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I could hear what she wasn’t saying. When dealing with a dude who bothered her as much as he did, being alone could trigger some terrifying thoughts. It could also give him more access to her. At least in a hotel, if she screamed or called for help, someone would be there instantly.
Fuck, I hated that either of us even had to think that way.
“What hotel?”
She covered her face with her hand. “It’s not a Cole and Spade Hotel—don’t kill me.” Her hand dropped. “I checked, and your Beverly Hills location isn’t in my budget. Or even close to my budget.”
I pulled out my phone, clicked on my assistant’s text box, and sent her a quick message. “You’ll be checking in tomorrow. There will be a room waiting for you. And I assure you, it’s in your budget.” I put my phone away.
“Brady … stop. No. I can’t?—”
“Did you really think I was going to allow my girlfriend to live in a hotel that isn’t part of the Spade brand? Come on. We both knew the second you came clean, I was going to change that.”
If it were up to me, I’d have her move into my house, not the hotel. But I didn’t want to pull a David. I didn’t want her to think, in any regard, that I was making her a prisoner in my home. After he had taken everything from her, she needed her independence.
Still, I’d have my eyes on her the whole time she was there.
Her head fell back, exposing the sleek, smooth skin of her throat. “Your girlfriend …” It came out as a moan.
“I’ve been waiting to use it. The timing felt right.”
Her cheeks were flushed, her lips in a smile as she glanced around the large space, at the high ceiling and open floor plan and the windows that had a direct view of the Hollywood Hills. “Your girlfriend is going to have a very hard time accepting your generosity.”
“But you will.”
“Reluctantly.”
“But you will,” I repeated.
“Yes, I will.” She continued to smile. “Thank you.”
By having her at my hotel, I could ensure her safety much easier than if she was staying elsewhere. I wasn’t going to bring that up. She certainly didn’t need to know that I was going to be watching to make sure there were no unwanted visitors to her room. And until that asshole was fully out of the picture, I was going to make sure he didn’t even breathe in her direction.
“You know, if Edinburgh transforms into even a quarter of the beauty that you’ve built here in your house, that hotel is going to be absolutely amazing.”
“It will. I’ll accept nothing less.”
She stared at me from the corner, pillows surrounding her side and back, wineglass not far from her lips. “Something I find so interesting about you … I’m far from perfect, and yet you look at me like I’m”—she gazed around the room again—“this.”
“You’re more beautiful than this, Lily. This doesn’t even compare to you. Nothing does.”
Her head shook. “When you say things like that, I feel it. The words literally sink straight into my soul.”
“It’s the truth.” I untucked her legs and spread them out across my lap. “I didn’t wait this long to be with a woman because I was looking for perfection. I waited because no one I’d met, been around, or seen even tempted me enough to want to be in a relationship. Until you, Lily. Until you changed every thought, want, desire, and every opinion I had on the subject.” I curved my hand around the bottom of her bare foot. “None of us are perfect. We’re all loaded with flaws, but when you find the person you want to be with, you ask yourself if you can tolerate those flaws.”
“Have you had that conversation with yourself? About me?”
I huffed a bit of air out. “Several times. And you know what your flaws do to me?”
“Scare the shit out of you.” Her voice shrank. “Make you want to run?”
I massaged her arch. “They turn me the fuck on.”
“But—”
“No, no. We’re not going to talk about buts tonight. I want you here. I want every part of you.”
She raked her fingers through my scruff. “You make me feel like such a queen.”
