Secret Designs(57)

Ari sniffed and ran to him.

He caught her and held her tight, placing butterfly kisses on her face.

"I'm so sorry, honey," Ari cried and held his head between her hands, ensuring he looked into her eyes. "I trust you. I do want to confide in you. I promise I'll be better at sharing from here on in."

"So does that mean you're not going to give me a hard time about the money I gave you guys?"

She smiled, her eyes swimming in tears. "No. You're off the hook, this time."

"I'd want to take care of you all the time, Ari. Not just this one time. Would that be okay?"

"As long as you don't ask me to stop working so I can be a useless trophy girlfriend," she said readily.

He laughed before taking on a serious countenance. "I think too highly of you to treat you like that, Ari."

"Well, I have your money in my hot little hands which I'm going to use as capital for my new design business," she said, waving the envelope Sylvie handed her earlier. "But I want to pay you back."

"Sweetheart," he said in a warning tone.

Ari pressed a finger to his lips to stop him from talking. "There are two options I could think of off the top of my head. Option one is for me to pay you back every cent once I make a profit—with interest, of course. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee when I would be able to pay you back in full."

"It doesn't really matter when you'll be able to pay me back," he replied. "What's option two?"

"Option two is for you to consider this money as a form of investment in my new business. As my sole and very important investor, I'm happy to give you fifty percent of any profit the business makes. But, like any other venture, there's a risk. I don't know when the business would become profitable so I don't know when you'll get earnings from your investment. But I'm going to work so hard so you could get a good return for your money. What do you think?"

He smiled. This was an opening for him to pump more cash into her business and help her grow it. "If I take option two, then I also want to be actively involved in the business. In other words, since I'm going to take both risk and reward just as much as you are, I want to be your business partner."

Ari pursed her lips, but he could see the excitement in her eyes.

"Do you have the time to be involved in a new venture?" she asked.

"Yes. I'll make time. This is important. And if need be, we'll employ people to help with things we don't have time for."

"The business can't afford to pay employees yet," Ari argued.

"We can discuss that during our board meeting," he grinned.

Ari was quiet for a few seconds before she responded. "Well, you're vastly more experienced than me in growing a business so I'd be a fool to decline your offer. You just got yourself a new business partner, Mr. Summers."

His lips curled up happily. "I'm absolutely delighted, Miss Mitchell." He caressed her face. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dylan. And thank you," she whispered, locking her arms behind his neck and lifting her lips to his.

"Since your sister and nephew are out for a walk, how about a nooner with your new business partner?" he asked after long minutes of hungry kissing.

"They could come back at any minute," Ari replied, tilting her head as his mouth made its way to her neck.

"Call Sylvie and ask her to give us another half an hour before coming back. Since they'll be staying here for the weekend, we'll be stuck in the bedroom tonight, trying to be quiet. I want to make a little noise right here, right now," he said huskily, snaking his hand underneath her shirt, unclasping her bra and cupping a breast.

She gasped. "Then let me grab my phone and call her."





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO





"Ari, may I say that you look just as stunning as the bride and bridesmaids tonight."

Ari looked pointedly at the man sitting next to her, trying to stifle her grin. "You're full of compliments today, Trey."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Trey said with a chuckle. "And I'm glad I'm sitting next to you tonight."

"Why is that?" she asked, her eyes full of mirth.

"Who wouldn't want to sit next to someone as beautiful as you, Ari?" Trey said flirtatiously.

Ari rolled her eyes. "Is this another test? Are you trying to see if I'd succumb to your charms?" she asked teasingly.

Trey's expression turned mortified. "No! God, Ari, no! I was just trying to break the ice so I could apologise to you. I am so, so sorry, Ari. Very sorry. I was wrong, and stupid, and —"

"Trey, it's okay. I was just kidding," she said with a hand on his arm and a sincere smile. "And don't worry about that day. It's all forgotten."