Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) by Layla Hagen (comprehension books .txt) 📕

“Why dirty?”

She glanced at her ass. I’d slipped my hands down there without even noticing.

“Just keeping you safe,” I insisted, trying to keep my voice steady.

She narrowed her eyes. “Aha! Sure...”

“You didn’t answer about the sessions. Can you do them from here?”

“Well, since I don’t have sessions with brand-new clients today, I think that’ll work. I’ll contact my appointments and see if they mind doing them online.”

“You think some won’t want to?”

“Well, if they can’t get privacy, they might cancel. But I don’t think they will. Most of the clients who come during the day are self-employed or work from home, so they’re flexible. And those who come from their workplace, in the evening, can just as well go home for our appointment.”

I nodded, relieved. I’d only been semi-joking about why I wanted her here.

I could keep her safe in the penthouse. No one could come upstairs without my permission. I wanted her here until we knew for sure if the press had gotten pictures that they could use to identify her.

“It’s settled, then,” I concluded.

She held up a finger. “Not so fast. I have some conditions. First, I want to be spoiled with a delicious lunch. And if I’m here long enough, dinner too. And a foot massage or two in between.”

I laughed, kissing her chin. “Are you sure you’re not forgetting anything?”

“Hmmm... I might be, but I’m not sure what.”

I continued to kiss her, moving up to her cheek. “I’ll gladly show you.”

She giggled when I lowered her backward, slowly kissing down her neck. We only had a few minutes until her next session started, and I was determined to make the most of them.

I’d never liked having anyone over. For as long as I could remember, the penthouse was the place where I came to be on my own.

But now... all I wanted was to keep her here.

***

Her calls with clients lasted well into the evening. She moved to the bedroom for the last one to have complete silence. I’d ordered food, then set the table while waiting for it to arrive.

She joined me in the living room at seven thirty.

“Yum, it smells delicious,” she exclaimed. “Is that bruschetta?”

“Yes. I ordered from my favorite Italian restaurant.”

She peeked at the table, pouting. “No pizza?”

“No, it doesn’t taste as good when it’s not fresh out of the oven. But trust me, their bruschetta and pasta are delicious.”

“Oh, I do trust you.”

She cocked her head to the right and the left. I pulled out a chair for her, and after she sat down, I massaged her neck and shoulders.

She sighed, dropping her head back, looking at me upside down. “You’re so good at this. I want more of it, but I’m also starving.”

I gave her a quick kiss before going to my own chair opposite her. “Let’s eat. And then you can have more of everything you want.”

She smiled widely. “How is this happening to me? I feel like I’m in a dream. You’ve been spoiling me all day, and now you’re offering to spoil me even more.”

“I want to see you happy.”

“Oh, I definitely am. Also super tired. But I still have one thing to do. I have to check Mom’s to-do list for Sophie’s party. I hope I don’t forget.”

“Sophie is your niece, right?” I asked.

She nodded, biting into a bruschetta. She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly in pleasure.

“What kind of party is it?” I asked once she finished it.

“Umm... a post-birth baby shower, I guess. Don’t judge.”

“I’m not.”

“I can see you’re trying to hold back a smile.”

“Yes, but that’s not me judging. Just thinking your family is one of a kind.”

“We really are.” She laughed and between mouthfuls of pasta told me about the party. She lit up while talking about the preparations. “So, there’s not much to do since they’re catering the party, but Mom wants to make sure all decorations are on point. I need to check on some balloons I ordered a while ago and confirm with Mom. She’ll be restless otherwise.”

I was smitten with this woman. She was bone-tired after a long day but still wanted to check on random details to make sure her mom was happy.

“You like parties at home?”

“I do, especially when they’re catered from my favorite restaurants. But I also like it when we do actually go out to celebrate.”

“Let me guess, you simply like celebrating?” I asked.

“Exactly.” She grinned. “I have an idea. Want to join me at the party? It’s in two weeks, on Saturday. It will be totally crazy, but I think you’ll like it. And it will split Mom’s focus so she won’t be all over Josie.”

“I see. So you want me there as a distraction?”

“Not just a distraction.”

I laughed, burying my head in her neck. Usually I asked Sasha to double-check security before agreeing to anything, but now I didn’t even hesitate to answer. Besides, I was making mental notes for what Isabelle liked in a party to use later on. I wanted all the information I could get to spoil my woman.

“How can I turn down such a heartfelt invitation?”

Chapter FourteenIsabelle

“This was a bad idea,” I muttered. We were surrounded by my whole family, plus the Winchesters, and Hunter, Josie’s husband, of course. The party was a success, and Sophie was the center of attention and loving it.

As I’d predicted, Mom first got her fill of Sophie, but now she was all over Brayden. Dad was a little more reserved—but just a little. I hadn’t told my parents that Brayden and I were only a temporary thing. That the clock was ticking away, and it would stop once his concert tour began. It was something I didn’t want to think about because I was already having misgivings about it. In fact, I hadn’t told anybody, mostly because I didn’t want to say it out loud.

To my astonishment, Brayden appeared to be pretty relaxed. Sasha had double-checked the perimeter, so fortunately there were no reporters around Josie