting women, maybe like an agony aunt thing where we solve problems and help people regain their strength.”
“Other than being perfect for you, that’s a worthy cause.”
“We may slip in Lola’s Liberty and Huddle Hope where we can too. Alice and I were talking about Tripp representing Lighting Darkness.”
“What does Tripp say to that?”
Her whole body shrug cast off the question. “I don’t think anyone’s told him yet.”
Though it would be no surprise if he’d somehow divined it.
“Be careful putting Tripp Breckenridge in front of a camera, Lola.”
“You think he’ll outshine me?”
“No, but the guy already knows everyone. His fame is sort of underground right now. You amp that up, he won’t be able to do what he does the way he does it anymore.”
And she hadn’t considered that. “Huh…” she pondered.
“You’ll be in the club?”
“Yeah, we’ll have some behind the scenes stuff. Tours for sneak peeks, event planning, contests. And some of the fun stuff at night.”
“People expect it.”
“We’ll slip in drinks or lunches and pamper sessions if and when it’s appropriate.”
“And in New York?”
“You don’t have to worry. I promised this wouldn’t get in the way of your work and it won’t. I’ll keep the customers coming, you keep the corporate wheels turning.”
“I want to support you.”
“This is you supporting me. You can be around, sporadically, briefly, where appropriate, but you don’t have to take on any of the responsibility… Unless they need to catch me making out with anyone. In which case, I’ll call Tibbs.”
“Wonder how he’ll put that in the diary. More future planning?”
“That’s the great thing about being married.” Lying down on him again, she stretched her arms as her hands slid up over his shoulders. “You can tell people you have plans with your fabulous wife.”
“She is fabulous. What else can I use that for?”
“Whatever you want. Now I’m the ball and chain, just roll your eyes and they’ll figure I’m nagging you.”
“You’re forgetting you’re beautiful, smart, sassy, sexy.
” His words rumbled in her hair. “I say I’ve got plans with my wife, and it doesn’t involve laying you down somewhere imminently, I’ll have to return my guy card.
” What a sweetie. “You love that we’re not jealous?
I love that every other fucker on the planet is.
There’s not a guy you couldn’t have, Roxanna. ”
“I could probably have some women too.”
“No probably about it. Shame I don’t share.”
She hummed against him. “Someone is looking for a treat…” Kissing his throat, his chest, she went higher to his jaw while her arm outstretched to snag his cellphone from the nightstand. “Let’s order from that seafood place we love.”
“After,” he growled, trying to take the phone.
Sitting up, she laughed. “We order now, and it’ll be here just when we’re done.”
“There is no done with you.”
That was a fair point. They had the ability and means to hole themselves up forever.
Neither of them had to work another day in their life and they’d still die in luxury.
As would their staff and their children, and their children’s children.
Unless something or someone intervened, they may never leave.
“You’ll have to charge the phone for a bit before it will come on.” Something she had vast experience with. “Trust an expert.”
“It’s not dead,” he said, taking it from her to press the power button. “It’s just off.”
She feigned ignorance. “Huh, I didn’t know they did that.”
“Stick with me, kid.”
The screen merged into his focus. Giving him space, a little, she switched back to her own side of the bed.
Geez, he was sexy, even watching him read turned her on.
Those eyes, so intent, she ran her fingers into his hair.
In her peripheral vision, the color of the screen changed and the device went crazy.
Beeping, flashing, pinging. Combing her fingers through his locks again, she wriggled closer to rest her mouth on his arm.
“You could always take your best girl out for dinner.”
“Like a date?” he asked, his thumb moving across the screen, brow absorbed. “I’m a married man.”
She pressed her lips deeper into his flesh. “But, Mister, you promised to make me a big star.”
Despite the expression of innocence and the Marilyn voice, her laugh bubbled out when his head rolled and he crooked an eyebrow at her.
“Baby, you’re already a star in my eyes.”
She sat up. “Was this my audition?”
“Yeah.” He vaulted up, kissing her forehead a second before he was upright. “We’ll pick it up again in a minute.”
The phone went to the nightstand, and he disappeared into the closet, which probably meant the bathroom.
In a minute? There’d be a call, or he’d respond to a text, maybe an email, one thing would follow another.
She exhaled and lay down. Her guy was seriously in demand.
Though she loved being the only thing in his world, she also liked him to be out there, busy, loving her anyway.
The water went on in the bathroom. Yep, he was washing up. If she went in there… Mmm… Ideas…
Z’s cellphone rang, so she scooted over to see if it was anyone she might want to talk to.
“Ah, Carolyn,” she said after reading the name on the screen and picking up. “Zairn’s in the shower.”
“I was looking for you.”
“Oh…” She sat up, finger-combing her hair, like that would make a difference to her manic mop. “Is everything okay?”
“Are you still in Los Angeles?”
“Yes, we are.”
While her friend didn’t sound worried or scared, there was somewhat of an urgency to her words. Might even be excitement.
Carolyn exhaled. “Would you meet me for lunch?”
“Sure!” So it was lunchtime? Good to know. “Want me to leave Zairn behind?”
“If you wouldn’t mind. You’re newlyweds, I know that—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Roxie said. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that…” She lowered her volume and pitch. “And between you and me, that guy’s itching to check his emails.”
Businessy stuff had taken a backseat for too long. Her guy needed his groove to truly appreciate every second with her.
“Thank you,” Carolyn said. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Hmm, intriguing. I’m always on board for intrigue.”
“I’ll send the location to your phone.”
Zairn’s phone, her phone, all one and the same.
After hanging up, she pounced out of bed and went through to the bathroom. The shower was on, but Zairn was at the mirror with his shaver.
“Miss me already?”
“I need first shower.” Without delay, she hurried in and soaked her hair. “I’ll be quick.”
“This is my shower,” he said and slid open the screen to join her. “The shower I warmed up.”
“What’s yours is mine.” She snagged the shampoo, but he quickly swiped it from her and returned it to the shelf. “I have a date before our date. If you want sex, you better get yours quick.”
And from how he crowded her into the corner with that feral look on his face, that’s exactly what he wanted.
“A date, huh?” His wet hand slithered up her side. Despite the hot water, little chilled sparkles darted beneath her skin. “That’s something you should tell your husband.”
“It’s with an older woman…” She draped her arms over his shoulders. “And she’s married too.”
“Swinging already?”
“Would that get you going, Casanova?”
“Anything you do gets me going.”
He bowed for a kiss, but she pulled back, using her anchor on him for balance.
“People assume you must be a depraved, perverted playboy living a debauched life.”
“Mm hmm.”
Her teeth dragged on her lower lip. “Let’s not disappoint them.”
One life. Theirs. From then on, there would be no other.
With him, everything made sense and there was no such thing as overwhelmed.
Other than by her love for him. One man had changed her life, her outlook, commanded her sanity.
And what did he want in return? Utter love and devotion.
That wasn’t too much to ask, not when she demanded the same in return.
This was what happily ever after felt like… about damn time.
THERE’S MORE TO COME FROM THE ROXIVERSE…
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