Page 132 of Burn

Holy fuck.

“No,” I gasp.

He shifts, bringing his other hand to my cheek and holding my gaze. “There’s nothing I want more than this – you and I – forever. I want a noisy house filled with Mildred, maybe a dog, maybe more, if you’ll give me more someday.” His tone is rough, vulnerable. “I can commute to work from here, and youcan work from home. You can… I don’t know… garden. Do you like to garden?” He laughs nervously. “We can get chickens and grow vegetables. I don’t know. We can do whatever the fuck we want, as long as it’s you and me.”

Silence stretches between us as I let it all sink in.

He bought a house.

He bought us a house.

This is real.

“Say something, please, Lex. This is killing me.”

My hands shake as I raise them to grip his forearms. I take two deep breaths, letting the air fill my lungs and calm my racing heart. My voice is squeaky and thick with emotion when I say, “Show me inside.”

The smile returns to his eyes as he pulls me to my feet. He presses a code into the keypad and pushes the door open. When I step forward, he gathers me into his arms. “No way are you walking across that threshold. It’s my God-given right to carry you over it.”

“Okay, chivalry,” I tease.

Inside, the air still smells like fresh paint. The main floor is a combination of a kitchen and a sitting area. There is a beautiful island with a wooden counter and rustic barn beams. Everything is fresh, clean, and bright. Adrian sets me down, and I slowly move through the open space, running my hand over the island counter. It’s smooth and soft, and behind me, Adrian’s voice sounds hesitant when he says, “That is one solid piece. It came from a tree that was something like seven feet wide. We had a local guy install it, and he helped with the barn beams, and —”

I cut him off, “Adrian, it’s perfect.”

There’s another beat of silence, where the only sound is my pounding heart and stuttered breaths, until Adrian closes the distance, spins me around, and captures my mouth with his. The kiss is searing and soft all at once. He reaches for my ass, and hoists me up, setting me on the island. I wrap my legs around him, pulling him in as close as I can. He kisses me like this is the last time we’ll ever kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth, tasting me. It’s the kind of kiss poets write about or that movies end with.

Heat floods my core, and I press myself into him. My nipples peak, and when our chests press, a deep ache settles into my body. They’re so sensitive, and my breasts are so swollen. I can’t believe he hasn’t noticed how swollen they are.

He pulls back, just enough to say, “So, you like it?”

“I’d live in a cardboard box with you, but this? This is incredible.”

His lips brush mine as he smiles, and I feel the way his cheeks rise in the way they only do when Adrian Libertyreallyfucking smiles. My heart feels so full, like it could burst at any moment and shower us with sunshine and rainbows.

“Come on,” he says, picking me up off the island and setting me on my feet. “Let’s go see the rest of the house.” He takes my hand, but I stop him when he tries to pull me upstairs.

“What if…” I start, trailing off, nerves returning.

“What if, what?” He turns to face me, confusion evident on his beautiful face.

“What if there’s more than just us?” I ask.

He steps back to me, eyes frantically searching mine. “What do you mean?”

Please let him be happy about this.

I say a silent prayer, spin the ring on my finger one last time for luck, release his hand, and lower it to cover my belly. His eyes drop and then flick back to mine. They go wide, and for a brief second, I think he might lose it in the way I fear most, but then his expression changes.

“No fucking way,” he finally says on an exhale.

He shifts, both hands coming toward me as if he wants to grab me, but he stops himself, curling them into soft fists.

“You’re not fucking with me?” His gaze bounces from my face to my belly and back.

We never did sort out the whole birth control thing. I started tracking my cycle, and we followed what he calls the ‘Pull and Pray’ method.

Turns out, not that effective.