“You’ll pay for that.” I lunge for her, making her laugh louder.

That’s the instant I realize how much I have missed that sound and vow to find a way to make her laugh every day from this day forward.

Chapter 5

“You’re not wearing that. Go and change,” I growl, watching my beautiful angel walk towards me in a white dress that looks like it was designed to piss me off.

The front is hooked around her neck with some kind of choker made of crystals and gold. The fabric of the dress is attached there, just at the front of her neck, before flowing down over her breasts. Then the waist of the dress is bunched together with a belt that matches the choker. Her sides are completely exposed, showing off a large expanse of her skin¸ as the skirt flows to the floor. I’m sure if she turned even slightly, I would see the side of her breast. Being at a party attended by the men from my firm with her in that dress will definitely lead to me shoving my fist into someone’s face when they look at her too long.

I watch as her step falters and her smile disappears.

“You sent this dress for me to wear,” she mutters, looking down.

I cannot stand that she is going to be out in public in that scrap of fabric, but I really can’t stand the look on her face right now. This is entirely my mother’s fault. She has fallen in love with Chloe and loves dressing her. She was in my office when the invite showed up for the party and insisted she be the one to pick Chloe’s dress. I should have known better.

“You look stunning.” I step towards her, running my index finger down her bare side. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the evening without killing every man who looks at you.” That’s not a lie, I think, tracing the edge of her breast.

“You didn’t pick this, did you?” she asks.

I lift my eyes to meet hers and shake my head.

“I can change.”

“No. You look…” I shake my head, trying to think of a way to describe her. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

Her hair is down, framing her face. Her makeup is light, just adding to her already elegant features. And the dress, though risqué, still looks charming on her. “I’m sure to be the envy of every man there.”

Her eyes narrow and she chews on her bottom lip. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say no, but there is no way I can do that to her—not right now. We’ve been staying in Westchester for two weeks now, and since coming here, I have seen my girl come out of her shell more and more. The first week was difficult. I knew she was very worried about everything that had transpired since leaving the city, but with my family and me around, she has blossomed. I was working from home most days and spending the nights trying to implant my child inside her. Even with everything hanging over us, I feel content, more at ease than I have in a long time.

“I know it’s not something I would pick for myself,” Chloe says, bringing me back to the moment, “but I kind of like it.” She smiles, and I know I will end up regretting this, but seeing that smile makes it somewhat worth it.

*

“Nolan.”

I hear my name and turn my head to the left, seeing Carter standing with a tall blonde I’m sure he met sometime within the last twenty-four hours.

“Carter.” I stop with my hand around Chloe’s waist, trying to block her from his view.

Carter’s father owns the second-largest international law firm in New York City. He went to Yale and has made a name for himself in the world of law since passing his bar exam by settling billion-dollar cases. He has also made a name for himself in the beds of women all over the city. At thirty years old, good-looking, with enough money to put Bill Gates to shame, he has women killing themselves just for a moment of his time. All of them want to be the one to turn the player into the perfect husband.

“Nolan, nice to see you.” He sticks out his hand.

The blonde at his side latches on to him, her red nails digging into his suit jacket as she gives me a smile.

“Who do you have here?” he asks, his eyes zeroing in on Chloe, whose own fingers begin digging into my skin through the fabric of my suit.

“Chloe,” she replies, and I look down at her, seeing that her eyes are glued to Carter’s date. “His girlfriend,” she adds in a tone I have never heard from my angel before.

I bite back my smile as she looks up at me and glares.

“Nice to meet you, Chloe,” Carter says and begins to pull Chloe’s hand to his mouth. Lucky for him, she pulls away from his grasp, helping to save his life.

“Nice to meet you, too.” She smiles then looks at me. “I would like a drink.”

“Sure, Angel.” I run my fingers down her bare side.

She narrows her eyes, making me smirk at her before I look back at Carter, who is looking between us curiously.

“We’ll talk soon,” I tell him before leading Chloe away towards the bar.

“Who is that woman?” Chloe hisses at me once we are away from the crowd.

My eyebrows pull together as I ask, “What woman?”

“The blonde.”

I look around the room and see that Carter’s date is watching us, and when our eyes meet, she smiles at me and her eyes heat.

“Yes, her,” Chloe growls.

I gaze down at her, finding her flipping off the blonde. I grab her hand and pull it behind her back before anyone can see.

“I don’t know her,” I growl back. “Now, behave yourself.”

“Behave?” she repeats.

“Yes. Unless you would like me to bend you over and spank you in front of all of these people for acting like a brat, I suggest you behave.”

“You wouldn’t.” She struggles against my hold.

My arms wrap around her, turning so that my body is blocking her from the rest of the room as I slap her ass hard enough to get her attention. Her body stills and her mouth opens on a gasp.

“Now, behave,” I tell her again.

“You just spanked me.”

“You’ve been spanked by me before, Chloe. You know what a real spanking is. That was just me getting your attention.”

“She keeps staring at you,” she whispers, trying to look around me.

I pull her face towards me so that I have her full attention. “Where is all of this coming from?” I question, holding her cheek.

“I just don’t fit in here.”

“You fit in wherever I am. You outshine every person in this room. Do not ever doubt your worth,” I tell her, kissing her softly. “Now, let’s go get this over with so I can take you home and tie you to the bed with that dress.” I smile against her mouth as she rolls her eyes.