Naughty Neighbor - Lauren Runow Page 0,83
waited in that line. I remember being that reader, waiting to see E.L. James and Colleen Hoover.” I close my eyes, still not able to fully digest how enormous this all was.
Jake sits next to me on the bed, handing me a glass of wine. “You’ve had an amazing year, and readers are literally lining up to read your books.”
I laugh and hit his stomach with the back of my hand at his little joke. Then, my smile fades because as happy as I am, I’ll always feel hesitant in my gut.
“It scares me. The success,” I confess. “The bigger I get, the more people to disappoint.”
“Well, that’s true. You’re always going to have critics. There’s also more people to inspire.”
I stare into his gorgeous brown eyes. “You always know the right thing to say.”
He kisses my lips and then pulls back. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
I smile brightly. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
I lean in to kiss him again, making sure he knows just how much I cherish him. When he pulls back, his grin shows he knows what I meant.
“You knocked on my door and yelled at me for playing music too loudly.” He squeezes my leg and then stands to walk to the table that has the room service menu. “What do you say we blow off our reservations for tonight, stay in, and order one of everything on the menu?” He raises his eyebrows in my direction.
“As long as everything includes a cheeseburger with a brownie for dessert, then I say, that’s a plan.”
“One cheeseburger and a brownie coming up!” He picks up the phone to place the order.
“Really? You’re okay with staying in tonight and not exploring the city? I thought you had a friend who had a friend who owned a restaurant.”
“Tonight’s your night. If you’re exhausted and you want to relax, then that’s what we’ll do. Funny how the nights in become much more fun than nights out. Plus, I packed a seafoam-green towel I plan to model for you.”
If I didn’t already love this man, his ability to compromise would have me swooning hard for him.
We had plans to eat at a super-fancy restaurant he had been looking forward to, so I’ll make it up to him another night. For now, nothing sounds better than taking a hot bath and lying around in Jake’s arms for the rest of the night. After he models that seafoam-green towel, of course.
When I wake up, it’s to an empty bed. I glance around and find Jake standing next to the window, staring out at the beautiful view around us, as the sun peeks through the curtains.
“How long have you been awake?” I ask as I stretch.
He turns, and I see the long-stemmed rose in his hand.
He slowly makes his way over to me. “Since five.”
“Five? Why? Go back to sleep,” I say, pulling the covers up closer and telling myself the same thing.
“I can’t. I had a dream.”
“Everything okay?” I ask sleepily.
“It was a revelation.” He sounds so prophetic.
I open my eyes and tilt my head in question when he continues, “You said, ‘We don’t get to choose our family. We only get to choose who we love.’ You were wrong.”
I blink my eyes, wondering if I’m still asleep because those words sound very familiar, like I’ve heard them before. I definitely didn’t say them to him though. It doesn’t make sense to my sleep-fogged brain.
Before I can ask for clarification, he continues again, “I didn’t choose to love you. This love chose me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It seeped into my skin every second since until my entire body was consumed. It’s brilliant and scary as hell.”
My eyes open wide as I realize what he’s doing. These are my words. Not from my mouth. They’re words from one of my books, and he’s reciting them back to me.
Sitting up, I stare at him, bewildered. “How do you have my quotes memorized like that?”
His mega-watt grin shines as he takes a step toward the bed.
“I choose you. I want a life with you. I want you by my side. I want to live this life with you. Fight with you. Make love to you. Create life with you,” he says with a soulful purpose to his words.
I tilt my head, confused and honored at the same time when something dawns on me, making me gasp and cover my mouth in surprise.
My heart stops as everything he said