“You taste like hazelnut.”

“Hmm.” I bite his lower lip. “And I forever will, given the amount of gelato I just had.”

He hunches down just enough to laugh into my throat. It’s so unlike him, the constant touching, the kisses on my collarbone, how he pulls me in. He doesn’t hide what I do to his body, that I’m making him smile. Such a sea change, but also—this is Conor. It couldn’t be more familiar, the weight of his touch, my lungs bottling up his scent, the low, rumbling sounds in his chest as he pulls away to ask, “Okay?”

I don’t know what he refers to. His thigh between mine, his fingers laced through my hair, the spontaneous abduction. I nod.

“Are you tired?”

I nod again, this time with a grin, and a minute later I’m on his bed. The glass lamp that used to be on the accent table is gone. Instead of wasting time on stupid questions, I sit up and peer into the familiar paper bag he holds out to me. The fruit marzipan he bought me today.

When I lift my chin to smile at him, he’s there, boxing me against the mattress, palms on either side of my hips, voice low and serious.

“If the wedding isn’t happening, Tamryn and I need to go back to Ireland as soon as possible.”

My stomach squeezes with—No. Nope. I’m not going to panic over this, not before he’s told me, “Why?”

“The estate.”

“Has she reached a settlement?”

“Maybe. Things are looking up, because my brothers started fighting each other.”

“Heartwarming.”

“Isn’t it.” He kisses my nose. “It’ll be much better if we’re there. We might actually be able to get this shit sorted out once and for all.”

“Okay.” I think about it. “What is it that you want from this?”

“Nothing. I don’t need my father’s money. But Tamryn deserves it. And a lot of the assets…she can do more good with them than any of my shithead siblings.”

It makes perfect sense. And I have no intention of starting this relationship withholding my trust. “I get it. She needs you, and she’s family. Is there anything I can do to—”

“You could come with me.”

I jerk back, that’s how little I expected this. But then my lips twitch, and…“What? Like I’m your girlfriend, or something?”

He rolls his eyes. One more kiss, this time on my forehead, and then he straightens to his full height. “Part of me would love nothing more than to have you there as I deal with this mess. Then there’s the other part, the part that would really like for you to consider mixing your genetic material to mine at some point in the future, which is terrified of showing you the depravity and greed that runs in my family.”

“Banking on my ignorance, huh?”

“It’s all I have.” He sighs. Runs a hand through his hair. “I know it might not be possible. You have to take Tiny—and Bitty, I guess—home. I know you promised Rue and Eli to house-sit. But I did want to extend the invitation.”