Page 57 of Indebted

“Do you happen to be interested in broadening your philanthropic endeavors?”

The sun was setting by the time I got back to Justin’s. I’d texted him before getting in my car, asking him to meet me at his place.

Despite the traffic of LA, I beat him to his house by a few minutes.

He pulled up as the sun started to set, everything cast in gold.

He looked rough around the edges, stubble lining his jaw, the collar of his shirt undone. It looked as if he’d gone to war, but the spark in his eye when he saw me was undeniable.

His steps took on a new purpose.

He stopped less than a foot from me, I could feel him through his clothes. My body came to life.

Without a word, he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me. He held nothing back and I ended up gasping for air.

“I need to tell you something.”

“Me first,” I put a hand over his mouth, his stubble scraping against my skin causing goose bumps to rise. I didn’t know what it was about this man that made me yearn so badly. It used to frighten me. It still did. I wasn’t out of the clear yet. It was time to ask Justin what he wanted, to give him the choice without repercussions. He either picked me to keep in his life or he didn’t.

Butterflies took up residence in my stomach.

Here went nothing.

“I met with my buyer today and told her everything—about us.”

His expression fell, but I didn’t let that deter me.

“I know what Midge did, and what she plans to do, and I took that power away from her. I knew it was a risk, but it was worth it because I wanted to give you the option of choosing me without you thinking that you were taking my future away.”

I put my hand over his heart, warmth spreading through me when I felt it beating as fast as mine.

“Do you know what she said to me?”

He shook his head.

“She offered me a job, Justin, a good one. She wants to buy my program, keep me on her payroll and make me a key member of her developmental team. There was some legal jargon thrown in there as well if Midge decides to come after me, but that’s not the point.”

The smile on his face was brighter than the sun.

I yelped as his arms scooped me up and spun me.

“Katie, that’s amazing.”

When my feet touched back down his lips seared mine, his tongue slipping past my lips.

“I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” I gasped.

“You mean there’s more?” The blue of his eyes reminded me of the ocean at sunset. I leaned into his lean swimmer’s body, inhaling the scent of him that had a touch of chlorine.

“Ms. Darling is interested in your clinic. Her niece suffered a bad burn during a freak house fire, and it turns out that she’s been looking for a worthy cause to get involved in.”

His eyes darted back and forth between mine, brimming with so much emotion I couldn’t even begin to decipher it. “You’re remarkable, you know that?”

I beamed at him.

“You know what else?” he whispered into my ear. “I love you.”

My breath caught and I stepped back to stare up at him.