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I raised my head and looked over my shoulder to see if the tub was full when I heard Brand’s voice from the other room. With the water running, I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I didn’t need to know. That was the reason I’d excused myself. Brand worked for Doc. They’d need to have conversations I wasn’t privy to.
“This is where you disappeared to,” he said, opening and walking through the door.
I reached over and shut off the water. “Care to join me?” I asked, sticking my fingers in to check the temperature.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
The tub was ginormous. Big enough to hold four people at least, not that I’d ever try to accommodate more than the two of us. This was my sanctuary. After my grandmother passed away, the bath was the one thing I upgraded, and it was worth every ridiculously expensive penny I’d spent on it.
“This is brilliant,” said Brand, swirling the water with his hand when I rested against him, my back to his front. “I have news.”
I looked over my shoulder at him.
“I’ve been asked to travel to London.”
“For?” I asked.
“A meeting with Margeaux Jordan, the commander of the United Nations Coalition Against Human Trafficking, as well as the head of its UK task force, Winston Trace.”
“When?”
“Doc said to let him know when I thought we could make it.”
“Wait. We? How long are you going to be there?”
“A few days at most. I thought we could make a vacation out of it.”
“It sounds lovely, but I agreed to work at the gallery after I returned from Virginia, which means in a couple of days.”
Brand cupped both my breasts. “I won’t leave until you return to work, then.”
“If Doc has asked you to go to England, you shouldn’t stay here for me.”
He leaned down and kissed the side of my neck. “Everything I do is for you, Butterfly.”
“You have a life too. You need to live it.”
“Without you, it doesn’t amount to much.” He reached between my legs with one hand, and I shifted so he had better access. “God, I love you,” he whispered as he played with my pussy. “Everything about you…”
“I feel the same.” The last word came out as more of a groan when he eased two fingers inside me.
“I don’t want this to ever end.”
Neither did I. In fact, if it did, I’d be devastated. I wouldn’t say that now. It wasn’t fair. My trust issues were just that—mine.
“So, um, why do the people in London want to meet with you?” My voice stuttered when he touched my clit with his thumb.
“No more talk for now, Butterfly.”
I murmured my agreement, and after he brought me to another orgasm, I did the same for him.
“Shall we go out tonight?” he asked later when we were on the second floor, snuggled on the oversized sofa, both of us reading.
“We could…”
He smiled and nuzzled my neck. “Or we could stay in and order takeaway.”
“We could cook.”