Sugar

I held his stare but didn’t say a word. Responding only put me in a position that needed his approval. I didn’t need anything from him. Neither did Avery.

Realizing we were through, he shoved out of the room. I went to find Lucy and didn’t have to go far. She was waiting in the next doorway.

“Hey—”

“Who was that?” she asked, cheeks flushed.

“No one you should concern yourself with. I’m taking the rest of the day off. I need to go home and take care of something.”

“What should I do about your appointments?”

“Handle it.”

“Is everything okay?” she followed me to my office.

“Everything’s perfect.” I pulled on my coat. “I also need you to see that the last shoot gets overnighted to Steve so he can start the edits in the morning.”

“Okay.”

I went to the door and paused. “And Lucy?”

“Yes?”

“Remember when I told you the right guy was out there?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

I pointed over my shoulder toward reception, where Micah was likely apologizing. “That’s not him. Understand?”

She nodded again but didn’t form a verbal reply.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

41

Avery

I perched on the bed, still in my towel and holding the phone. I wasn’t sure what changed since Micah left, but something happened.

He called just as I was getting out of the shower. The first words out of his mouth were an apology for storming off. He then spent the next five minutes telling me not to worry about finding a new place, the apartment would be mine until the end of June—longer if needed.

When I asked what made him change his mind, he only insisted on sending me a severance package—he said to call it an early graduation present, something to help me get on my feet.

As soon as I ended the call, I checked my account. He’d deposited five thousand dollars electronically, more than enough to get me through summer.

I felt strangely lighter, as if the last of my debts had suddenly vanished. The loss of weight on my shoulders knocked me off balance. I guessed I could call my other Daddies and let them know I was through taking appointments.

It was over. I was just a normal girl again, free to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

I laughed, unsure what I wanted to do first.

“Avery?”

My front door opened and closed, and I stood, gripping my towel around my chest. “Noah?”

“You have to start locking your door.”

“Why aren’t you at work?”

He stepped into my bedroom and dropped his gaze to my body, his determined strides faltering as he stopped to take my measure. “You’re naked under there.”

“Why are you here?”

He kept his stare on the towel and slowly approached. “Micah paid me a visit at work.”

“What? When?”

“A little bit ago. He told me you quit.”

Micah went to Noah’s work? Did they get in another fight? He didn’t look like he’d been in a fight. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“First…” He pulled me close and kissed me slowly.

Lifting to my toes, I sighed, luxuriating in his familiar taste and scent. It had been so long since he kissed me like that, and having his lips on me balanced my world again.

“Sorry.” As he pulled away, his gaze held mine along with a promise for more. “I had to get that out of the way.”

I no longer cared about Micah. I only wanted Noah to keep kissing me and holding me. I missed the feel of his arms, the touch of his body.

Leaning into him, I nuzzled my nose to his clean-shaven throat. “I missed you.”

He caught my chin, kissing me once more. “I missed you too. Do you think you can put on a robe so we can talk? You’re sort of distracting like this.”

I laughed but obliged. Once I wore more than a towel, Noah told me about Micah storming into his office and how his little assistant stood up to him. I couldn’t imagine anyone speaking to Micah like that, let alone a woman only four foot tall—though I suspected Noah exaggerated her short stature.

He told me how he refused to give Micah any personal details about our relationship, and I loved that he called it a relationship. I also loved that Noah wouldn’t budge when it came to our privacy.

“No one’s ever defended me like that before.”

He stared into my eyes, his fingers pulling at the terrycloth belt around my waist. “I’ll always defend you, Avery. You’re my girl. We’re gonna be the cute couple everyone hates that's weird about Christmas and annoyingly affectionate all the time. I’ll be damned if I let anyone stand in the way of our happiness, so get used to it.”

I wanted all of that. Everything he described last night and all the surprises in between. All the aches and insecurities inside of me shifted into something warm and pleasant. As I stared into his eyes, a sense of belonging stole through me, and I wondered if this was what others felt when they came home—to a happy home.