Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(69)

Her eyes shone with happy tears. “It’s what I do.”

“It really is.” He stopped then and gave her a long, tender kiss. “I want to show you something and get your thoughts on it.”

“Lead on,” she said, hugging him tightly before stepping back but maintaining her hold on his hand.

They walked all the way to his apartment building. He described it on the way and also told her his plans for it. As they approached the front steps, a woman on the first floor called out to Eric, speaking to him in a West Indian creole. He smiled and waved.

Sage answered the woman in slow French the woman seemed to understand.

“What did she say?” Eric asked.

“She said it was nice to finally see you with a woman, but that I had better be good to you because she has a lot of single nieces. I promised her I would take good care of you.”

“Tell her I am so impressed by how she is raising her son.”

The woman answered, “Thank you,” in English, then added more in her language.

Eric looked to Sage for translation.

Sage said, “She says that’s all she knows in English. She also said her cousin has a laundromat with a job opening if you need one.”

“Do you see why I love this place?”

“I do.”

“Tell her thank you and how grateful I am. And that I’ll keep it in mind if my present job falls through.”

The woman nodded, then closed her window.

“Are you really going to buy the building just to help these people?”

“That’s the plan. Brett lent me one of his people to get everything up and going. The purchase will happen soon. After that, I want to help without being obvious. I’d love your input.”

“You really mean that?”

He pulled her into his arms. “You know I do. There’s no one I know who is better at sensing what people need.”

The smile returned—the one that made him wonder how he’d lived a single day without it. “Thank you, Eric. Thank you so much.”

All that gratitude and squirming sent his immediate concerns spiraling in a different direction. “I want to take you inside, but—”

“But?” she said breathlessly.

“I want our next time to be perfect. Not here in my shabby one-bedroom. I went to you for all the wrong reasons last time, and I want our next time—”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and silenced his words with a kiss. It was a kiss like nothing he’d experienced. She didn’t have to say the words—the love was there. He swung her around, kissed her deeply, and thanked whoever or whatever had sent her his way.

She followed her heart without inhibition or reserve. He vowed to follow his own. He ended the kiss and framed her face. “We should wait.”

She cocked her head to one side in question.

He took a deep, calming breath and said, “I want you—you have no idea how much, but I want more than that with you. Could you wait for our wedding night?”

She blinked several times. “Are you saying—”

He tucked her against his chest and hugged her tightly. “I’m saying you matter, this matters. I want to fall asleep at your side every night. I want to wake up to you. But not as Wayne and Lorna. Not as two people who are still figuring each other out.”

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“Don’t you dare be sorry.” He cupped her chin and raised her face so their eyes met. He was torn between wanting to be the best version of himself before they were intimate again and wanting her to understand how much he wanted to be with her. “This isn’t about me. It’s about us. If you want, I’ll toss you over my shoulder right now and carry you inside.” He winked. “Or fuck you in those bushes. Or—”

She blushed clear down to her toes, but smiled. “Or?”

“Introduce you to my family. Show you my life. Become your best friend, your husband—and then your lover. I’ve done so many things wrong in my life, I want to do this right. With you, I want—forever.” A tear spilled down her cheek. He removed her glasses, pocketed them, and wiped it away gently. “Am I saying everything wrong?”

She threw her arms around his neck again, this time just hugging him with all her might. “No. No you’re not.” She hugged him again. A voice called out from the building. Sage laughed into his chest. “She wants us to break this up before her son comes home, because he’s a good boy and she doesn’t want him getting any ideas about how to behave in public.”

Eric stepped back and waved to the woman.

She shook her head and closed the window, but she didn’t look upset.

As he and Sage walked away, Sage said, “You could arrange for her son to win a full scholarship somewhere. First find out his grades. He may need a step before that, like a tutor. Maybe make something available through his school. He can’t be the only one you help, and it can’t be easy for him. He needs to earn it. She wouldn’t want her son to be given money.”

“And her?”

“The boy you described will take care of his mother. I don’t think you’ll have to worry much about that. Maybe just fix up the building a little. We’d need to know more about her to really know. This is going to be so much fun.” Sage squeezed his hand in excitement. “You don’t mind if I spend all your money, do you?”