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When Alexis enters, I hold up the bottle. “Would you like to try this?”
She glides through the living room, past the grand piano, like a figment of my imagination. When she’s closer, I notice how her eyes scan across the label and then up my body. She’s eye-fucking me again. That much is obvious. But I welcome it.
“Sure.”
I scoot my glass toward her and grab another. “This is strong. You have to be careful,” I warn.
“Fill it up because I have a feeling I’ll need it for our chat.” That twang in her voice is there.
Instead, I give her the bottle, and she pours it until the glass is halfway full.
“Damn, girl,” I whisper, shaking my head. “You might be fucked tomorrow.”
“I hope I am,” she says, swirling it around and taking a sip, not flinching. “Smooth.”
“You’re going to give me a run for my money, aren’t you?”
She sits. “You have no idea. I’ve already warned you once that I won’t make this easy for you.”
“I look forward to it,” I tell her, scooting the contract and pen across the marble countertop that stretches the length of the kitchen.
The yellow of the overhead lights makes her look like she’s glowing golden.
Her eyes are locked on me for a few seconds, almost as if she’s contemplating her life choices. But I can tell by the expression on her face that she won’t leave here tonight without signing because it would eat her alive.
Tonight, the two of us connected on a deeper level, a raw one, and I know she felt it. Weston is right. She is perfect. Knowing he said that to her was the confirmation I needed.
She flips to the back page and signs it.
“Alexis, youneversign a legal document without reading it. You could’ve just signed your soul over to me.”
“Well,Mr. Calloway,” she says, folding the packet back to the front page. “Did I?”
“Don’t be reckless,Lexi.”
“I know how an NDA works,Easton. Keep my mouth shut and don’t tell anyone about this.”
“You can’t tell any family members, not even your best friend.”
“It goes to the grave. I understand how to keep a secret. A Texan’s word is their life.”
Like a champ, she shoots back the scotch in one gigantic gulp, placing the glass back on the counter before filling it again. I shake my head and she smirks as I flick off the lights.
I turn on a lamp in the living room and move to the couch, staring at the city lights. I’ve missed the comfort of the diamond in the sky.
Alexis kicks off her red heels and sits beside me, facing me, with her legs crisscrossed. I stare forward, and she staresatme, but I don’t mind. I like being under her microscope.
As I lean back, I take a sip of my scotch, savoring it.
“Easton, seriously, are you going to edge me all night with this?” she whispers, leaning sideways against the cushions, impatiently waiting for me to speak.
I glance at her. “Edging is myfavorite. But if I recall, you’re the one who likes to get lost in the moment. Thisisamoment.”
“You’re an asshole,” she mutters with a laugh.
“But you find it endearing for some reason,” I say.
She looks out at the city and empties her glass again. “I do.”