Fuck. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. I do love her, but shit with us has been weird. I don’t want her to think that I’m telling her this so she feels obligated.
I cup her face. “I love you, Kim. The time we’ve been apart, I’ve been craving you—your voice, your body, just your presence. The only thing that’s kept me going is knowing that you’re there waiting for me.”
Kim says nothing, but there’s a really strange expression on her face.
“What is it?” I ask, my heart beating loudly in my ears.
“The first night you were at Serenity Springs, after you had your episode, I spent the night in your room, because I didn’t want to leave you. You were talking in your sleep, and you told me that you loved me. Unless there’s another Kimberly in your life?”
So my subconscious knew all along that Kimberly was the one for me, and within hours of meeting her, no less. That seems fucking crazy, but maybe that’s why I couldn’t stay away from her and didn’t give a shit about the rules.
“No, there’s never been nor will there ever be another Kimberly in my life. Just you, babe.”
Her eyes gleam with excitement. “I love you too, Bodhi.”
The smile that spreads across my face is unstoppable. I lean down and kiss her, slow and sweet at first, but soon the passion ignites.
“Fuck, I’m hard.”
Kim’s eyes travel down to my crotch, and she lets out a slight giggle.
“You should never laugh at a man’s hard-on,” I tease. “You might give him a complex.”
“Yeah, well, I think you’re doing okay.” Kimberly trails her finger down the valley of my abs, sending chills down my spine. Her hand lingers along my waistband, teasing me. Then she pulls on the elastic and looks down inside my shorts.
I growl, biting the inside of my cheek. With the guys, Natalie, and Maggie outside, there’s no way I can take her upstairs and have my way with her. Maybe the old Bodhi would have, but not this new guy I’m trying to be.
“Kim…” Her name comes off my lips in a warning tone. She looks into my eyes and winks before letting the elastic snap back against my skin. Everything is telling me to take her now, but she deserves so much more than a fast fuck in my dad’s study. Resting my forehead against hers, I sigh and rub noses with her, trying to bring the sexual tension down a notch. But it’s not working, because her fingertips are lightly moving up and down my back and over the top of my ass.
“The guys are outside, and I’d like for you to meet them.” I want the guys to love her as much as I do, because I see her as part of my future, someone who’s going to be around a lot. She nods. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her through the house.
Kimberly stops dead in her tracks once we enter our massive living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows that look directly out onto the pool. From there you can also see the wings of our enormous U-shaped house. It’s easy for me to take this for granted since this is all I know, but I recognize how impressive it can seem at first glance.
“Bodhi, this house…” She says this as if she doesn’t live on a beautiful seven-hundred-acre ranch.
“I think I’d trade this house for your ranch any day.” I love the idea of living so far away from noise, traffic, and people. The creative juices would be able to flow in a place like that.
Her eyes wander over the artistically painted ceiling, mostly designs from my mother’s homeland, Romania. “I’ll give you a tour later,” I promise her. It’s lovely to see her excitement.
As soon as we step outside, Brayden and Carson are on their feet and coming toward us. Her hand squeezes mine and I squeeze back, reassuring her that everything is fine. No, it’s more than fine—I feel perfect right now.
“Kim Gordon, allow me to introduce you to Carson Monroe and Brayden Copeland.”
“It’s very nice to meet you both,” she says, shaking hands.
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Carson says, giving her a wink.
“Bodhi hasn’t shut up about you since he got back. I’m happy you’re here so he can stop bitching.”
“Shut up, jerk.”
Kim’s head snaps to mine and her mouth drops open.
“What?”
“You said ‘jerk’ and not ‘fu—’?”
I slam my hand over her mouth, much to her surprise, and pull her a step away from the guys so she can see around them. Her eyes widen when she spots Maggie in the pool.