Proving Paul's Promise(48)

“What?” she breathes out.

I get up and walk to her. “That fortress where you reside? Will you let me live there with you?”

“What the f*ck are you talking about?” she asks. She puts her hands on her hips and glares at me.

“I don’t want to blow all your walls to bits,” I say. She has a piece of hair stuck to her lips, so I pull it away and tuck it behind her ear. “I just want to live inside them with you. Fuck,” I say, throwing up my hands. “I f*cking love your walls. Every single brick. But let me move in. Let me be there with you. Then you can find out if you love me, and you can invite me to stay if you find out that you do. Just let me inside.”

I take a deep breath and watch her.

“Did you hit your f*cking head on the way to work?” she asks.

I laugh and rub my forehead. “No, but Logan just slapped some sense into me.”

“Then what the f*ck is wrong with you?”

“I’m in f*cking love with you, Friday!” I cry. “I f*cking love you, you irritating, obnoxious, sexy-ass woman that I can’t get out of my f*cking head.” I hit myself in the head with my fists like I’m knocking. “I’m in love with you.”

I drop down onto my knees in front of her, and she steps back, so I inch forward until I can pull her belly to touch my forehead. “I’m in love with you.” I look up at her. “I’m on my knees, and I’m not going to try to get you to marry me or make you do anything you don’t want to do. Just let me in, and I’ll be happy with it.”

“So, you don’t want to talk me into marrying you?”

I shake my head, staring up at her like a puppy.

“You’re not going to hold it over my head and refuse intimacy until I cave to what you want?”

“No.”

“You’re not going to keep asking me again and again?”

“No.”

“You’re going to stop being stupid?”

I grin. “I don’t know about that one.”

“You have testicles,” she says, and she shrugs. “I can’t have it all, can I?” She sinks down onto her knees in front of me. She bites her lower lip and stares at me.

“Say it,” I coax.

She goes back to glaring at me. “Say what?”

“Whatever you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking that my knees are uncomfortable on this f*cking floor, and I’m wondering how long you’re going to f*cking make me stay down here.”

I laugh. God, she’s so contrary!

She takes my face in her hands. “Tonight, can I make you dinner?” she asks.

My heart does that pitter-patter thing again. “Like a date?”

She rocks her head back and forth like she’s weighing her words. “I guess you could call it a date.”

“Then yes, I’d love that.” Then I remember. “But I have Hayley tonight.”

She brightens. “Good.” She kisses me quickly and grins. “Because that’s about as close to a threesome as you’ll ever get with me.” She points to the floor. “Can I get up now?” she asks.

“Get the f*ck up,” I growl. I get to my feet, too. She falls against me and wraps her arms around my waist.

“So does this mean that you don’t want to marry me?” she asks, her voice muffled against my chest. Her words touch the tattoo I just got, and it stings a little. But I don’t pull back. I don’t want her to see it yet.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t say the opposite.”

I set her back a little and look down into her upturned face. “Are you telling me you do want to marry me?”

She shakes her head and jabs a finger at me. “But I want to leave the door open.”

Oh, holy hell. She’s opening a f*cking door and I didn’t even have to threaten her or withhold anything or torment her in any way. I might pass out.

“Okay,” I say.

“And Paul,” she says. “Don’t ever do that on-your-knees thing again unless you’re down there licking my * because it weirds me the f*ck out.”

A grin tugs at my lips, even though I want to look fierce. Finally, I have to toss my head back and laugh.

She squeezes me one last time and walks back into the work area. I see Logan reach up and high-five her.

“What was that for?” she asks.

Logan grins. “I got cuddled last night.”

“Because I rock,” she says, and she high-fives him again. He grins at me at the back of the shop and shakes his head.

He jerks his thumb toward her and signs to me, She’s a good one.

I saw that! Friday signs dramatically at him.

I meant for you to! he signs back with just as much force.





Friday

I like bustling around Paul’s kitchen. And I like it even more when he walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me while I’m standing at the stove. He pretends like he’s going to try to steal a piece of chicken from the pasta, but he presses his lips to my shoulder and lingers, his hot breath blowing across my neck. I reach up and wrap my hand around his neck and bring him down so I can kiss him. Then he pops the chicken into his mouth and grins.