Escorting the Actress (The Escort Collection 2)

"And because everybody loves you. No matter how hard she tries." He kissed me.

I beamed at him. "Can we just stay in bed for the rest of the day?"

"Hell, yeah," he answered, beaming back. "Until we go out to dinner to celebrate. And show off that bling. Gotta feed the machine, babe."

We grinned at each other.

"Let's feed some other machines," I said.

He laughed. "That doesn't make any sense, but somehow I know exactly what you mean." He pulled me on top of him. "Now, shh. No more talking."

"Until I scream your name," I reminded him.

"Until you scream my name. Again. I could get used to this, babe."

"Well, you better," I reminded him.

* * *

"I missed you so much," he said after we'd had sex for about the zillionth time. He trailed lazy kisses over my shoulder.

I laughed. "We were only apart for a day." I flopped over and put my head on his chest, snuggling into him and relishing the feel of his naked body against mine.

"It was a long day."

I smiled into his chest. "I agree."

He took my hand and ran his fingers over the diamond again, as he'd done repeatedly since we landed back in bed. "This is just a placeholder. Once I start working and I can save some money, I'm going to get you something killer."

I sat up and looked at him. "You're going to replace my fake engagement ring?"

He looked appalled. "It's not a fake. It's real, not CZ."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." I wanted to shut myself up, but I couldn't.

He scrubbed his hands across his face. "I said it was a placeholder ring because I eventually want to get you something else. Something spectacular. After I've earned the money to do it. That would really mean something to me. In fact, I'd like that to be my first act as a responsible, salaried adult."

His thumb stroked the ring again, and I pulled my hand away. I held it up and looked at it in the light. "This one's pretty. I like it."

Kyle stared at me. "I'm getting you another one." He hesitated for a second. "If you want it, that is."

I sighed and rolled onto my stomach. I couldn't look at him. A million emotions were running through me. Kyle was smart. He rolled on top of me so I could feel his long, perfectly muscled body pressed against mine.

"Do you want it?" he asked and kissed the back of my neck.

I felt him, erect and extraordinarily hard again, pressing against the small of my back. I groaned. "Of course I want it! What are you, crazy?"

"Which it?" He poked me with one of the its I wanted, and I automatically spread my legs a little.

But then I remembered what we were talking about. I tried to muster my last dregs of self-discipline and swatted him away. "I want it"—I jerked my thumb at his lovely, erect, large piece of man fun—"and it." I waggled my ring finger. I turned to look at him. "But we can't be engaged, Kyle."

He sat up and ran his hands through his hair. "You're really doing this? After all that?" He jerked his thumb at the bed.

I sat up too. Even in my glowing post-sex haze, I felt as though I needed to be responsible. To be serious about this. "It hasn't been long enough, first of all. We've only been together for a little over a month. Second of all, our parents were married, and they might be… dating again. I don't even know if we can ever get… you know."

"You know? You sound like a middle-schooler." He cocked an eyebrow at me, and I desperately wished I'd thought of a different word than cocked. "You can't even say it?"

"I can say it. Married. I'm worried we can't ever really get… married. And I'm not even sure that's what this is." I held up the ring again, as if it were evidence of some plot to cruelly confuse and embarrass me.