Page 127 of Falling for the Enemy

He watched his text go to Read and waited while dots bounced as his brother wrote a reply. So help him God, if he didn’t pitch in, Soren was going to strangle him.

The response finally came through. “He’s coming.” Pocketing his phone, he started moving items to the front of the house. She had more to transport than what she could fit in her car, and it would take her several trips to get it all there.

“Do you want to borrow my SUV?”

“No, I can take trips with mine.”

“Are you sure?” It wouldn’t be a problem to loan it to her. He was heading out of town tomorrow anyway, a minor detail he’d yet to mention. “It’s really not a problem. You should take it. You’ll get everything done in half the trips.”

“I’ll be fine. Simon is coming early to help me set up. He has a truck.”

At least she had a backup plan. Chances were, she’d need it.

Logan arrived with several boxes. “Holy crap. This is all for the shower?”

“Don’t you start,” Jocelyn snapped.

Despite her notable stress, she looked damn sexy with her hair twisted up in that sloppy knot and her flannel tied around her waist as the tank top underneath clung to her sweaty skin. It wasn’t even hot out, but she was so worked up she looked like she’d just run a marathon.

“Build the boxes and then go to town and grab these things.” Soren handed Logan a roll of packing tape and a handwritten list of last-minute items.

He frowned as he skimmed the list. “Where do I get safety pins? And why do you need so many twenty-dollar bills?”

“Try the pharmacy, and the cash is for tipping.” He thought it might make things easier if they put each vendor’s tip in a pre-labeled envelope beforehand.

By nine o’clock, everything was glued, packed, and ready to load. Jocelyn looked like she’d been run over by a steamroller, but Soren was energized from a job well done.

He’d been just about to tell her there was a chance he might miss the big surprise, when she said, “Thank the Valkyries you’re going to be there, because as soon as this is all set up, I’m hitting the bar—hard.”

He decided then it was best to keep his schedule to himself. Why give her one more detail to worry about?

“I’ll be sure to keep your glass filled.”

She collapsed onto the couch. “I’m so tired.”

“You should take tomorrow night for yourself and rest.”

She draped over the cushions like a deflated starfish. “You’re probably right. I’ve been going nonstop. Maybe tomorrow we could order in and watch a movie or something.”

“Actually, I can’t. I have a work thing I need to attend.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “Like, a social thing? Do you need me to go with you?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He waved away her concern. “It’s just a boring corporate event. I plan to be in and out as fast as possible.”

He still had to pack and go over some last-minute notes before he left. Looked like he’d have to take a rain check on his blowjob for services rendered.

Planting his hands on the arms of the chair, he bent to press a kiss to her lips. “Which means you finally get a night to yourself. Use it wisely, because after that, I’m making up for any lost time. And you owe me one.”

She smiled, her eyes drowsy and her bones seeming to melt within. “Carry me to bed.”

That night, he texted Marie to check on the gift. She, of course, was way ahead of him and already purchased a collection of Beatrix Potter’s first editions of Peter Rabbit, and a rare first edition of Moby Dick for when the baby was older.

She also informed him that his tux had been delivered by the cleaners and that his luggage, including his golf clubs, was already on the jet.

CHAPTER 15

“OH YEAH, I’M A WILD ONE”