“Mm. Thank you.” He took the bottle from me and put it on the coffee table without even looking at it.
Not that I minded. His eyes were all over me, taking in each inch like he wanted to devour me.
I dropped my purse next to the couch. “How was class today?”
“All right, but I couldn’t wait for tonight.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind and I pressed my hands against his.
“How come,” I said, “you always know what I want to hear?”
“I’m only saying what is true.” Pressing a kiss to the back of my neck, he released me and walked into the kitchen. “Have a seat.”
“Don’t you need help with dinner?”
“Nope. It’s in the oven, ready to be pulled out in twenty minutes.” He pulled two wine glasses out and uncorked the bottle I’d brought.
Settling into the couch, I kicked my legs out. The living room was minimally furnished, with one lone photograph on the wall and a guitar in the corner, and the rest of the apartment followed suit. Rodrigo was the only student I knew who had his own place, and it made him seem more adult, like he was a few years ahead of the rest of us.
“Thank you,” I said as he handed me my wine.
“You’re welcome.” Taking a seat on the couch, he put his wine down without taking so much as a sip. Instead, his hands went to my legs.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said.
“About what?” Worry zipped through me, and I put my wine glass down as well.
He frowned. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“I know,” I sighed. “But I have to go. And you’ll visit soon.”
“Yes.” His hands covered mine. “It feels so far away.”
“I know,” I murmured.
Despite the fact that we had promised each other—and ourselves—that we would enjoy our time together while it lasted, our romance had turned into something else entirely. I never wanted to let Rodrigo go, and not a day went by without him telling me the same thing.
Rubbing his thumb over my hand, he looked me in the eye. “I love you, Georgia.”
The words took me by surprise. It was the first time he’d said them and though I’d longed to hear them, I suddenly didn’t know what to do with myself.
…Until pure ecstasy barreled through me. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I started to laugh uncontrollably.
“I love you, too,” I said.
Rodrigo grinned, his dimples alone making me want to tackle him and kiss him all over. “I want…” He sucked in a deep breath.
“What?” I leaned closer, so close that he had no choice but to pull me into his lap, which is exactly what he did.
With my arms looped around his neck, he brushed his nose across his jaw. “I want to do more than visit you. I want to live together.”
His words left my skin buzzing. “Live together? Where?”
He studied me. “I don’t care. Rio or New York. It doesn’t matter to me, so long as we’re together.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I would love that.”
Rodrigo laughed with joy and nuzzled his face against my neck. Closing my eyes, I breathed him in. This moment was perfect. This guy was perfect. This life was perfect.
A knock on the door made me draw back. “Who’s that?”