It was funny how a simple glance could make you feel so loved, so cherished, that you thought you might burst from it.

Any other day, he could drag me back upstairs. Any other day. But not today.

The need for him to stay goal oriented was imperative. With gentle fingers to his neatly trimmed beard, I scratched lightly, bringing him back down to earth as I reminded him, “But none of this can work without capital. We need money, and you’re going to secure it. Right?”

Zero hesitation. “Right.”

And as I watched him watch me, a somber moment passed as I realized he would never truly understand what he meant to me.

Pride filled me. It washed over me, leaving me heady. I was in awe of the man he’d become. All I wanted to do was lose myself in him. So, I did. I stood on my tiptoes, slipped my arms around his neck, and touched my lips to his. When his muscular arms circled my body, those big hands splayed across my lower back, he returned my gentle kiss greedily, and even after all this time, I fell a little more.

That was important.

Most people thought once you fell in love, that was it. The highest of the high. And for some, it was, but it didn’t have to be.

The goal was to fall in love with someone who kept you falling.

I was one of the lucky ones. I had that. And I was grateful.

He had no idea. Or maybe he did.

I was so proud to call this indomitable man my own.

Right then, as we lost ourselves in each other’s lips, the doorbell rang. But Vik didn’t pull away from me, not immediately. He slowed the kiss until the action had ceased, and he simply ran his lips over my own. We gently parted, and when we both moved to back away, he wasn’t ready to lose the connection, moving to rest his forehead against mine in a highly intimate move that made my stomach shimmy.

When the doorbell rang the second time, it was time. I cupped his stubbled cheeks and smacked an eager kiss to his lips before retreating with a small smile. As I walked toward the door, Vik peered down at my swaying ass and bit the inside of his cheek before reaching down to cup himself through his slacks while shaking his head slowly, his hooded eyes holding a promise of more to come later.

And my core clenched, sure to hold him to that promise.

Lord. The way he looked at me… he did wonders for my self-esteem.

I gave him a second before I opened the door, and when Sasha stepped inside, looking flawless in a light-gray suit and pastel blue shirt, I smiled, moving forward to press a kiss to his cheek.

He glanced down at me, frowning. “You look… good.”

These men. I swear.

“And that makes you—” My brows rose at his sour expression, holding back laughter. “—mad?”

My brother’s face softened marginally. “Of course not.” He glanced down at my belly. “How’s he treating you?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know it’s a girl. I told you it’s a girl. She’s a girl, Sash. You’re getting another niece. Deal with it.”

He forced back a smile, knowing he was goading me. “We’ll see.”

As he began to move into the living room, which had been set up for this meeting, I called out to him. He stalled and turned back to face me. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Expression subdued, I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Go easy on him. Please.”

My brother gave nothing away, just turned and entered the living room, sliding the doors closed behind him. And my chest ached viciously.

I wanted to be in there. I wanted to hear what was going on. But I also knew Vik needed to do this alone.

So, I did what any self-respecting woman would do.

I eavesdropped.

I put my ear to the door. And immediately wished I hadn’t when Sasha let out a heated, “Let me get this straight. You bought the building next to my club. You want to set up a rival bar next to my place of business, my bread and butter. And you want me to invest in it?” A pause. “Tell me why I shouldn’t pop you one right now, Vik. ’Cause I gotta tell ya, I’m tempted.”

Vik’s responding, “Well, of course, it sounds bad when you put it like that,” was all I could take.

Okay, so this started well.

Yeah. Nope. I can’t.

It physically hurt, but I turned and forced myself to walk away.

For fifty minutes, I sat in the kitchen by myself as my future husband worked on convincing my brother that this was not an investment opportunity he wanted to pass on.

For fifty minutes, I remained strong.

But by minute fifty-one, my body felt hot as anxiety took hold. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to see how it was going.

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