Without a Hitch(62)

A partnership is exactly what I want in a marriage. A partnership in life.

It’s all so confusing. My head starts to pound.

“Stop thinking so hard. We’ll draw up the terms on the plane. I’m not looking to stiff you, Till. The truth is, you’re right. My blanket embargo on weddings is not good business sense, but it had to be that way. I—I can’t handle the details of weddings on a daily basis.”

“That’s what your event planners are for,” I huff.

He flinches, and I rear back to study him, but he puts the mask back in place as quickly as it fell.

“I refuse to work with wedding planners.” That’s the coldest I’ve ever heard his voice.

“And yet you’re willing to work with me?” I ask cautiously.

His gaze softens as he scans my face. A gentle nod of his head, and I swear I swoon. “That would indicate I’ll lose this wager we have going on, Tilly. I never lose. I’ll have you and my hotels in three weeks.”

Correction. He’ll have my broken heart and his hotels. I stab at the food on my plate. This has disaster written all over it. If I win and get his hotels, that means I lost him. My heart skips a beat, confirming my suspicions that it’s already attaching itself to this mercurial man.

I nearly jump out of my skin when he leans down to whisper in my ear, “Finish up. We leave in twenty.”

“What? I don’t have enough…gah! I don’t have anything for three weeks. I need to go home first. I —”

He cuts me off with a scorching kiss that leaves me dizzy. “We’ll stop in Charlotte so you can collect your things, but this”—he waves his hand between us—“begins now.”

“I thought you were going to keep your hands to yourself?”

His wicked grin makes my pussy tingle. “I tried.”

He leans against the table and pokes around in a candy bowl. His movements are methodical as he selects the ones he wants. When he removes his hand, I peek over to find it’s full of Skittles and raise a brow.

His voice drops and takes on a gravelly tone that grates across my clit like my favorite vibrator.

“I like to taste the rainbow.”

And now I need new panties.

A dimpled grin peeks through his fa?ade, and he winks. “Your rainbow is still the sweetest though. Let’s go, Tilly. We have some stops to make.”





C HAPTE R 22

TILLY

W e arrive at 528 Charter Oak a few hours later. My condo building stands tall and proud against the clear blue sky. A giant navy blue WB emblazons the top of the well-maintained complex.

My sister and her husband Preston used to live in the penthouse, but they moved out a couple of years ago when they decided to start a family. Technically, Eli and I are the only family who live in the building now, but Colton says they’ll never get rid of it for nostalgic reasons. His parents lived here when they were first starting out, and it was a rite of passage for each brother venturing out on his own.

“I won’t be long,” I call over my shoulder, then pause halfway out of the car because Lochlan is exiting too. “What are you doing?”

“I’m coming in to help.” He shuts his car door and rounds the hood to my side.

“I don’t need help. You really don’t have to come in.”

He smiles, and his eyes dance in the southern light shining off the glossy windows of my building.

“I’m coming in, Tilly.” Grabbing my hand, he hauls me toward the door.

Monty stands guard just like he always does. He’s an older gentleman who sits on his perch at the top of the stairs, leaning against the building. Most of the time, he’s napping under his downturned hat, but today, his smile is bright.

“Welcome home, Miss Tilly. How are you today?”

I soften my voice for his benefit even as I frantically try to remove my palm from Lochlan’s grasp.

“I’m good, Monty. How are you?”

“Can’t complain, Miss Tilly. Can’t complain at all. Your girls all went charging in about twenty minutes ago. Looks like you’re the last to arrive,” he offers helpfully.

A low groan escapes no matter how hard I try to hold it in.

“Problem?” Lochlan asks like he doesn’t know they all ran home in the hopes of catching me before we left for California.

“Not for me,” I mutter. “They might tear you apart though. Last chance to wait in the car.”

He doesn’t take the bait. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Of course you can’t,” I grumble as we push through the double doors and into the atrium.

He glances around but doesn’t slow his pace as he marches us toward the elevators. The doors slide open before he can press the call button, and Mable lets out a low whistle.

“Monty said he was a looker, but this is next level, Titty. Next. Level,” she wheezes.

“Geez, Mable. Seriously? You’re not even dressed. What are you doing in the elevator?”

“Monty called when you pulled up. I had to check this one out for myself.” She narrows her already squinty eyes on Lochlan. “So,” she says, crossing her arms as we enter the small space. “You can deliver on the orgasms. I’ll give ya that. I didn’t think Titty would walk straight for a week after New York, but…”