Page 39 of Where We Bloom (The Blackwells of Montana #3)

Chapter Twenty-One

CONNOR

I ’m leaning against the kitchen island, sipping two fingers of Macallan, when Billie descends the stairs. All the air leaves my body.

Christ Jesus, she’s bloody staggering.

Her dark hair is glossy and curled in loose waves around her shoulders. Her makeup, as usual, is flawless, and she’s added a darker eye along with raspberry-red lips. Her diamonds sparkle at her ears and around her neck, and as my gaze lowers, my cock joins the party.

Because every delicious curve is showcased in a red dress that has my mouth drying up.

Off the shoulder, the sleeves are long, ending just before her wrists.

The bodice crisscrosses over her breasts, and then the dress falls in a billowy skirt with a slit that shows off her incredible leg as she walks.

With black heels to complete the look, I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than my angel looks tonight .

At the bottom of the stairs, she lifts an eyebrow and turns a circle, and I feel the smile spread over my face.

“We can’t go,” I declare.

“Oh, we’re going. Do you know how long it took me to look like this?”

I cross to her, and she slides her hands up the lapels of my tux, smiling at me.

“If we go,” I say as I lean in to press my lips to her forehead, “I’ll have to make Miller kill every man who ogles you, which means there will be a lot of deaths tonight, a ghrá. ”

“You promised me a night on the town.” She lifts an eyebrow in that sassy way she does that makes me want to devour her. “So if people have to die, it just is what it is.”

I chuckle and kiss her hand, then tuck it in my arm and escort her to the elevator. “If we don’t leave now, I’ll mess you up.”

“You can do all of the messing later.”

It’s our last night in New York City, and I want her to enjoy every minute of it.

“Wait,” she says, stopping me before we can step onto the elevator. “Let’s take a quick selfie. I promised the girls I’d send one.”

Unable to keep my lips off her, I kiss her forehead and then call down to my men.

“I need you up here, please.”

“On our way,” Miller says.

Bee raises an eyebrow.

“You’re too fucking gorgeous for a selfie . We’ll take a proper photo, a ghrá. ”

When the elevator doors open, Miller’s and Simon’s eyebrows lift in surprise as they step out of the car.

“You look lovely, miss,” Miller says to Billie.

“Beautiful,” Simon agrees with a nod. “We’ll be extra vigilant tonight, boss.”

I smirk down at Billie. “Told you.”

Billie passes her phone to Miller, who immediately passes it on to Simon, making Billie laugh.

“We need a photo,” Billie says.

“In front of the windows,” I add and lead her to the glass. The sun is almost down, and the view is beautiful right now, with Central Park spread out behind us.

Simon snaps a few, then passes the phone back to Billie, and we make our way down to the garage.

“Oh, these are good,” she mumbles as she sends them in her group text. “Aw, look at this one, where you’re looking down at me.”

She shows me her screen, and I immediately know I need that photo.

“Please send it to me, angel.”

“Okay.”

She sends the text and then climbs into the SUV.

“Okay, where are we going?”

“First up is dinner at 220 Park Ave South,” I reply. “It’s an exclusive restaurant not far from here.”

“Is it on Billionaires’ Row?” she asks, surprising me.

“Where did you hear that term?”

“One of the salesladies and I were chatting yesterday, and she said this part of the city is called Billionaires’ Row. Because it’s full of the fanciest of the fancy, which makes sense because you’re here. So?”

I grin and take her hand in mine, pressing my lips to her knuckles. “Yes, it is. It’s an exclusive restaurant that you have to buy a membership for. But the food is incredible.”

“I’m so glad I wore my pretty dress,” she says with a wink.

Tonight is going to be bloody brilliant. Billie is charming and funny, and she fucking loves me.

Loves me.

“Okay, what’s happening after dinner?”

“That’s all I’m telling you for now, bumble.”

Miller laughs behind the wheel, and Billie narrows her eyes at me.

“Okay,” she says, squeezing my hand. “I can be surprised. Just give me a hint.”

“No.” I chuckle and shake my head at her. “Trust me.”

“I do.”

She looks out the window as we maneuver through Manhattan, and I can’t look away from her.

I’ve never had a woman come with me on a business trip, and despite the initial day’s hiccup, it’s been an amazing few days.

We both managed to get a lot of work done, the meetings I’ve endured have been fruitful—even if another board member could have handled them—and I’ve smiled more than I thought possible.

My life feels so … complete. And if I can do one thing well for this woman, it’s spoil her to distraction .

That includes tonight, when I’m determined to give her the best night of her life.

“It’s too early, baby,” Billie moans the following morning, scowling as I try to wake her up.

“I know, a ghrá. But we have to get to the airport. You can sleep on the plane.” I brush my fingers through her soft hair. “It’s another long flight. You can even shower on the plane if you want to.”

She sighs and turns onto her back. “I think I’ll miss this place.”

“The penthouse?”

She nods and stretches, and I can’t resist reaching out to glide my hand down her chest, between her breasts. “I like it here. It’s ridiculously over the top, but it’s also comfortable.”

“Then I’ll keep it.”

If she wants it, it’s hers.

“You could probably make a killing if you sold it. What’s it worth, about ten million?”

I lean down and kiss her lips, then her cheek. “Two hundred million,” I whisper in her ear, and then I laugh when she simply gapes at me.

“You … I … for fuck’s sake.” She pulls a pillow over her face, making me laugh more as I pull it away.

“Come on, we need to get going. ”

“You’re already dressed,” she says, looking me over. “Get naked and snuggle me. I need some skin-on-skin contact.”

“No distracting me. You need to get dressed because no one gets to see you naked but me, and we need to get going. Let’s go, bumble.”

She sits up, yawns, and then climbs out of the bed, headed for the bathroom.

“It’s not my fault someone kept me up all night, screaming his name,” she says as she walks away, her bare arse in full view, making me hard all over again.

“It is your fault,” I call after her, “for looking like that. Now, let’s go. I won’t tell you again.”

While she gets dressed and finishes packing, I cross to the hidden coffee station here in the bedroom and brew her a cup of coffee.

“Has that been here the whole freaking time?” she asks as she pulls on a pair of leggings and a flowy tank top that looks sexy as hell. She tosses a jumper on the bed that she plans to wear on the plane.

“Aye,” I reply, passing her the mug. “I forgot it was here, honestly.”

“That’s handy. We need that at home in Montana.”

Home . I fecking love that she considers the Montana house home even though she’s only technically lived there with me for a week. “Consider it done.”

“Thanks.” She smiles softly and, with the mug in hand, turns to finish gathering her things. “I don’t know how I’m going to pack all of this.”

“You don’t need to,” I inform her. “I’ll have it all handled and shipped to Montana. It’ll meet us there.”

“Thank God. Your elves are handy. Okay, I want to take a couple of things to Ireland that I’ll switch out with things I brought from home.

” Her voice is muffled as she digs through the bags in the closet.

When it looks like she has her things sorted, she lets out a sigh. “Packing is cardio. It’s science.”

“How can I help, mo chroi ?”

“Can you just zip this suitcase? It’s going with us. The rest can go to Montana.”

Ten minutes later, we’re walking through the penthouse to the elevator. My girl’s face is makeup-free, her hair is up in a messy bun, and she looks comfortable.

She’s as gorgeous right now as she was in that red dress, styled to the nines.

“Thank you again for last night,” she says, leaning into me as we ride down to the garage. “It was incredible. Every second of it. From the moment I walked down those stairs until the last orgasm a few hours ago.”

“I’m glad.” I kiss the top of her head, enjoying her warmth against me. “It was the same for me.”

Her eyes are still heavy with sleep, and when we’re in the SUV, I pull her against me and clip her into the middle seat belt so she can lean on me and sleep.

Thanks to traffic in New York that never really dies down, it takes almost an hour to get to the plane, and then it’s time to wake her up again.

Once we’re in the air, I take my girl to the plane’s bedroom and help her get cozy in the bed .

“You’re not going to sleep?” she asks me groggily.

“I have to work, a ghrá. But I’ll bring the laptop in here so you can sleep.”

“You don’t have to,” she says with a frown. “I’m sure I’ll sleep fine. You’ll be more comfortable in the seats out there.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re sure?”

“Let’s give it a try. I know you’re nearby.” She gives me an encouraging smile.

“Come get me if you can’t sleep.”

She nods, and I walk out, closing the door behind me. Although the bed on the plane is comfortable for sleeping, I can tell that it wouldn’t be great to sit up and work in, not like our bed at home. But if she needs me, I’ll go be with her.

“Is she okay?” Miller asks, looking up from his iPad. Simon’s a few rows up, typing on his computer. One of the reasons I hired him is because he’s excellent with tech, with tracking, and he’s smart as fuck.

“Aye, just tired.” I sit and pull out my laptop, and within minutes, I’m absorbed in emails, projections, reports, and more decisions than most people make in a year.

But then, the air shifts, and I know my angel has come out of the bedroom.

I glance down the aisle and see her walking toward me. She doesn’t look particularly refreshed, which tells me she never fell asleep. Fuck.