Page 33 of His Rough Side

She grabbed his arms. "I don't want him stealing my things. Granted, most of the things in that house belonged to my mother, but I don't want him to rip me off. No way am I handing over my key."

"He doesn't need a key. He'll be in and out. Nobody will even notice. He also knows that if anything is missing or broken, he'll answer to me." He stepped into his jeans. "Can I take this as you're okay with moving in with me?"

"Ten minutes ago, yes. Now, no." She rolled her eyes when he chuckled. "I'm starting to think you don't listen."

She walked past him to the mirror and finger-combed her hair. He leaned against the bathroom doorway, content to watch her. "You can use my brush," he said.

"No, thanks. I use a special brush. At home." She continued untangling her hair, only wrinkling her nose when a stubborn snarl caught on her fingers. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," he said.

"Why are you putting so much effort into having me stay with you this weekend?"

His throat closed, and he swallowed. "Because you make me happy."

Her gaze softened in the mirror, and she turned to him. "You make me happy, too."

He closed his eyes and let his chin fall to his chest. That soft voice of admission had done something to him.

He stepped in front of her and kissed her forehead. "When you're ready, let me know and I'll take you to your car."

She nodded. He turned and walked out of the room. Away from her, where no one could see him, he smiled.

Chapter Twelve

Serge threaded a tieinto a knot at the base of his throat. Aubrey paced the living room. While she'd enjoyed spending the weekend with him at his house, she absolutely could not go with him to a meeting at the Harrington Building.

"I can't go." Aubrey planted her hands on her hips. "I'm exhausted from working at the shelter all day."

Serge buttoned the cuffs on his shirt. "We won't be there long."

The likelihood of Curt Harrington being there was slim. It'd been months since she won the bid on the building for the shelter. He probably forgot all about her and had moved on to his next property purchase.

But she feared coming face to face with him. She also wanted to keep Serge far away from Harrington. One wrong comment, and Serge would go ballistic.

"Ireallydon't want to go. I know nothing about your business and don't want to distract you." She approached him. "It's a meeting, not a dinner. I promise to go out with you the next time you have an informal party."