Chapter Nine

Julian

"W hat do I need to know about your family? I want to make a good impression," Christopher said, sounding like an oversized puppy who was eager to please.

"You already have."

"Okay, a lasting impression, then."

"Why, so you can ruin my family for all other men?" I asked.

Christopher snorted, but I wasn't kidding. "Be serious. Tell me about your family. I'd planned to practice being boyfriends before our big debut, but I've barely seen you over the past two weeks. Where'd you run off to?"

I'd hoped Christopher was too busy fighting off his admirers to notice my absence, and since he didn't bring it up until we were three-quarters of the way into our drive to Atlanta, I thought I was literally home free. It turned out Christopher had been lulling me into a false sense of security with small talk and singing along with the radio.

Christopher's sexy singing voice had taken me right back to the moment at the gala where he'd stared into my eyes and sang "Crazy Love" to me. Oh, how I wished he'd meant it, but the song frequently appeared in the family's show. Denver always sang it to Audrey with the kids providing background vocals. I'd always loved watching Christopher performing with the band. So many emotions crossed over his handsome face as he got lost in the music they played. But my favorite part came when Christopher got hot during his performances and took off his shirt. Damn, what a body.

I felt Christopher's intense focus and realized I'd waited too long to respond to his question. I glanced over and noticed his right hand tapping out a beat on his thigh. Could he get any cuter? Christopher arched an impatient brow. Yep, he sure as hell could. The warmth in his gaze was the same as when he sang to me as we danced. And the kiss we shared in the parking lot? Holy hell. I nearly went up in flames. The intimacy had felt very real and was more potent than anything I'd ever felt with guys I'd actually dated. Christopher's wicked smile made him look like a plundering pirate. Was I the loot he sought? A horn sounded close beside me. I jerked my eyes back to the road and his truck into the proper lane.

"If you break it, you buy it," Christopher teased.

"You're the one who suggested I drive your truck."

He chuckled. "We both know I wouldn't fit in your Prius. Even if I scooted the seat back as far as it would go, my knees would still be jammed against my eye sockets. I'm not so good in cramped spaces."

I was ready to dispel his claims but kept my mouth shut.

"If you don't tell me why you disappeared, I'm going to assume you're bored with me too," Christopher said, and I remembered his claim that all his girlfriends had found him dull.

I risked a glance at him. "Are you serious right now?" He'd never struck me as someone with low self-esteem, but I was starting to wonder what the big man hid behind his affable smile.

"Why shouldn't my fake boyfriend find me boring too?"

I sighed and repressed the urge to roll my eyes. "Honestly, I was afraid you'd change your mind. My family is so excited to meet you, and I just couldn't face the idea of disappointing them again ." Maybe one day I'd believe Jorja when she says I didn't let our parents down.

"I have a hard time believing you disappoint anyone, especially your family," Christopher said softly.

"When things didn't go my way in Atlanta, I gave up instead of digging in. My parents didn't understand my defeatist attitude. Dad would've kicked down any door that someone tried to shut in his face, and Mom would've charmed the hell out of them. Surrender was never an option for them, and they raised me to be the same way." I blew out a frustrated breath. "We're in a good place right now, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I'd like to dispute a few points." Christopher sounded so serious, and it made me smile.

"Okay."

From my periphery I saw him raise a finger. "There is no one on the planet more charming than you."

"You don't have to lay it on so thick," I said. "My folks aren't around to hear it."

He ignored me and held up a second finger. "You didn't just run away from Atlanta. That Greer Spalding lady had you blackballed from every fashion house in the South when you tried out for The Next Face in Fashion ."

"Wow. You really do pay attention."

Christopher chuckled. "You're important to me." Then he held up a third finger.

"Oh," I purred. "I really love three fingers. Keep that in mind if this weekend goes really well." God, I'd turned into a brazen hussy. My past flirtations had always been milder and a bit more generic. I'd expressed my interest in having Christopher's body over mine, but never went into great details about what we'd do once I had him there. I'd never wanted to push too far and run him off, but I couldn't seem to help myself. I wanted to test him to see how far his curiosity would take him— us . Christopher didn't say anything, and I worried I'd taken my flirting three fingers too far. Instead of apologizing or backtracking, I verbally nudged him instead. "What's the third thing?"

"Hell if I know. I forgot my own name." After a pause, he said, "Three fingers? Like at once?"

I glanced over and caught him staring at the three digits he held in front of his face. Was he picturing them buried in my asshole? I sure was. He turned his head, met my gaze and fascination shone in his golden eyes, encouraging me to be bolder. Go deep or go home. Okay, that wasn't the correct saying, but my brain wasn't running the show any longer. My pants suddenly felt tighter in the crotch, and I shifted for a more comfortable position.

"Are you wiggling in your seat because you're thinking about me and my three fingers?"

I somehow managed to keep the truck in the proper lane. "Yep," I said without shame or remorse. "I am. You'd start out with one finger to tease and tempt me. Then add a second finger to stretch me a little further. Honestly, with most men, two fingers would be enough to prep me for anal sex."

"I have big fingers," Christopher said.

"You have big everything, so that's why I'd want you to work up to three." I glanced over at him and winked, but he was still staring at his hand. "I'm a size queen, so I like that about you."

"Is that part included in your profile on Grindr?" he teased.

"What do you know about Grindr profiles?"

"Not much since you still haven't told me about your kinks, but I did a Google search."

Traffic slowed to a crawl due to an accident, and I looked over at him. He'd lowered his hand and now stared straight ahead and assessed the traffic situation. "What other kinds of things have you searched lately?" I asked.

Christopher's cheeks turned bright pink. "Quid pro quo. You answer my questions about your Grindr activities, and I'll tell you the other things I looked up."

"Fair enough. Working out the kinks is the same thing as letting off steam. Between the day job and my side hustles, I don't really have a lot of time to date." Well, I would if I didn't spend every spare moment hanging out at Harper's apartment with her and Christopher. "The truth is, my relationship with Thad was pretty toxic toward the end, and I'm not sure I trust my judgment anymore."

I hadn't wanted to date because the man beside me had ruined me for other guys before they could so much as bat an eyelash in my direction. I held every man to the impossibly high bar Christopher set, and they didn't measure up. My cute little tailor's pun nearly made me laugh.

"Tell me about the breakup."

"Tell me what you've been looking up on the internet," I said. "Quid pro quo, remember?"

"You want to hear about my late-night internet searches?" he asked huskily. I swallowed hard and nodded. "Last night, I looked—"

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Set the stage. Were you in bed?"

"Oh yeah," Christopher purred. I wiggled in my seat again, and he chuckled. "And I was naked."

"Now we're getting somewhere. What did you look up?"

"Well, this is a little embarrassing," Christopher said. "I don't want you to think less of me."

"I promise that won't happen."

Christopher inhaled deeply, held his breath for a short count, then exhaled slowly. "I looked up proper silverware etiquette."

My mouth fell open, and I just stared out the windshield for several seconds. "You freaking tease. Boy, you played me like a cheap instrument, didn't you?"

Christopher laughed hard, and I fought a losing battle to hold on to my irritation. "I'm telling you the truth. It's not my fault you have a dirty mind and assumed I was looking up sex stuff."

"You used a sexy voice and claimed to research Grindr, so of course I made the next logical leap."

"The Grindr thing was the search before the silverware," Christopher said.

"Seriously?" He didn't sound like he was joking, but silverware etiquette?

"Yep. I would've asked you to show me, but you were MIA," he reminded me. "The Carnegie clan doesn't use formal settings as you know. I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your family by not knowing which fork, spoon, or knife to use."

And once again, I realized his easygoing nature hid his insecurities. I hated that he doubted himself for a single second, but I was incredibly charmed by how much he cared. He was so damn adorable.

"Nothing you could say or do would ever embarrass me, Toph." I wanted to pull his truck over, climb onto his lap, and kiss him until he believed me. "Is there anything else worrying you?"

"Not really," he said.

I glanced over and waggled my brows. "Care to tell me more about your search history?"

"Maybe after you tell me about your breakup with Thad."

I really wanted to know what made him curious, so I said, "Thad didn't believe in me or my dreams. He thought pursuing a career in fashion was selfish and frivolous. I can't be with someone who thinks so little of me. People thought my dad was crazy when he started his business, but my mom supported him every step of the way. That's the kind of partner I need in my life. Thad was too concerned about how my ambitions made him look."

"I don't like the guy," Christopher said, then heaved a weighted sigh. "But you could get him back with the snap of your fingers."

I snorted. "My sister says he can't stop bragging about his doctor boyfriend for more than two minutes. I doubt very much Thad is carrying a torch for me."

"I know what I saw," Christopher said. "Is there any part of you that still loves him?"

"No," I said without hesitation. "I don't think I ever loved Thad. I adored the idea of us. I loved how much my parents approved of our relationship. Our families have been best friends for decades, and they treated our relationship like we were joining two royal kingdoms. Having that kind of positive attention is addictive, but Thad and I didn't have the kind of relationship I crave. I don't long to hear his voice when I'm having a bad day. I don't reach for my phone to text him over the silliest things." The way I do with you. "Thad and I didn't have what my parents do and certainly nothing close to your parents' relationship. Denver and Audrey are relationship goals."

Christopher chuckled. "My folks haven't always had a storybook romance. They had some rocky years when we were younger. They even separated for a while."

Traffic had opened up again so I could only dart a glance in his direction. "Get out of here."

"No thanks," Christopher said. "I'd rather not jump from a moving vehicle." He was stone-cold serious, but I still didn't believe him. "Eyes on the road," he said when I looked at him again.

I kept my gaze focused out the windshield but reached over to pinch his leg. "Tell me more."

Christopher jolted in his seat, and his powerful thigh flexed under my hand. Oops. I'd been aiming for someplace around his knee but ended up closer to his crotch.

"You were either too high or too low. I'm not sure what you were aiming for," Christopher teased. I was not about to let his flirting distract me and told him so. "Fine, but I want to hear more about your family too."

"Deal," I replied. "How old were you when they split?"

"I was ten, and the girls were eight, six, and four. It took them a little over a year to work everything out. They just kept chipping away at the differences and building a bridge back to one another."

"I love them so much," I said.

"Me too. Now tell me the things a boyfriend would know about your parents," Christopher said.

"Uh, there's not much to tell," I hedged. "Graeme and Naomi were dirt poor when they met in college. They didn't have two nickels between them to rub together, but they were both driven to succeed. They worked hard to establish a construction company. One house became two, and two became five. Within ten years, my dad was the most successful builder in Atlanta. Eventually, he moved into commercial real estate development, and that's when their success soared. Jorja and I inherited their drive, work ethic, and independence. I couldn't wait to get a job when I was a teenager."

"Oh, let me guess," Christopher teased. "Gap at the mall?"

"Close. Old Navy. Their clothes were much cheaper to buy, cut apart, and reassemble into something I loved even more."

Christopher laughed. "Is that where your love of fashion began?"

"Oh no. It started when I stayed at Aunt Lulu's house in Savannah as a kid. She was one hell of a seamstress and taught me everything I know."

"When did you become interested in making the corset vests?" he asked. "I don't know much about fashion, but your designs are incredible."

His sweet praise sent a hot flush crawling up my neck. I couldn't imagine what would happen if his compliments became more carnal in nature. "Thank you," I said. "I've been fascinated by Victorian fashion for a long time. I decided to make one for myself, but I wanted to combine function and form with beauty and sensuality."

"I'd say you nailed it," Christopher said.

The blush crept higher as I smiled over at him. "Thank you. It took me several tries to get it right. And then the vests held a deeper meaning for me, especially after I moved to Savannah."

"How so?"

"I was so fractured when I left Atlanta, and it felt like the vests held me together until I got stronger. Some people say they struggle to breathe with them on, but I found it hard to breathe without them." Tears filled my eyes, and I silently willed them not to fall. "But I met Harper, and she brought me home to meet your family. You guys are the glue that pieced me back together. I'm crazy about all of you." I took a deep breath before confessing the next part. "And that's mostly why I stayed away this week. I can't lose you."

A rustling came from Topher's side of the truck, but I didn't dare look over at him. The next thing I knew, he'd freed himself from his sling and reached for my hand. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed the back of my knuckles. Instead of letting go, he rested our joined hands on his thigh.

"I won't let you get hurt," Christopher vowed. "If things go south—"

" When ," I said firmly.

Topher laughed. " If things go south, I will take full responsibility. I assure you my family will have no difficulty believing I blew it with you."

"That doesn't make me feel better. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Christopher squeezed my hand. "I have enough faith for both of us, so relax and let's have fun."

"Okay. Let's just have fun."