After another orgasm for her and one for him that hit so hard he nearly fell out of the chair, he carried her back to bed.

She turned into his body when he got in with her. “I checked all the locks and the outdoor lights. Everything is secure.”

“Thank you.” She kissed his chest and snuggled back in tight.

Chapter Nineteen

Royal watched Caroline kill it in her television spot. It was just three minutes, but she’d spent pretty much the entire week going over those one hundred eighty seconds.

She had such a beautiful voice. A little husky in places where she was most emotional. Her Southern had returned in the two months she’d been back, and it worked for her.

Caroline connected with the host and with the camera. She knew her cues, and the whole thing was over in a flash as she was escorted off, replaced by the new guest. The producer gave her some info and thanked her.

“This calls for a fancy breakfast.” Melissa gave Caroline a big hug. “You did so well.”

“I have many talents,” Caroline joked.

Royal put his arm around her shoulders as they headed out.

“I’m starved and in dire need of coffee.” Royal had opted for his Charger instead of his truck. He opened the passenger door, and Melissa slid into the back and Caroline got in the front.

Her phone started to beep as they headed out of the main snarl of the city where the studio was located.

“I most definitely vote yes on the Honey Bear.” Royal looked over briefly at his woman, so sexy he really wished they were alone.

Melissa asked, “Do you feel better? I mean that you did this? No matter the outcome, you managed to do this. I’m proud of you and happy and sad too because I know this whole thing is rough, and oh man do I want to punch your grandma. Yes, I know that’s disrespectful and all that, but she is a terrible person.”

“I’m relieved. Anxious still, but there’s only so much I can do and I’m doing it. Everyone has been so kind with all these offers to help.” Caroline smiled. “So yes, for this moment, I do feel better. Even if nothing comes of it.”

They arrived in Petal, and he found a place to park just a few blocks from the Honey Bear. Melissa made them sit down and headed back to the kitchen to get some breakfast started.

Caroline leaned on him. “Thank you for coming with me today.”

“Darlin’, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

She smiled. “Look, I know you have work to do today.” He had work to do every day. A farm always had something that needed doing. It was amazing, how much work he did. “You can go back home. I’ll just walk to work and get some stuff done.”

He frowned at her. “What on earth would ever lead you to think I’d do that? You took the entire day off work.”

“Only because I wasn’t sure how I’d be afterward. Truly, I’m fine. There’s no reason for me to waste a day off.”

“With what? Leisure?”

She rolled her eyes. “You have a job to do. A farm that needs running. You can’t spend all your time babysitting me.”

“In the first place, I can do whatever I want. And in this case, I want to be with you. Yes, the farm needs running. But I’m not the only one who can do it. Everything that needed doing today is taken care of. That’s enough. We’ll eat and fill up and make sure Melissa is settled, and then you and I are going back to my place and spending the rest of the day in bed. Napping, f**king, reading. We’ll stop at the store on the way home for provisions.”

How on earth could she refuse?

Which is how she found herself naked in Royal’s bed eating ice cream from the carton and reading a novel.

He snuggled up at her back, one of his hands on her hip.

They’d had so much sex she had sore muscles in places she hadn’t known there were muscles in.

Her skin smelled of him.

“One of my favorite things is how I can smell you on my skin during the day.”

He rustled, taking the ice cream and putting it off to the side and pulling her closer. “Yeah?”

“I’ll be in court or off doing something, and I’ll move or shift and it hits me. Just a wisp of your scent on me.” It made her happy. “Like a talisman.”

He kissed her neck. “I like that. I love coming back here for lunch, and when I first walk in, I see one of your sweaters on the back of a chair, or I catch a hint of your perfume in the bathroom. I like having you in my life every day.”

“Man, you already got it. Four times.”

He laughed and turned her to her back. “Never enough where you’re concerned. But you’re safe for now. I think I need to drink a few gallons of water to rehydrate after the last three hours.”

“You make me laugh. Thank you for that.”

He kissed her slow, and despite her satiated state, desire still rose when he touched her this way.

“You make me happy.” He rested his forehead against hers before easing himself back to the bed. “I’m a pretty easygoing guy. My general mood tends toward affable.”

She nodded, looking up at the way the late-afternoon sun cast sharp shadows on the ceiling. “It pleases me to be around you, and yes, part of that is this us thing that makes me happy, but you’re a positive person. It’s rarer than it should be.”

“Thank you. But there’s happy and there’s happy. You know what I mean?”

“I think so, yes.”