“Yup.” I smack another kiss against her lips. “You’re the most important thing in my life. You always have been, and you always will be.”
“I don’t know how we made it through the last two years, but I’m glad we did.”
“So...” I waggle my brows, “any interest in celebrating our engaged state by christening our new condo?”
“You really think there’s time for that?” She throws a cautious look toward the entryway. “Won’t Cindy be back any minute?”
“Nope, she’s gone. I bought the place last week. Straight up cash, homey. It’s ours.”
Her eyes widen to the point of falling out of her head. “What!”
“Yup.”
“I can’t believe you did that! What if I had hated it?”
“Then I would have sold it. But I was pretty sure that you’d fall in love with it like I did. The moment Cindy showed me the condo, I knew it was the perfect place for us to start our future together.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you had this all planned out.”
I can only grin before telling her the rest. She’s probably had enough surprises for one day. “We’ve got enough time to make this place ours, and then we’re meeting Sydney, Brayden, your dad, and a few of the guys from the team to celebrate our engagement.”
For about the dozenth time in the last ten minutes, her mouth drops open and a wave of shock washes over her. “Are you serious?”
I smack another kiss against her parted lips. She’s adorable when she’s thrown off-kilter, and this has definitely done the trick. There haven’t been many times when I’ve been able to keep anything from her. Demi is way too smart for that. And apparently, I’m bad at keeping secrets. Especially from her. “Yup. I planned a little celebratory party so you can show off that giant rock on your finger.”
Her gaze falls to the ring before her features soften. She holds out her hand to admire the massive sapphire surrounded by diamonds. “It really is spectacular.” Her gaze flicks to me. “And you did an amazing job picking it out.”
“I want you to be happy.”
She places her palms against my chest before sliding them toward my shoulders and wrapping them around my neck. “You make me happy. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Unable to resist the lure of her mouth, I dive in for another kiss. “Guess it’s a good thing you’ll never have to worry about that.”
With a sigh, her lips part, and my tongue sweeps inside to tangle with hers.
After a couple of heated moments, she pulls away enough to ask, “Aren’t we going to christen the place?”
She squeaks in surprise when my palms settle on her ass, and I hoist her into my arms. Thirty steps later, I’m setting her on the marble island. Her hands go to my shirt, untucking it from the khakis before yanking it over my head and tossing it to the hardwoods. It doesn’t take long before we’re both naked. As I sink inside her tight heat, I’m hit with the realization that as much as this condo will be our new home, it’s this right here, buried deep inside the warmth of her body, is where I belong.
As long as Demi and I are together, it doesn’t matter where we are or what city we live in.
My home is with her.
It will always be with her.
The End
The Girl Next Door
Chapter One
Mia
Summer before freshman year of college…
“Get your butt over here,” my best friend squeals from the window where she’s taken up sentinel, “you need to see this!”
That’s a negative, Ghost Rider. I’ll take a hard pass. I have zero interest in spying on a yard full of drunken classmates who are partying it up at my neighbor’s house. Reluctantly, I glance up from the toes I’m painting with a pale pink polish. Coney Island Cotton Candy, to be precise.
When our gazes lock, Alyssa waves me over. She’s practically vibrating with excitement. Kind of like a schnauzer.
“Everyone is over there!”
“Not true,” I mutter, lacquering my baby toe with an impressively steady hand. “We’re right here.” And that’s exactly where I plan to stay.
“Yeah, that’s kind of the problem.” She steeples her hands together before shaking them at me. “Please?” she begs. “Can’t we go over there for a little bit? Just a little? That’s all I’m asking.”
That’s all she’s asking…ha!
I’m calling bullshit.
Alyssa knows I’d rather chew my arm off than crash one of Beck Hollingsworth’s