Page 85 of Do It With Me

“Infamous? That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever called me,” Jimmy said, clutching his chest dramatically. “Seriously, thank you.”

Kody grinned. “You think you’re infamous? I heard Holden once fired half a company’s board mid press conference.”

Holden shrugged, evidently unbothered about the fact that Kody knew this about him. “They were being inefficient.”

“You can’t just fire people in front of the media, man.” Kody laughed.

“Sure you can,” Holden said dryly. “You just need good lighting.”

Bree snorted into her drink. “God, I love it when rich people try to act normal.”

“Hey,” Holden said with mock offense ringing from his tone. “I am normal. I do my own laundry sometimes.”

“Yeah?” Bree asked, a teasing grin on her lips. “Do you separate colors and whites or just hope for the best?”

“That depends on how much I care about the shirt,” he deadpanned, and they all cracked up.

I hadn’t seen him this relaxed in weeks. His arm was draped along the back of my chair, his hand occasionally brushing against my shoulder. Every once in a while, he gave me a look that made everything else just fade out for a few seconds.

Jimmy caught it the next time it happened and groaned. “Oh god, they’re doing the eye thing again. Get a room, you two.”

Mercedes laughed. “Don’t be mean. It’s new love. They can’t help it.”

Bree clapped her hands. “Even if they could help it, they shouldn’t. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for them to get it together.”

Jimmy raised his glass. “To love, work, and not demolishing people’s livelihoods.”

Everyone cheered and clinked glasses, laughing. Holden and I looked at each other, smiling like idiots. My cheeks were probably glowing pink, but I didn’t even care. Although I hadn’t told him yet, I did love him, so I didn’t bother denying it or brushing it off.

Somewhere between the teasing, the champagne, and the easy comfort of it all, I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder. His fingers brushed my hand under the table, and for the first time in a long time, everything felt right.

The world wasn’t perfect, but this moment was, and I’d been waiting for so long to find a moment just like it that I was grabbing on with both hands and never letting go.

It was late afternoon by the time we left the others, still riding that high of everything somehow working out. Bree had kissed me on both cheeks like we’d just won an Oscar, and Jimmy had clapped Holden on the back, muttering something about, “pulling off an actual fucking miracle.”

Holden’s hand found mine as we walked to his car, holding me close but not saying a word. I rested my head against his bicep, feeling like we’d run an emotional and a physical marathon in the last twenty-four hours.

We ended up back at his penthouse together, but the place didn’t feel intimidating anymore. Maybe because it was his. Maybe because I’d finally started to understand the man who lived here.

He closed the door behind us, and before I could say a word, he kissed me. Hard and with so much meaning that I could feel the relief in it, that finally moment after so long and so much uncertainty.

It deepened fast, all the laughter of the afternoon turning into breathless sounds that filled the quiet. My back hit the wall, his hands braced beside me. His front pressed to mine, and when his mouth found mine again, the kiss was softer and my heart did that stupid flip thing again.

“Holden,” I murmured between kisses, pushing my fingers into the thick hair at the back of his head and pulling him closer. “I’m sorry.”

He nipped at my lips. “Sorry for what?”

“Not hearing you out.” We were both breathing hard and my hormones were running away with me, but this needed to be said. “It was such a shock, and I was already emotional, and⁠—”

“And I should’ve told you as soon as I realized what was happening,” he whispered into my mouth. “This wasn’t your fault, baby.”

“Maybe not, but it wasn’t really yours either. I believe you would’ve told me as soon as you’d had time to process. You couldn’t have known I was going to call your office the next day, so it’s not really your fault either.”

“It’s behind us,” he murmured, finality ringing from his tone. “I’m just glad we were able to fix my mistake. Now that I got you back, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”

“I know I’m the luckiest girl.”

We kissed again, messy and hungry, and when he finally pulled back, we were both smiling like we’d forgotten how to stop doing it.

He brushed his thumb over my cheek, his blue eyes bright. His body thrummed with some kind of tension all of a sudden. “I have something to show you.”

My heart pounded, my body on the cusp of starting a riot if he didn’t touch me soon, but I raised an eyebrow anyway. “Is that a line? Because if it is, you don’t need it. I think we’re past that point.”

He laughed softly. “It’s not that kind of something. I’ll show you that later if you want, but there’s something else I want you to see for now.”

Pushing away from the wall, he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking shy in a way that did bad things to my heartbeat. “Come with me.”

I took his hand when he offered it to me, kicking off my heels and padding barefoot after him in his fancy penthouse. My lips were still swollen and my pulse was still kicking against my veins. “Where are we going?”

“My study.” He didn’t offer any explanation, just winding his fingers tightly around mine and leading me down a hall that lit up automatically as we walked.

Whatever he was about to show me, I had the feeling it wasn’t just a thing. It was something bigger. Something that might change everything. Again.