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I love you.

I want to give you and True and Duchess the whole fucking world.

I never want you to move out because I never want this to end.

I would do anything for you.

But he was falling asleep right before my eyes and the words found their way back inside for now.

Kissing the corner of his mouth, I got off of him and walked into his bathroom to get a towel. I turned on the water and cleaned myself up before wetting one of his towels with warm water and heading back to his room.

He tried to grab the towel, but I moved out of his reach, cleaning him up while my eyes roamed over his tattooed body.

He was already half asleep two seconds after we got under the cover.

“Good night, Noah.” I brushed my lips against his shoulder.

“Night, Grey.”

That night, I fell asleep spooning him and in his bed for the first time.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” Ms. Annie met me at the front desk, her raspy voice strained in a higher pitch as she glared at me.

“Greyson got you working security now?”

Unamused, she stood in my way, arms folded across her chest.

“Come on, Ms. Annie. I’m not here to work. I’m here to talk to my parents.”

After everything that happened this weekend, I woke up this morning and decided I didn’t want to walk on eggshells anymore.

Ms. Annie looked surprised but moved out of my way and fell in step beside me. “It’s about time. You know, your mother hasworked my last nerve since they checked in. And your father…do you know he requested eggs Benedict this morning and then when it was brought out to him, he sent it back and said he meant Florentine instead? I swear, every day it’s something different and it’s only beenfourdays!”

She didn’t stop talking until we were standing outside of suite 14. Now I wished I had let Greyson cancel their reservation when he offered.

“Sorry about that, Ms. Annie.” I bent to kiss her cheek.

“Oh, it ain’t your fault.” She pinched my cheek and her kind eyes wrinkled at the corners when she smiled at me. “I’ll be in the lobby if you need anything. Come see me before you leave, I need to know what’s going on with Duchess and that pretty lady you had in here Friday morning.”

She walked away and the smile on my lips fell when I knocked on my parents’ door.

My mother’s voice was the first one I heard. “Oh, Michael, I think it’s finally housekeeping with those extra towels we asked for at breakfast.”

The heavy oak door eased open and my mother’s shocked face stared up at me.

“Hey, mom.”

All her attention was on my mouth as she squinted. “Oh, thank God, you took them diamonds outta your mouth.” She eyed me warily. “You look so much better.”

Nogood morning. Nohow are you?Nothing.

I was used to it, but it was always a mind fuck realizing they would rather pick me apart than love me.

The truth was that I left the house too fast to remember my golds. But the urge to explain that to her never came, so I let her words slide. Even when she looked triumphant.

My father barreled around the corner before she could find something else on me she didn’t like. He gave me one look and cut his eyes at me as I closed the door behind me.

“I’ve been trying to call you since Friday night, but it keeps going straight to voicemail. I wanted to talk to you about that…woman. I don’t know who she is, but you were right for getting her in check. A woman like that doesn’t deserve?—”