“At any rate, I needed to have something for my personal collection. Which is your most expensive offering?”
“Forever.” Claire supplied the answer, pointing toward the gilt-framed portrait occupying prime space on an oversize easel. It was as if she’d been prepared for the moment.
And maybe she had been.
“It’s a hundred and twenty thousand dollars.”
Bonds staggered back a step.
Eyes wide with shock, Elissa spun to face Claire, who was grinning beatifically.
“I’m sure we must have a bad connection.” At Bonds’s absurd comment, people laughed. The transmission was flawless. “Did you say…” The leader of the first company in history to be valued at a trillion dollars took a breath, as if unable to comprehend that figure, wringing drama from the moment. “One hundred thousand dollars?”
“No.” All eyes were on Claire who was clearly playing her hand well. “I believe I said a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
Jacob wouldn’t have missed this moment for anything.
“Does that include shipping and handling?”
Claire arched an eyebrow. “Are you haggling, Mr. Bonds?”
“Well, a dollar is a dollar.”
“Not only does it not include shipping or taxes—it doesn’t include my handling fee.”
Elissa looked back and forth between the two, and Jacob wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a paid production that was this compelling.
Bonds grinned. “A bargain at thrice the price. I’ll arrange for shipping—and handling—myself. Elissa, a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to adding more of your creations to my curation.” With that misspeak—intentional or not, no one ever knew—Bonds vanished with sparkling fanfare.
Stunned, silent reverie hung in the air before everyone began speaking at once.
One of the assistants draped a purple SOLD sash around the painting.
Jacob said his goodbyes to Hawkeye and sought out Elissa. She appeared shell-shocked, and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You’ve arrived.”
“Over a hundred thousand dollars?”
“I’m glad I got in when I did.” Though she hadn’t wanted to take money from him, he insisted that a deal was a deal. And now, in a matter of months, his investment had soared in value. Not that he’d ever part with it. To him, it was priceless.
The band resumed playing, this time at a louder volume that continued to feed the electric buzz that Bonds had sparked.
Champagne flowed freely, Claire spoke to the woman who’d requested Elissa’s autograph, and the gallery’s assistants moved about the space with their Bonds tablets, quickly writing orders and taking payments.
“This whole experience has been crazy.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it. “And well deserved.”
“Since I met you, all my wildest dreams have come true.”
“All of them?”
“Well…” Seductively she bit her lower lip before placing her hands on his shoulders and rising onto her tiptoes to create intimacy. “Maybe not all of them.”
Hunger and desire flooded him. “Shall we get to work on them?”
“How soon do you think we can escape?”
He glanced around the room. “You’ve got a legion of fans hoping for a moment of your time.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “An hour?”
“Meet me in the courtyard. There’s a gate we can use. I’ll have the car waiting back there.”
“One hour?” She checked her watch, then brushed a kiss across his lips. “Don’t be late. We have babies to make…” She paused and straightened his lapels. “Sir.”
“We have…?” For the first time ever, she’d made him tongue-tied.
She smiled. “If you’re ready, so am I.”
“Are you sure? I know we talked about waiting until your opening, but I didn’t know you meant it immediately after.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Love and lust collided, forcing a rush of primal need through him. He needed to possess her, be in her. Holding that passion momentarily in check, he held her, cherished her, and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.
“So we’re agreed, you’ll be on time?”
He was considering summoning the car right this moment. “My Liss. You can bet everything I own on it.”
“Good. I can’t wait to have your children.”
Grinning stupidly, he watched her sashay back into the crowd. He couldn’t wait, either. Months ago, he’d been alone, a broken shell of a person, and now… Now? Her love had breathed air into his life.
He’d do anything, everything to make her happy.
Even though she was talking to a young couple, she looked over her shoulder to find him. She blew him a kiss and mouthed “Soon.”
For him, it wasn’t soon enough.
He waited fifty minutes, which was all he could tolerate, then called the driver. Then when she was alone, he strode across the room, swept her up and over his shoulder.
She squealed as the air rushed out of her lungs. “Jacob!”
“Tell me to stop acting like a Neanderthal, and I will.”
“No way.” She grabbed his tuxedo jacket. “When I talked to you about making babies, I suspected you’d do something like this.”
The stunned crowd parted for them as he strode through the courtyard.
In the car, he told the driver to put up the privacy screen; then he captured her mouth in a hungry, demanding kiss. It was enough—barely enough—to sustain him for the few minutes it would take for them to reach the hotel and ride the elevator to their suite.
“Is this how it’s going to be, Sir?”
“Oh yes. From this day forward.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah.” He tugged her head back so she could see the pure honesty in his eyes. “I promise.”
She leaned forward, and he took her mouth again, sealing his vow forever.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
Thank you for reading Hold On To Me. I hope you loved Jacob and the love he found for Elissa. (And don’t forget Waffle—who was inspired by my daughter’s cat, Tinkerbell!) Hawkeye and his agents have a very special place in my heart. For the men of Hawkeye, the line of duty between bodyguard and client isn’t meant to be crossed.
If you like two sexy, dominant alpha males, a steamy touch of BDSM, some great suspense, and a heart-wrenching second chance at love, Come to Me is the story for you. There's a cool million dollar bounty on the head of Hawkeye commander Wolf Stone. Nate and Kayla will do anything to protect him, but will the cost to their hearts destroy them....?
DISCOVER COME TO ME
Spend time with your next unforgettable Hawkeye agent in Trust In Me, a forbidden relationship romance. Inamorata is his boss. His client is the boss’s little sister, and her life is in danger. Trace Romero will do anything to protect her. But who will keep the sweet and lovely Aimee safe from his searing need for her?
★★★★★ “…Sexual tension, passion, heat, danger.....love and the inevitable HEA!” Niki’s Book Addiction