Beautiful (Beautiful Bastard 5)

His chest fell a bit in an unsure exhale. “Lying?”

I bit my lip before clarifying, “Because you know I already do.”

His entire face transformed with a smile. “Sorry,” he said, “you’re standing a little far away, I couldn’t quite—”

Bending down, I spoke the words against his mouth again before kissing him.

Strangest thing: The kiss felt familiar, as if we’d done it a thousand times before. Which I suppose we had. I expected it to be some revelation, to somehow feel like a committed kiss.

Saying the words out loud hadn’t changed a thing—it had just acknowledged what was already there.

BEAUTIFUL EPILOGUE

Jensen

The plane touched down, and I woke Pippa with a gentle shake. She startled: jerking upright, inhaling sharply, and looking around her.

I watched as it all came back to her in pieces: getting on the plane, seeing me, our talk in the tiny airplane bathroom, the declarations, getting kicked out of the bathroom for takeoff, and then the mostly wordless cuddling in our seats. She’d fallen asleep about an hour into the flight, leaving me to think through all of it.

I liked to be prepared.

If she didn’t get a job in Boston, we could move to England.

Or she could move here with me, find something else to do over time, without any rush. But Pippa was pretty independent and spirited; I wasn’t sure how she would respond to my suggestion that she let me earn the money and she could take care of making our lives interesting.

Then again, part of me suspected that was Pippa’s dream job: Adventure Incorporated.

“Did I drool on you?” she asked, voice a little hoarse from sleep.

“Only a little.”

She grinned. “I improve with every shared flight.”

Cupping her jaw, I bent and kissed her once, briefly. “This one was pretty great.”

We moved off the plane, along the winding hallways to baggage claim to retrieve her suitcase.

“Tell me your schedule,” I said, putting my duffel bag on top of her roller bag and leading her toward the parking garage.

“What day is it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. “Tuesday?”

“Yes.” I glanced at my watch. “Tuesday at 4:49 p.m. local time.”

“I’ve got an interview tomorrow at ten, and then two on Thursday. I think.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and squinted at the screen. “Right, that’s it.”

I looked questioningly at her phone, remembering she’d said she’d shut the service off. Understanding, she said through a yawn, “Mums. New phone and lunch money before they sent me off.”

I couldn’t wait to meet them. “Have they put you up at a hotel? The interviewers, not the Mums.”

She nodded. “The Omni.”

We fell quiet as we walked to my car. On the one hand, I didn’t want to rush things. On the other, I’d flown to London to profess my love, and before that we’d had sex in every conceivable manner. It seemed a little late to worry about rushing.

“Want to stay over?”

She looked up at me as I loaded our bags into my car. “Either that or you’re at my hotel,” she said, grinning. “Don’t you belong to me now?”

It was only about fifteen minutes without traffic from Logan International to her hotel, but it was about a half hour to my house.

The benefit of the hotel: speed.

The benefit of my house: my bed, more food delivery options, and more flat surfaces for sexual activity.

My phone rang over Bluetooth as we curled around the streets, Pippa’s hand on my leg. Glancing at my screen, I saw Hanna’s face.

Pippa grinned, excited, but I put my finger over my lips to indicate we should keep this a surprise for now. I also suspected if Hanna knew Pippa was with me, she’d talk us into coming over, and . . . no.

“Hey, Ziggs.”

“Look,” she said, voice panicked and bursty, “I’m sorry I missed your call on Friday, but then you didn’t answer and I’m feeling really guilty about something and—”

“Honey, it’s okay,” I said, laughing. “I called you on my way out of town and have been . . . a bit busy since then.”

“Oh—you’re out of town?” she asked, confused. The only person who knew my calendar better than Hanna was my assistant.

“I’m home now. I wanted to tell you—”

“No, wait. Let me get this out first,” she said. “I didn’t tell you something and now I’m all twisty over it.”

My brows pulled down in confusion. “You didn’t tell me something?”

“Pippa will be here,” Hanna said. “In Boston. If she’s not here already. She has job interviews.”

She sucked in a gulp of air as she said the last word, and then there was nothing but silence. Like she’d dropped a grenade and jumped back, hoping to be spared the explosion. Pippa’s hand was clapped over her mouth.

I’d wanted to surprise Hanna by bringing Pippa over myself, tomorrow maybe, but now I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“Don’t be mad,” Hanna added with a little peep. “I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I know you didn’t want me butting in anymore.”

I smiled over at Pippa, who silently worried her lower lip between her teeth and said, “I’m not mad.”

“I just wanted you guys to work so badly,” she said, “and I hope that I get to see her while she’s in town because I already love her so much—”

“I’m sure you will.”