He’d given bastard the choice of telling her the truth or getting the hell out of her life. He’d chosen to get out of her life and save his own ass. It was his loss.

Jamie was a beautiful person inside and out and brought nothing but joy into his life. If the son of a bitch had looked at her, really looked at her for even one moment he would have realized what a precious gift he’d been given.

“No, baby, I’m sorry,” he said, wishing like hell that things were different for her. She deserved a family to love and take care of her, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for her.

At least not yet.

“It’s okay,” she said with a forced smile as she peered around the room. “Do you know if my doctor’s here yet?”

“I haven’t seen her yet.”

“She’s very pretty,” she pointed out conversationally.

“I guess,” he said slowly, wondering where she was going with this.

“I, um, think she might be interested in you,” she said quietly while she looked down at their entwined hands.

Shit.

His little recluse was jealous. Was she worried that he was interested in her doctor? He wasn’t and he hated the idea of her being hurt because some woman was showing him interest. Not that he was bragging, but it happened a lot and if they were going to give this a chance she was going to have to realize that he wanted her and no one”Do you think you could maybe flirt with her a little bit? Maybe take her out for a coffee?” his little recluse asked, sounding hopeful as she shot him a quick glance.

What. The. Hell?

“You want me to sleep with another woman?” he asked, shocked beyond words. Why in the hell would she want him to sleep with another woman? Was she crazy or was she doped out of her f**king mind?

Jamie rolled her eyes, giving his hand a playful slap. “No, I don’t want you to sleep with another woman,” she said in an exasperated tone. “I just want you to butter her up a bit and then maybe when she’s putty in your hands you could maybe ask her about the chocolate?”

“You’re willing to whore me out for chocolate?” he demanded as he came to his feet and pulled his hand away from hers.

She rolled her eyes as she settled her hands in her lap. “No, I was just kind of hoping that you’d use that pretty smile of yours to get me some sugar.”

“Pretty?” he spat out in disgust.

“Well, yeah,” she said, shrugging. “You have a very pretty smile.”

“Pretty?” he couldn’t help repeat in disbelief. His smile wasn’t pretty. It was charming and boyish, but pretty? Hell no. By all rights he should have stormed out of the room, but he was still too shaken up to leave her side for more than five minutes at a time so he decided to sit in the chair and settle on glaring at her.

When she sent him a cute little wave and a hopeful smile he had to struggle not to smile back. It was difficult but he managed to do it. Her willingness to whore him out for chocolate pleased him immensely, not because she was fine with using him, which he was, but because she wasn’t jealous. His shy little recluse knew that he loved her and would never have to worry that he would hurt her.

He sure as hell hoped at least.

“I’m not asking, Jamie,” he said firmly.

“But-“

“No.”

“Maybe-“

“No.”

“You won’t even hear me out. I-“

“You’re not having any chocolate until your doctor says so, so let it go, baby,”

he said, smiling when she let out the cutest little frustrated growl he’d ever heard.

“Fine. Then let’s talk about something else,” she grumbled, settling back against her pillows as she glared up at the ceiling.

“What would you like to talk about?” he asked, deciding that he’d punished her for traitorous ways long enough. He moved back onto the bed and took her hand into his. With a sigh she stopped glaring at the ceiling to smile softly at him.

“Any luck on the job front?” she asked, nibbling her lip nervously.

He inwardly winced when he realized that there were a few things that he’d failed to tell her, but in his defense when she wasn’t passed out she was drugged out of her mind. Today was the first day that she’d been with it enough that he could actually talk to her.

“I’m staying with Rerum Publishing, sweetheart. After you left we sorted it out and realized that Holly was behind the firing. We’re actually pretty sure she was the one behind the complaints as well,” he said, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

“Oh,” she said, frowning. “Do I still have a job?”

“If you want it, it’s yours,” he said casually as he silently prayed that she stayed. He loved working with her, but more importantly he loved being with her.

“Will they still let you handle my books?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.

“Yes,” he said, knowing that if they tried to assign anyone else to her that he’d quit for real. J.L. Lewis was his and the key to his happiness. As long as he handled J.L. Lewis he would be the lucky son of a bitch that spent time with Jamie.

He’d do anything to be with her. She was the key to his happiness, his heart, his soul and the only woman he would ever love.

“Then I’ll sign the contract, but there’s something you should know,” she said, looking close to tears.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned that the painkillers were wearing off and leaving his little recluse in pain. He’d rather die than see her suffer.

“I’m fine, but the two books I wrote were destroyed. Holly did something to my computer and I think it’s dead,” she mumbled with a little sniffle that damn near broke his heart.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

“No, it’s not, Nick. I really liked the books and they were due next month and I’m afraid I won’t be able to replace them.”

“Shhh, baby, you don’t have to,” he said soothingly as he gently cupped her face in his hand.

“Yes, I do. I signed a contract and now I don’t have the books so they’re going to-“

“You have the books, baby. I installed software onto your computer that automatically backed your files online. It’s all there, sweetheart. Everything’s fine,”

he said, pressing a kiss against her mouth. “Everything is fine.”

“Oh,” she said against his lips.

When he pulled back just enough to look at her he couldn’t help but smile as she pursed her lips up in thought. “Is there something else, Jamie?”

“I was just wondering if we were going to get a chance to finish the tour. We never got to go to Vegas, Hawaii or do the rest of the things on the list.”

He bit back a smile as he asked. “Is there something in particular that you wanted to do, sweetheart?”

She shrugged in indifference, but he wasn’t buying it. “What do you want to do, sweetheart? You know that we don’t have to wait for the tour to do it.”

“I just don’t want to go back to being the old boring Jamie that’s all,” she muttered shyly.

He chuckled as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

“You were never boring, sweetheart, but you should know that we can do whatever you want, sweetheart. Anything you want to try we’ll try and I will be right there by your side.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Jamie. Anything you want,” he promised, moving his lips back to hers.

“Then can I have chocolate?” she asked, sounding so damn hopeful that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“No yet.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“No, I love chocolate. I hate you,” she clarified even as she smiled so damn sweetly up at him.

“Really?”

“Mmmmhmm, really,” she said, nodding solemnly.

“What if I sneak you in a double chocolate milkshake, hmm? Will you love me then?”

“Will it have a shot of hot fudge?” she asked, appearing to think it over.