Chapter 28
SHAY
“Excuse me?” I glance down to check if my jaw hit the floor. Move in with him?
Surely, I heard him wrong.
“Move in with me,” Kolton repeats lightly, like we’re talking about the weather. “The house is huge. You can have your own room, if you want. I only have the place for another six weeks, but that gives you six weeks to figure something out, and it gives us six weeks together.”
“Nope. No.” I shake my head, still shocked. I expected him to offer me money again. A loan to get me through. But…move in with him? Did he hit his head while showering?
“This doesn’t have to be a big deal,” he goes on.
“We’re both adults. You’re in a bind, and I’m offering a short-term solution.
I care about you and hate seeing you stressed.
So…what do you say?” When I don’t answer, he sighs.
“Saying yes isn’t a sign of weakness, Shay. Accepting help is a sign of strength.”
I narrow my eyes at him. That nugget of wisdom certainly hits close to home, and Kolton clearly knows me well, but there’s more at play here than my stubborn pride. “What happens after six weeks? There’s no way we won’t get closer between now and then, and we still live a country apart.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t know, but we have now together, and like I’ve mentioned, I’m tired of always planning ahead.”
I almost laugh. Is moving in together really that easy? Just throw caution to the wind, buy myself time to solve my housing issue, and live with this man who makes my body sing?
I’m so close to saying yes and dragging him to his bedroom to seal this deal, but I resume pushing my food around.
“There’s still a chance Hilary will be pissed if she finds out we’re sleeping together.
She might think less of my work. And living with you, relying on you like I did on Richard, brings a lot of bad stuff back.
I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. ”
His brows pull together as he wipes some crumbs off the counter. “And you think that’s what you’d be doing with me? Repeating mistakes?”
I replay my conversation with Lily this morning, about Kolton’s gifts and how each thoughtful offering reflected me. The real me. Not some arm candy with slimmed hips and straight hair, molded into his ideal woman.
Kolton gave me the movies I like. The food I crave.
No. Being with him wouldn’t be a mistake. It would be dangerous.
“Nothing about you would be a mistake,” I say, trying to find the right words, “but I’ve spent all this time craving independence.” I gesture around the house. “Living here and working for you doesn’t exactly scream independence.”
And Stella’s warning to take things slowly with Kolton probably doesn’t include moving in with the guy.
He massages his neck, then drops his hand.
“The job wasn’t offered to tie you to me.
I hired the designer I wanted. It happened to be the woman I wanted, too, but that doesn’t change your talent and what you’re accomplishing.
Hilary sees it. Everyone sees it. And you have to know I’m not Richard.
I’m not some insecure fuck who’s trying to control your life. I like you feisty, Connor.”
Again with that damn reference.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about you,” he adds. “Except maybe give you a few ski lessons, so you don’t crash into innocent bystanders.”
I mouth, Fuck you.
He smiles and mouths, Okay. Then, “Let’s give things a shot, Shay.
The large columns outside may suggest otherwise, but this isn’t a castle.
There’s no dungeon below. I won’t keep you against your will.
Live with me. Go on a date with me. If things work out, we’ll deal with the future and how to make it work later.
It’s high time we see if the glass slipper fits. ”
“Jesus. How the hell am I supposed to say no after that? The glass slipper?”
His chocolate eyes smolder at me. “Say yes, baby.”
“Maybe?”
“Fuck your pride, Shay. Fuck your bull-headed nature. Hilary will understand. Live with me for the next six weeks, and we’ll see if we’ve built this thing up between us, or if we’ll have more fun together than we did in Aspen. My bet’s on more fun.”
No way would I take that bet, and swimming upstream is getting exhausting.
“Yes,” I say.
He straightens and cocks a brow. “Yes?”
“Did I stutter?” The irony of my choice of playful insults isn’t lost on me and my inner stuttering child who struggled with her words. Not something I’m ready to share with Kolton. “But I need to talk to Hilary about this before you get all needy and clingy around me at work.”
He puts his beer down and prowls around the counter, my uneaten food forgotten. A first for me. His pupils are blown wide with desire, his gaze searing into me as he passes the island’s first corner.
Lust, like a long-suffering hunger, pools low in my belly. I’m ravenous for him, but as he rounds the last corner, my phone rings.
“Don’t answer it,” he says.
But it could be Hilary. After losing one job tonight, I’d rather not piss off another boss. I pick it up and frown. Why the hell is Cruella calling me at this hour?
Kolton is in front of me, practically on top of me. He snakes an arm around my waist and repeats his, “Don’t answer it.”
“I have to.” I twist in his grasp, because those lips, those eyes…not a coherent word will come out of me if I’m facing him.
Still, he flattens his palm on my belly and presses me closer, my back to his chest.
I bring the phone to my ear. “Hi, Maeve, what’s up?”
He nibbles on my neck.
“Ramiro quit.” Her voice barely registers.
Kolton’s hand glides down, down, down.
I clench my thighs together.
“Did you hear me, Shy? Ramiro quit. No notice. That leaves you and me to get this job done. I’ll be taking over his duties.”
I clamp Kolton’s wandering hand with my own and try to pull away. The man doesn’t ease his iron grip. “Okay. We’ll make it work. Longer hours. Whatever it takes.” His lips travel to my free ear. “Can we discuss this tomorrow, Maeve? I still have a lot of work to do tonight.”
Like mapping every muscle on Kolton’s body.
A pause. Lengthy. Full of…something. “That’s fine, Shy. But let me remind you I’ve put in two years at Concept. I know why you got this project. I know why Kolton chose you. That’s not enough to make it in this business. Not enough to be promoted to partner.”
She hangs up, and my blood runs cold. “I am so screwed.”
He grips my shoulders and spins me around. “Why? What did Maeve want?”
“Ramiro quit.”
He swallows. Nods. “Okay. That sucks, but we can get the space done on time.”
“No, you don’t get it…Ramiro quit. Ramiro, who was vying for the partnership Maeve’s been coveting like a serial killer.
She has ‘lost’ important messages from his clients, switched appointments without telling him.
She has messed with his career so she can make it out on top.
Now that he’s gone, guess who she deems her new opponent? ”
He shrugs. “So what? Who gives a shit what she thinks?”
“I need this job,” I say, attempting to keep the panic out of my voice.
I don’t want Jackson coming down here. “There’s no way Hilary would promote me to partner at this stage of my career, but I am expecting an associate position soon.
Unfortunately, Maeve’s so paranoid she believes I’m her new competition. What if she tries to sabotage me?”
“Then we’ll keep an eye on her,” Kolton says, his calm tone easing my dread. “You should document all communication with her, even how she treats you—anything she messes up or anything shady. Add dates and specifics, so if you need to back up accusations later, you have ammunition.”
I swallow, nodding as I process his suggestions. “Okay, yeah.” Already, I feel calmer. “Thank you. You’re right. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Also, if she hits you below your designer belt, Nico has friends on the police force here. Just say the word and we’ll have her arrested.”
I laugh and hug him, grateful for his advice. And his humor.
Maybe taking help from others isn’t weakness, like Kolton said. Having his support boosts my confidence, makes me feel like I’m stronger, and nothing is sexier than a man who lifts women up. Another reason choosing to live here is the right choice.
“What are your thoughts,” I murmur into his neck, “about giving me a tour of your bedroom?”