Page 75 of The Heartbreaker

“Nope. I don’t.”

He pointed at a crane that was diving into the water for a fish. “Daisy loves it here, too, and I always have these plans to take her, and they fall through, and she ends up in the pool instead. If I didn’t work here, I think I’d forget how pretty it is.”

“Speaking of work, are you going to show me the hotel?”

“Not tonight.” He kissed the side of my head—a gesture so sweet that I couldn’t hide my smile. “We’ll save that for another visit.”

“Because?” I glanced up at him, clasping the fingers that hung over my shoulder. “I’m just curious—that’s all.”

“I don’t want to take you away from the sand.” He pulled our bodies closer together. “The hotel isn’t going anywhere. We need this far more than we need that.”

“But I do want to see it.”

“You will. I promise.” He tightened his fingers around mine. “I want to admit something to you.”

“Okay …” I said with hesitation.

“I told my family about you.” His smile was growing. “And my partners.”

I didn’t know why that admission made me giddy. I’d just talked to him about the pace of our relationship, and if we were going as slow as I’d said, it seemed that conversation with his family and partners was a bit premature.

I needed to tell that to my stomach because it was exploding with bursts of excitement.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“Well, they all noticed that I’d disappeared from the bachelor and bachelorette party, so that was where the questions started, and it led me to tell them about you.” He moved his lips to my ear after he kissed my lobe. “And how once I convince you that your hang-ups aren’t really a thing—that they bother you, but they don’t bother me—then I’m going to convince you to date me.”

I wasn’t sure I was ready for this answer, but I still had to ask, “Was your family bothered that I’m a stripper?”

“Not at all. You have nothing to worry about there.”

I stopped walking, putting my back to the water as I looked at him.

“And you’re really unbothered by the club?” I waited. “You’ve said that to me before, but I want to know if it’s still true.” I paused again. “Be honest, Ridge.”

His arm had fallen from my shoulders, his hands now holding my waist. “The truth is … until you’re mine, I don’t think it matters what my opinion is.”

I tried to see through his eyes, like he was able to do to mine. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not going to weigh in. I know how badly you need this job.”

“You just gave me your answer without giving me your answer.”

“Addison …” he whispered. He cupped my face, tilting it up toward him. “The last time I was at the club, the bartender told me that, soon, you’ll be the most popular woman there.” His gaze intensified. “That made me think that men would come just to see you and spend time with you and shower you with their money.”

“You mean … like you?” I was teasing, but it probably wasn’t the right time for a comment like that.

“They want to get you alone so they can put their hands all over your body.” His fingers turned stronger, and he moved his face closer. “Do I like the thought of that? No. Not even a little bit. Can I tolerate it?” He took a deep breath. “Yes.” He exhaled the air he’d just inhaled. “At this moment, I can—because I know why you’re there and what you need from that club and that there’s an end in sight. But if you want me to be completely honest, it’s not what I want. I don’t want to share you—visually, financially—nor do I want you to give your time to someone other than me. I want those hours, Addison. I want you to spend them with me.” He stretched out his fingers, some going beneath my chin, others reaching toward my ears.

“But what I won’t do is make you choose. I’ll never put you in that position. I wouldn’t want an ultimatum, and I won’t give you one. So, I’ll deal with this until it’s over, and that’s when I’ll get everything I want.” He gave me a light kiss. “I get you.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“I don’t deserve you.” He kissed the middle of my forehead and the bridge of my nose. “When you’re ready, I’ll be here.” He glanced down at my lips. “And it’ll just be us and Daisy, and the club will be a long, distant memory.”

NINETEEN

Ridge