Chest heaving, sweat beading his upper lip, Reed watched her in awe. A look that became an addiction on the spot. Julie pushed him down to the floor, smiling inwardly when he groaned at her boldness. She knew Reed liked to dominate. If she’d learned anything about herself this week, it was that she wanted, needed, him, exactly as he was. Right now, however, she needed something different. Something self-affirming. And he already knew her, cared about her enough, to give it to her. The thought caused an unnamed emotion to flood her chest.
“Keep riding,” he encouraged with an upward thrust that made her gasp. “Finish me off, baby.”
Emotions rocketing out of her control, Julie wanted to obey, but the girl she’d just rediscovered wanted to drive him out of control. Push him to his limit. Her hands rose of their own volition to unbutton the top of her dress, spreading the material wide so he could see her naked breasts. She ran her fingertips over the stiffened peaks, exulting in his harshened breathing.
“I can’t hold back much longer. Take me or be taken, Julie.”
She gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands and lifted. Immediately, Reed’s head tilted forward to see the point where they were connected, jaw clenching at the sight. She raised up on her knees to circle her hips enticingly on the tip of his erection and watched his eyes go heavy-lidded. Then she sank down, slowly, inch by inch, until he filled her once more. Placing her hands lightly on his chest, she gave one leisurely roll of her hips. One designed to leave him wanting more.
He took it.
Reed flipped her onto her back and drove deep. “This what you want, Julie? It’s what I want.” He pushed her knees open and pumped his hips furiously. “Fuck that, I need it. Need you.”
“You’ve had me.” She dragged his head down for a long, wet kiss. “This whole time.”
“My girl. Mine.” He thrust one final time and came with a groan, face buried in her neck, muttering words that only made sense to their ears. They lay there for long minutes afterward catching their breath. Finally, Julie found the strength to lift her hand and run it down his back.
“Reed. A minute ago. Did you say something about the Super Bowl?”
His deep laughter shook her body, but he quickly grew serious. “Pixie, look at me,” he commanded gruffly. She did as he asked, heart speeding up at the seriousness evident in his face. “You said in the forest, you don’t know who you are with me. I hated it at the time. But the truth is, I don’t know who I am with you, either. I only know I’m so much better. Stronger. Happier.” He grasped her face in his hands. “You want to know what comes after this? Let me tell you what I should have said before. We go home together and find out who we are together. That’s what comes after.” His eyes held a hint of pleading. “Okay?”
Julie was already nodding. “I want that, too.”
“Tell me this doesn’t end. Tell me you’ll stay with me and keep making me better.”
“Yes. I don’t want it to end.” Julie kissed his lips softly, lingering there. “You had me the first night. You’ll have me every night after.”
“Move your things to my room. I’m not sleeping without you.”
“Why can’t you move your things to mine?”
“I feel another wager coming on,” he murmured.
She nipped his ear. “You better not let me win.”
Tenderness shone in his eyes. “Julie, you’ll win all on your own.”
Epilogue
Reed peered through the blinds in his living room for the hundredth time that night. With a curse, he grabbed the pull cord and yanked, uncovering the window completely. There. Now he could pace and watch for Julie to pull into his apartment complex at the same time. This had become his nightly routine and it had to stop. It would stop or he’d go insane. Every night, she finished work late, drove to her house to pack an overnight bag, and made her way to his place. Same routine. Every night. She never left anything behind, never asked for a drawer or a place to stow her hair dryer. Never left a trace of herself behind, except for her scent and the echo of her voice.
So he’d gone to her house tonight, gathered all her shit, and put it where it was meant to be.
Right beside his shit.
He had no idea how she would react. And yeah, maybe he should have talked to her about it first. But she was the talker in this relationship and she hadn’t been holding up her end of the deal. Not where living together was concerned. They had returned from the wedding four months ago and hadn’t managed to spend a single night apart since. God, he didn’t even want to think about sleeping without her snuggled up against him, her blond hair wrapped around him like a safety blanket. She’d become his constant, the only source of pure happiness he’d ever known. She hid nothing from him without ever once demanding he do the same. Yet without even noticing it, he had. He’d wanted her to know about his past, to relive his close calls with her…wanted to be soothed by her.
That day when they’d played go fish in the rain, he’d told her he wanted to find out who they were together. He had his answer. They were permanent. Inescapable. They…shone.
Reed almost laughed out loud at the sentiment, so unlike him. This is what happiness did to a man. Made him comfortable with just about anything, all manner of unusual thoughts, as long as his woman came home, kissed him, and echoed the sentiment.
Goddammit. Where is she? Probably working too hard again, dead on her feet as usual. Reed started pacing again. As soon as she walked in and they got this living-together business cleared up, he’d put her into a bath with that fancy bubble business she liked. Coax her into eating something. Then he’d fuck her until her legs shook. Yeah. He needed her coming home to him straight after work, all right. It would eliminate an hour and a half at the end of each day where he had to be without her. An hour and a half per day that amounted to seven and a half hours a week. Lunacy, as far as he was concerned. The things they could spend those hours doing…the anticipation made his mouth go dry.
Lights speared across his living room, telling him she’d finally arrived. He went to the window to double-check and watched Julie exit her silver sedan. Their gazes collided through the window, hers questioning. His? Probably starved for the sight of her, mirroring how he felt at the end of every damn day. She would have gone to her apartment and found most of her things gone. If he hadn’t left behind a deck of cards on her bed, set up for go fish, she probably would have assumed she’d been robbed. Nope, baby. Just your crazy boyfriend who communicates best with playing cards.
He crossed to his front door and opened it before she could do so with her own keys. “Pixie.”
Eyebrow quirked, she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. In a flash, she was plastered against him, head tipped back to receive his kiss. Their mouths moved hungrily against each other as Reed dragged her into the apartment and pushed her back up against the door. Those thighs opened up to receive him like a fucking dream and he grew so painfully rock-hard he had to release her mouth to drag in a ragged breath. They were always like this, hot and ready, but today he sensed something else behind her need, so he forced himself to refrain from kissing her. A nearly impossible feat.
Sweet. She’s so sweet.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re trying to distract me,” he rasped into her hair.
With a wicked glint in her eye, she worked her hips in slow a circle. “How am I doing, sugar?”
Reed groaned. “We’re going to talk.”
“There will be time for talk.” She sucked at his neck. “I want to show you the new move I learned on Saturday at my pole dancing class.”
“Christ, Julie.” Oh yeah, she knew all of his buttons and how to push them. Too bad he was stubborn as hell and today was the day she would agree to live with him, come hell or high water. He could face just about anything to get that outcome. Even resisting a lap dance from the sexiest woman on the planet. His woman. With a set jaw, he put a foot of distance between them. “Your things are here now. With mine.”
“I gathered.” He could hear her gulp. “You’re supposed to catch burglars, not act like one.”
Ignoring her barb, Reed tipped her chin up. “For months, I’ve been dropping hints, Pixie. Months. I bought new sheets, a bigger bed. I stocked the kitchen with all your salad nonsense. I had your name added to the lease.”
Her blue eyes shot wide. “You did?”
“It’s taped to the refrigerator.” He gathered himself with a calming breath. “This is where you belong and you refuse to settle in. What do I have to do?” When her chin wobbled a little, Reed wanted to howl. Pain of any kind on her face felt like an arrow right to his heart. Unacceptable. He hadn’t seen her upset in months. What had he done? “Julie, this is one of those times where you should be talking, but you aren’t. Words, please.”
“I knew you were dropping hints, but I didn’t know if you meant them. I thought maybe you were just doing what you thought I wanted. What I needed.” She squared her shoulders. “I’m the organizer. The planner. I don’t want to jeopardize what we have by trying to push or fix or organize you. And I don’t want to. You’re perfect just the way you are. We’re perfect.”
His heart got stuck in his throat. “Julie—”
“I’m so happy with you,” she blurted with her eyes closed. “It actually scares me when I remember you almost didn’t come to the wedding.”
Reed couldn’t take it anymore; he needed to get closer. Now. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into a fierce hug. Ah hell, she was trembling. “I’d have found you one way or another. And I’m keeping you one way or another.” He laid kisses along her hairline. “You’re right. I don’t need fixing. Neither do you. But we sure as hell would need fixing without each other.”
She leaned into his mouth. “Things can stay the way they are.”
“No. No, they can’t. My wife isn’t living in a separate house. I mean what I say.”
Very slowly, Julie pulled back to look at him. “Wife?”
“Yes. Yes, wife. I asked your father yesterday.” It took him a moment to find the words. How could he think when she was looking at him like that? Hopeful, surprised. Maybe even a little impressed. “I want to build a life with you, Julie Piper. You made me need this life, now you’re going to live it with me. We’re happy. We’re going to keep on being happy. Do you understand? I’ve had you and now I can’t go without.”
He reached into his pants pocket and took out the ring. A pale-pink diamond. He’d seen it in the store and thought of the dress she’d been wearing that first night out on the patio. The night she’d sneaked into his room, knowing full well who was on the other side of that door. He hadn’t even looked at any of the other ring choices. It had been made for him to give to her.
“Live with me. Marry me. All of it, please.” He worked to steady his voice. “Your things are already here, anyway, and I’m keeping them.”
She laughed through her tears, the sound so beautiful it colored the air around them. “Yes. I’ll be your wife. Of course I will.”