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I never wanted Andi to think I was telling her what she could and could not do. Being attached to me—my image—didn’t mean she couldn’t work at the club. It may not be normal for the partner of anyone in my line of work to have the type of job she did in the entertainment industry, but that wasn’t the problem currently giving me turmoil right now. It was the part of me that deep down knew I was falling in love with Andi and didn’t want to share her with anyone else, whether it meant anything or not.

“Andi, please come back over here.” I rubbed my thigh, wishing she was still hugging her body around mine.

“Why? So you can end whatever this is between us because I’m a stripper?” Her hands flew in the air, and now, it was my turn to rear back.

She slipped off her heels and began pacing back and forth.

“What? Absolutely not.” I shook my head aggressively. “Will you just please come here?”

Andi pumped the breaks, turning on her heel to look at me. “You’re not breaking up with me?”

“Come. Here,” I demanded instead of asking nicely this time. A smile found the corners of my lips, more delighted than ever as my girl crawled back over my lap, giving me a second chance to explain the chaos churning in my head.

With one hand on the small of her back, and the other cupping her jaw, I looked her in the eye, knowing it would be a lot easier on both of us if I stopped beating around the bush.

“I’m not here to end things with you because you’re a stripper, Andi. I love watching your talent come to life, and I’m sure there are a lot of other men just like me who enjoy watching your body as you dance—even if they don’t have the same appreciation for it as I do. Men who dream about the way you so effortlessly glide along that pole. But I can’t help it that after all the time we’ve spent together, you’re all I fucking think about. My feelings for you are growing faster than I ever expected, and I wouldn’t be able to look you in the eye and tell you honestly that the thought of you doing this work didn’t bother me in the slightest.”

Andi listened intently, her chest rising and falling with every controlled breath.

“It’s been a hell of a long time since a woman has truly been mine. And you, Andi, are mine. I don’t want to share you. I don’t want anyone else to see every perfect angle of you that is mine to worship.”

Both of my hands cupped her jaw, pulling her closer to me so I could taste her lips. I needed her to feel that she was mine, because simply telling her would never be enough.

Her mouth parted, allowing my tongue to dance with hers. It wasn’t the type of kiss that would have me laying her over the couch, but instead, it was just enough to show her I cared about her more than anyone in my life. That she was on my mind, and I needed so badly to talk to her that I didn’t want to wait a couple more hours.

Our lips disconnected, breaking the sweet and tender moment between us. Her fingers were interlocked around the back of my neck, and her forehead rested against mine. Our gazes connected in a beat of silence before she finally offered her thoughts in return.

“I’ve been thinking a lot, too.” She brushed her lips against mine once more. “I don’t think working here is what’s best for me anymore. For us. And that might sound crazy as hell since this is all so new … but I’ve had a lot of mixed emotions over the last few weeks, and I think the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around is the fact that this is all I know. I don’t know what the hell is next for me.”

Andi stood, her mind beginning to spiral as she started to pace again.

“Everything was fine before you came along, Hunter. I came to work, I made a shit ton of money, and I had some crazy fucking rules in place to protect my heart and all that bullshit.” She stopped, faced me, and said, “No offense,” before she resumed her pacing.

“None taken, I think,” I answered, my statement coming out more like a question.

“But I don’t want everything to be fine. I love the fact that you walked into my life and messed it all up in the best way possible. You showed up in your fancy clothes and your perfect blond hair. You opened up to me and gave me a safe space to do the same. Without you, I wouldn’t have mended my relationship with my brother—at least not yet. And you threw a wrench—no … more like a … jackhammer—into my plans to die a maneater. You’ve changed me in the best ways possible, Hunter, and I don’t know what to do about that. But I do know that as much as I love dancing, this isn’t the way anymore.”

Standing up, I made my way across the room, stopping her before she ultimately stubbed a toe and blamed me for that, too.

“Andi.” I placed my hands on her shoulders before she could ramble anymore.

“What?” She actually pouted, and it was probably the cutest thing I’d ever witnessed.

Here goes nothing…

“What if I said I had a plan? More of a suggestion, I guess … because I know you’re an independent woman and you can do whatever you want.” I chuckled, slipping a lock of red hair behind her ear. “But I may have an idea that I think you’d enjoy if you want to hear me out.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” she stuttered, still fired up from her rant.

“I don’t know if it’s the kind of dancing you had in mind, but the dance team for the Neon needs a new director.”

My suggestion was left lingering in the air, waiting for Andi to say something. Anything.

First, she stomped her foot, continuing her little tantrum. Then, she laid into me, “Hunter, you can’t just go firing people and opening up jobs for the girl you’re banging because you don’t want me to be a stripper anymore.”

I couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out. “You can be infuriating sometimes, you know that?” I kissed her forehead and lifted her into my arms before placing her on the bartop in the corner.

“The current director is going on maternity leave and won’t be returning after. We haven’t filled her position yet. No one is getting fired, hopefully just hired. I thought you’d be the perfect fit for the job, but I didn’t want to assume. I know you’re fiercely independent and you don’t necessarily need your boyfriend—because you’re not just some girl I’m banging—getting you a job.”