Page 130
Story: Hard to Resist
She lets out a mock scoff, pressing a palm to her chest. “Moi? Non. C’est impossible.”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
She gathers up the plastic bag. “I’m just going to put this stuff in the freezer so it doesn’t melt.” I don’t miss her shoving the foot massager under her arm at the same time.
Cullen sits on the couch beside me, readjusting the blanket so it covers both of us before looping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. I tuck my legs under my ass and curl against his side, nuzzling into his familiar scent.
“Thanks for coming over. You didn’t have to.”
“I was worried.”
My chest warms.
“Still, I know you’re busy.”
“I will always make time for you.”
“Even if it’s just lounging around on the couch while I occasionally wince in pain?”
“Especially then.”
He kisses the top of my head, and I can’t help but smile.
I’ve come to learn that this is just the sort of person he is. Cullen pays attention to the most mundane details, cementing them to memory. He’s never afraid to go the extra mile, and I never realized how much that would mean to me until I met him. I spent so much of my life putting on a brave face and trying to put one foot in front of the other that the concept of having someone so wholly focused on me removes a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying.
“What are you watching?” He grabs the remote and hits play.
The real estate reality show Hannah and I watch starts up, two brokers arguing because one of them slept with the other’s ex. It goes on for a minute before switching to one of the other cast members, who is in the process of selling a penthouse for 5.6 million dollars.
“Wait, is this that show? Manhattan something?”
“Manhattan Millions.”
He lets out a short laugh. “You know, Sam was on this once.”
“Sam?”
“One of the other brokers at RARE Realty with me.”
“Which letter is he?”
“The other R, Sam Ryan.”
“That’s so cool! What was it like? Did he learn any juicy secrets? Is it really unscripted or did they make him say stuff? Hannah and I read all the gossip columns and it seems like there is some serious drama about to go down in the next few episodes. One of the girls was seen out with her ex at a bar in Brooklyn the other week.”
“Slow down,” he laughs. “He was only on there for a few minutes. One of the clients he’d been trying to win got snatched up by that blonde chick. The seller wanted the notoriety of being on the show over picking Sam, who was by far the better agent. There isn’t a place in SoHo he hasn’t been able to sell.”
“If you guys are so good, why aren’t you on a show like this?” I tease.
“You think the Harver Group was the network’s first choice? They approached us two years ago, even tried to get me to move back to the city for filming.”
My jaw drops.
“What? You were invited to be onManhattan Millions? Are you serious? Why would you turn that down?”
“That sort of thing isn’t really my style. I don’t want my personal business streamed to strangers. Plus, I couldn’t move back.”
“Why not?”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
She gathers up the plastic bag. “I’m just going to put this stuff in the freezer so it doesn’t melt.” I don’t miss her shoving the foot massager under her arm at the same time.
Cullen sits on the couch beside me, readjusting the blanket so it covers both of us before looping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. I tuck my legs under my ass and curl against his side, nuzzling into his familiar scent.
“Thanks for coming over. You didn’t have to.”
“I was worried.”
My chest warms.
“Still, I know you’re busy.”
“I will always make time for you.”
“Even if it’s just lounging around on the couch while I occasionally wince in pain?”
“Especially then.”
He kisses the top of my head, and I can’t help but smile.
I’ve come to learn that this is just the sort of person he is. Cullen pays attention to the most mundane details, cementing them to memory. He’s never afraid to go the extra mile, and I never realized how much that would mean to me until I met him. I spent so much of my life putting on a brave face and trying to put one foot in front of the other that the concept of having someone so wholly focused on me removes a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying.
“What are you watching?” He grabs the remote and hits play.
The real estate reality show Hannah and I watch starts up, two brokers arguing because one of them slept with the other’s ex. It goes on for a minute before switching to one of the other cast members, who is in the process of selling a penthouse for 5.6 million dollars.
“Wait, is this that show? Manhattan something?”
“Manhattan Millions.”
He lets out a short laugh. “You know, Sam was on this once.”
“Sam?”
“One of the other brokers at RARE Realty with me.”
“Which letter is he?”
“The other R, Sam Ryan.”
“That’s so cool! What was it like? Did he learn any juicy secrets? Is it really unscripted or did they make him say stuff? Hannah and I read all the gossip columns and it seems like there is some serious drama about to go down in the next few episodes. One of the girls was seen out with her ex at a bar in Brooklyn the other week.”
“Slow down,” he laughs. “He was only on there for a few minutes. One of the clients he’d been trying to win got snatched up by that blonde chick. The seller wanted the notoriety of being on the show over picking Sam, who was by far the better agent. There isn’t a place in SoHo he hasn’t been able to sell.”
“If you guys are so good, why aren’t you on a show like this?” I tease.
“You think the Harver Group was the network’s first choice? They approached us two years ago, even tried to get me to move back to the city for filming.”
My jaw drops.
“What? You were invited to be onManhattan Millions? Are you serious? Why would you turn that down?”
“That sort of thing isn’t really my style. I don’t want my personal business streamed to strangers. Plus, I couldn’t move back.”
“Why not?”
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