I closed my eyes and soaked her in. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I stood there with her in my arms as long as she would let me. Hell, I would have stood there all damn night if she wanted me to.
“I thought you’d be ready to go home. Aren’t you homesick?” she asked, tilting her head back to look up at me.
“I was only missing one thing, angel. And it wasn’t in fucking L.A.” I winked as I cupped her face and felt her soft skin under my thumbs as I brushed her cheekbones.
She frowned a moment. “Do you mean me?”
I hauled her against me and lifted her inches off the floor as I took the few strides to the sofa and sank down with her in my lap. She didn’t pull away, and God, that felt good. “So fucking sweet,” I murmured, as I stared down into her face. I hadn’t made this shit up. She was better than I remembered. Fuck, she was so much better. That voice had gotten me through the tour.
“I missed you,” she said, and reached up and slipped her fingers into my hair, wrapping a few strands around them. “I’m glad you came to see me.”
On the flight here, I had practiced this. I had prepared myself for how I was going to get what I wanted. And I wanted Emily close. I didn’t want her here. Especially now that I saw where here was. This shit was not going to fly.
“Me, too. I’m also glad I got to see you like this. Messy bed hair and cute little pajamas.” I tried hard to keep my face casual instead of needy.
“This was why you wanted my address, then? Not because you were going to mail me something?” she said, a grin on her lips. Loved those lips. Wanted those lips.
“Yeah, angel. That’s why,” I assured her.
She beamed. The delight on her face at me being here was real. Just like my Emily. Real. The most real thing in my life.
“You ever been to L.A.?” I asked, already knowing the answer to this.
She shook her head no.
“You would love it there. The sun and the beaches. It’s beautiful.” I had to sell her on this. Because I wasn’t leaving without her.
She blinked. “I’m sure I would.”
I shifted and moved her to sit beside me so I wouldn’t grab her and take off running if she said no. Also, I was getting a fucking hard-on from her plump little ass in my lap.
“Before I left on tour, I had to fire the house manager. She fucked Dean and got all territorial. It was ugly. So I need someone else to oversee shit. Like the groceries and making sure the cleaning lady and the lawn man get paid. I also need someone to get the mail and make sure everyone on my payroll is doing their job. It’s a job I can’t just trust anyone with. Salary is two hundred grand and health benefits. Living expenses are covered, since you’d be staying at my house. I’ve thought about this for a while. I’d really like for you to take it.”
She was silent for a moment as she stared at me. I held my breath.
“Did you just offer me a job to move to L.A. and manage your house and get paid two hundred thousand dollars a year?” she asked.
“Yeah, I did.” I had paid the last house manager seventy-five thousand. But Emily didn’t have to know that.
She rubbed her eyes and muttered, “I think I’m still asleep. Crap.”
I couldn’t keep from laughing as I pulled her hands away from her eyes. “Told you once, babe, this isn’t a dream. It’s real, and I’m here. Now I want you to tell me, ‘Yes, Kiro, I accept the job offer.’ ”
She sat there and stared at me with her mouth slightly open. Sticking my tongue in there was real damn tempting.
“I . . . but . . . school starts in the fall. If I leave my job now, I won’t have it when I come back, and I need it to—”
“We have colleges in L.A. This job doesn’t end in the fall. We don’t have a tour scheduled until next summer. We’ve got an album to record this year, but first we have to write the damn songs. I need you there.” I had come prepared for anything she threw at me. I was getting this. I wanted Emily with me.
“But . . . OK, let me think,” she said, looking away as she frowned.
“I can get you enrolled in classes for the fall. That will be a part of the work perks, too. College tuition paid.”
“I have college loans. I don’t need—”
“I’ll pay those off.” I rushed, cutting her off.
Emily put her hand on my chest and let out a laugh. “Stop. I’m trying to work this out in my head. I don’t expect you to pay me all that money and cover my college expenses. Even if I lose my college loans, I’ll be making enough money to pay my tuition, I think. How much do colleges cost out there?”
Didn’t know or fucking care. “It’s paid. Doesn’t matter.”
Her frown was adorable. “Kiro.”
“Emily,” I replied, just as seriously.
Then she laughed and laid her head on my chest. God that felt amazing. I wrapped my arms around her and held her there, not wanting to let go. Fucking ever. “Just tell me yes. I can do this all night,” I told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“My mother will flip out,” she said, lifting her head to look up at me again. “She will have a fit. A bad one.”
“You’re twenty years old,” I reminded her. I would deal with her momma, too, if I had to.
She sighed and nodded. “I know. But she’s not going to like this. She knows I talk to you. I told her. But she won’t be OK with me living in L.A. with . . . a rock band.”