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“No, it’s not,” I reply. “I’m going to miss it too.”

“It’ll be strange leaving. It’s where we got each other back. I feel an attachment to this place.”

“You’re okay?” I ask her.

Jolie nods.

“Yeah. I’m okay. I’m tired, and it’s going to be weird trying to go back to normal after everything that’s happened, but that’s okay. As long as I have you.”

I reach for her hand and hold it tight.

“You have me, Jolie. Like we said, we’ll get through this together.”

“Yep.”

I’ll take her back to my own penthouse around the block from my art gallery. Jolie doesn’t want to go back to her place alone, and she certainly doesn’t want to return to the Auclair mansion anytime soon. Not with the ghost of her father lurking in every corner.

I want to be with you.

That’s what she told me when I was discharged from the hospital.

And I want to be with her.

* * *

“I’m hungry,” Jolie tells me once we’re settled at my place.

“Oh?”

“I’m going to make us both something,” Jolie says, turning toward the kitchen.

But, before she makes it there, I’m up and in her way.

“How about I cook us something?” I suggest. “My treat.”

Jolie’s eyes narrow.

“Are you saying you don’t want my cooking?”

“You really want the truth, Jolie?”

“Fabien...”

“You relax,” I say. “I’ll make you something.”

I know there’s enough around to make a couple of grilled cheeses. As I get the stuff from the cupboard, I feel Jolie’s eyes on me. I turn around. She’s watching me like a lioness, practically licking her lips at the sight of me.

“What?”

She saunters up to me, pushing me against the wall.

“Come on, what could possibly be sexy about me cooking, Jolie?”

“I’m no longer hungry for food,” she replies. “I’m hungry for you.”

Her hand is already reaching down to my belt.

Okay. Fuck.