Cruel Money (Cruel 1)

“How can I help you, Kristen?” I asked.

The main room was still a work in progress from the renovations, but it was starting to look fully put together again.

“I wanted to let you know that we’re moving on to that side of the house,” she said, pointing at the rooms that I’d just vacated.

“Oh. I didn’t know that you were doing the bedrooms.”

“It’s on the list. I have a plan for it. Shouldn’t take as long as the living room.”

“Okay. I’m just sleeping in there. All my stuff is in there,” I told her.

Also, I liked that room. It was cozy and warm. The bay window was gorgeous, and I loved being able to see out to the ocean in the mornings.

“Just move to the master,” Kristen said with a shrug.

Penn was in the master bedroom though. We’d had two days of great sex, but we still kept separate bedrooms. It was kind of nice to come back to my own space when I needed it. Now, I wouldn’t have that.

There was another bedroom upstairs, but I hadn’t really ventured up there since the first day I arrived. I’d have to see what Penn wanted to do.

“All right. I’ll move my stuff out,” I told her and then went in search of Penn.

I found him in front of a MacBook in the library. It was one of the first times I’d seen him at a computer. He did most of his best thinking in his notebook.

“This is new,” I observed from the doorway.

“Ah, yes. Have to get it in a digital format at some point,” he said. “Plus, I think I wrangled the main theory out of the notebook this morning. We’ll see if it strings together on a computer.”

“So…Kristen told me that they’re renovating my wing of the house.”

His head popped up. “Just move in with me.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I swallowed back the bright smile that threatened to cross my face. There was nothing casual about my reaction to those words.

“Unless that’s too much?” he ventured. “I can grab one of the upstairs rooms.”

“No…it’s not too much,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual. That damn word. “Just wanted to make sure you were cool with it.”

“You in my bed every night?” he asked. “Why wouldn’t I want that, Nat?”

My breath hitched at that. My friends called me Nat. My family called me Nat. Penn had only ever called me Natalie. I loved the intimacy of it.

“Well, issue resolved then,” I said, walking further inside and sitting on the desk. “I’ll move everything over later.”

“Need help?”

“Nah, military brat, remember? Expert packer.”

“Right,” he said with a smile before turning back to his computer. Then he looked back up. “Oh yeah, did Katherine email you about the concert next week?”

“I didn’t have anything. What concert?”

I pulled my email back up, and lo and behold, there was an email from Katherine. She said she missed me and wanted to make up for the last time we’d hung out. Apparently, making up meant first row tickets to Chloe Avana, the biggest pop star in the country, with backstage passes and a meet-and-greet.

“Holy shit! Is she serious?”

Penn groaned. “So, you want to go?”

“Are you kidding? I grew up on Chloe Avana! Her on-again/off-again thing with Gates Hartman is the stuff of legends, and I’m not even as obsessed as my sister, who follows that stuff.”

“She’s so…mainstream.”

“You sound so hipster for someone born on the Upper East Side,” I said on a laugh. “And come on, you have to like that song that she does with Damon Stone. That’s pure gold.”

He grumbled under his breath.

“What? Didn’t hear you.”

“I said…that one is pretty good.”

I laughed. “Great. Then…I guess we’re going.”

“Yeah, yeah. We’re going.”

I stretched across the desk and kissed him hard on the mouth. “I’m so excited.”

“I have other plans for us for this afternoon though.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked huskily.

“After I finish this theory section.”

“You’re going to make me wait?” I pouted.

His eyes glinted with desire. “It’ll be worth it. Wear white.”

“White?” I asked with my head tilted.

He nodded. “Give me a couple of hours, and then we’ll go.”

“All right,” I said, hopping off of the desk. “If you want to turn this down.”

He slapped my ass at full force, and I shrieked.

“That ass tempts me all damn day. Maybe that’ll be my surprise later.”

My eyes widened, and he just grinned. He wasn’t kidding. A thrill ran through me.

“We’ll see,” I teased back.

“Yes, we will.”

I’d guessed wrong when he suggested white and worn a dress. Penn made me change into something warmer and tennis shoes before ushering me out of the house.

“I must say…this isn’t what I was expecting,” I told him.

“You don’t even know what we’re doing.”

“Well, we’re not having sex. So…it’s definitely unexpected.”

He laughed and moved his hand to my leg. “There’s always time to turn around.”