of them.
“I wasn’t sure if they’d get on, but . . .” He gestured towards them with a huff of laughter. “They’ve been like that since I brought Jerry home.”
Cushions lined the floor in front of the sofa, presumably for Jerry’s benefit, and I walked over, dropping down in front of the sleeping pair. Unable to resist, I stroked Angus, then Jerry.
Angus didn’t stir, but Jerry gave a little yawn, then stretched his front paws out, resting them on top of Angus’s.
“Oh my god, isn’t that the most adorable thing ever.” I leant close and gently kissed the top of Jerry’s head.
“Yeah,” Finn ground out, sounding a little choked up.
I glanced up to see him looking at me with such . . . I didn’t want to name it in case I jinxed us. My heart raced as I stood and faced him.
He took my hand and licked his lips, nerves obvious. “Angus misses you when you’re not here.”
I grinned at him. “I miss him too.”
Blowing out a breath, he looked up at the ceiling before facing me again. “I had a whole speech planned out, all the reasons why we should do this, but fucked if I can remember any of it now.” He took a step closer, cupping my jaw with one hand and squeezing my fingers with the other. “I miss you all the fucking time when you’re not here. Please move back in, Jasper.”
My breath caught and Finn barrelled on.
“I know it’s maybe too soon, and if you’re not ready, then it’s fine. I’ll wait as long as—”
I put my hand over his mouth, shushing him. “Yes.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Yes?”
I nodded and he grabbed me for a kiss. It might have started as a quick celebratory one, but I tugged him closer, moaning into his mouth and deepening it until we had to break apart to breathe. “I have conditions, though.”
He laughed, happier than I’d ever seen him. “Of course you do.” He kissed me again, then muttered against my lips. “Anything.”
Pushing him back enough to meet his gaze, I fixed him with a stern look. “I want to pay half the mortgage and bills.”
“But—”
“No. This part is non-negotiable, Finn. I have my apprenticeship now; I can pay my way.” I hadn’t totally given up on the idea of more travelling, but for now I’d have to do it in two-week stints.
With Finn, hopefully.
He hadn’t moved my hand away, so I took advantage of his momentary silence. “If this is going to feel like our house and not me being your lodger again, then I need to do that. And maybe sometime in the future, we can see about getting a joint mortgage. I have some savings. I can give you half the deposit you paid.”
He stared at me, and for a second I wondered if I’d gone too far. It was a big step and maybe I was jumping the gun a bit, but I wanted him to think about it. It’d never truly feel like my home while the house was in his name only.
I let my hand fall, but before I got too far, he snatched it up in his, linking our fingers. “You sure?”
I swallowed.
My dad had told me repeatedly that I should wait at least a year before moving back in with Finn, but my mum had told me to follow my instincts and my heart. And that’s what I was doing now. Everything in me told me this was the right decision.
“Yeah. I’m sure.” I licked my lips, finally saying the words I’d been dying to say for a while now. “I love you.”
His smile was blinding. “I love you too,” he whispered, voice catching. “I think I have since the minute you suggested we let off steam by having sex.”
I laughed. “I have the best ideas.”
“You do. But mine aren’t so bad either.”
“That’s true.”
“I have one now.”
“Oh?” I pulled him close and wrapped my arms around him. “Does it involve nakedness, your bed, and lube?”
He pressed a kiss to the side of my neck, nuzzling up towards my ear. “We should go shopping in the morning.”
“What?” So not what I thought he was going to say.
“To buy a new bed.” He kissed me again and I almost forgot we were having a conversation. “Then it’ll be ours and not just mine.”
Warmth flooded through me and I smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“And after that we can go get your stuff and move you back in.”
“So soon?”
“I don’t want to wait. Do you?”
I shook my head because no, I really didn’t. “Tomorrow sounds perfect.”
He buried his face in the crook of my neck, hot breath making me shiver. I felt his cock, half-hard against my hip. “Now you’re thinking about nakedness and lube, right?”
“Yeah.”
I stepped back, tugging him after me. “Let’s go have celebratory sex. I want you to fuck me.”
He grinned. “You win. Your ideas are the best.”
“They are.” I led him up the stairs to what would soon be our bedroom and our bed.
In our house.
I couldn’t take credit for us, though, and neither could Finn.
This whole thing had started because of Cole’s suggestion, one I’d been dead against to start with and so had Finn.
Spending December living together had changed our lives, and now I couldn’t imagine Finn not being in mine. Didn’t want to.
This year when we picked a tree and decorated it, it wouldn’t be because he was trying to cheer me up, but because he loved me and I loved him.
Tonight, we started our life together, sharing a house, as partners this time.
And I couldn’t fucking wait.
About the Author
Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her three rowdy children, three cats, and a very naughty, but lovely, black Labrador.
An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They're usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.
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Email: ajacobsfiction@gmail.com
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Also by Annabelle Jacobs
Torsere Series:
Capture
Union
Alliance
The Lycanaeris Series:
The Altered
The Altered 2
The Altered 3
Toy With Me
A Casual Thing
Chasing Shadows
Always Another Side
The Regents Park Pack Series:
Bitten By Mistake
Bitten By Design
Bitten By Desire
Bitten By The Alpha
Bitten By Her
Bitten By Fate
Butterfly Assassin
All Hallows’ Eve
Maybe This Time
Wounded Soul
Escape
Christmas Stories:
Magic & Mistletoe
A Christmas Kiss
Not Just For Christmas
Old Acquaintance
No Place Like Home