Burn for You
I whispered, “That skinny little mercenary is my attorney, sweetheart.”
Bianca blinked. Her brows pulled together into an adorable frown. “What?”
A rumble of laughter burbled up from somewhere deep inside me, shaking my whole body, loosening decades of anguish and pain.
“Taylor is my attorney. Has been for years. We’re not getting married. We’re working on the contract for the new division Boudreaux Bourbon’s going to open in New Orleans. The one I’m going to run.”
Bianca’s eyes went wide. She squeaked, “Contract? Division?”
I nodded. “My father and I had a long talk after you and I left Kentucky. We agreed that opening a new distillery in Louisiana would be good for business. There’s no wedding going on here.”
Bianca’s gaze turned to the paperwork on my desk, then to Taylor. She paled. Then she whispered, “Oh, shit.”
From the sofa, Rayford cackled and clapped his hands.
Bianca whirled around and glared at him. “Rayford! You did that on purpose!”
He shrugged. “Sometimes you gotta give the blind a helping hand.”
Bianca turned to Taylor. She put her hand over her chest and said, “I am so, so sorry. Oh my goodness. I take back what I said. You’re not a mercenary. I’m sure you’re a wonderful woman. You look very . . . smart. And you’re not skinny, that was just me being jealous. You have a lovely figure.”
Taylor crossed her arms over her chest. “And the brown lipstick?”
Bianca grimaced. “Well . . .”
“Enough apologies. Come here.”
I grabbed Bianca by the arm and kissed her. She took big handfuls of my shirt and kissed me back like she was starving.
At some point Rayford and Taylor must’ve left the room, but I didn’t hear them go. I was too busy drowning in Bianca.
“What about your inheritance?” she asked breathlessly, breaking away.
“It was get married or work for the company, remember? Not that I care about the money anymore. It was just time for me to let go of the past and grow up.” I stroked her satin cheek. “You’re responsible for that, you know. I never would’ve reconnected with my parents if it weren’t for you.”
Bianca rested her forehead on my chest. “So you don’t need to get married after all.”
A little tremor went through her. It made me smile.
“Technically, no,” I whispered. “But I want to.”
She lifted her head and stared at me. Her eyes glimmered with moisture.
“And I noticed you’re still wearing your engagement ring, so I think you still want to, too.”
A tear crested her lower lid and slid down her cheek. In a broken voice she said, “I just want you. Rich, poor, smiling, growling, bearded or clean-shaven, I just want you, Jax. There’s nothing in the world I want more than you.”
My happy sigh slipped past my lips, barely audible. “Be careful what you wish for, sweetheart,” I murmured, my heart singing. “If you think I’m a beast, you haven’t seen this beard when it really gets going.”
Bianca’s eyes were dreamy. She went up on her toes, wound her arms tightly around my neck, and whispered into my ear, “I can hardly wait.”