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“Come on, babe. I’m dying to see it.”

“You’ve already seen the pictures from the wedding.”

“Not good enough. I want to see it in the flesh.”

She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. Might as well get it over with. She removed the band from her hair and brushed it out so the black strands fell in loose waves around her shoulders. A swipe of lipstick, bright red, and she decided she didn’t look bad for a slutty princess.

After a moment or two of mental knuckle-cracking, she opened the door, and just like every other time she saw Nate, she fell in love with him all over again.

He wore black slacks and a pale-gray shirt that stretched over his biceps and pecs. A few days’ growth covered his jaw, most likely because he knew how much she loved the feel of his whiskers on her skin. His short hair was messy, as though he’d been running his fingers through it, and the twitch of his lips was the only indication that he was trying hard not to laugh.

He set the kitten on the couch and crossed to where she stood. His breathing was slow and deep, his green eyes dark, his expression serious as he studied her. “Wow, you were right. You look like cotton candy with arms.”

Dorcas cocked one hand on her hip. “I told you it was hideous.”

“The dress? Oh, yeah, it’s awful. But you still look sexy as hell. I bet the bride picked it just so you wouldn’t upstage her.” His gaze roamed over her body again, a lingering sweep from her head to her toes and back up again. “I bet you still upstaged her.”

A heated tingle rippled through her, even as she rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”

“I am, but not about this.” He pulled her to him, reached behind her back, and slid the zipper down. His voice dropped to a murmur. “You’re a knockout, Dorcas, even in this ugly-ass dress. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or a fool.”

She breathed him in, a hint of spice in his masculine scent, and it filled her head with bad ideas that sounded better by the second. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Exactly what it looks like.”

“The movie starts in an hour.”

“Your point?” His fingers glided over her back, and she almost lost her train of thought.

“If we want to get there on time, we’ll have to leave in the next twenty minutes. And I still need to change.”

He made a low sound. “Twenty minutes. That’s not enough time for what I have in mind.”

Liquid heat raced through her veins. She loved this little game they played, where she pretended not to be interested, and he convinced her otherwise. “Then I better get changed.”

“Or we could catch the later movie. Better yet, catch it tomorrow.” His hands moved up, undid the clasp behind her neck, and the dress dropped to her feet, leaving her in nothing but a pair of pink heels and a barely-there string bikini. He looked her over, and the raw desire in his eyes filled Dorcas with feminine satisfaction. “Definitely tomorrow.”

He bent his head and kissed her. It triggered a need, a hunger for more, to take until it was impossible to tell where she ended and he began. No matter how many times they made love, it always felt like that. Incredible. But she wasn’t ready to give in just yet, because there was something important she needed to discuss with him first.

When she pulled back, she could still feel his breath on her lips. “I’ve been thinking. About us.”

He raised a questioning eyebrow. “Am I going to like it?”

“I hope so.” Nerves skittered up her spine. “I mean, you’re here almost every night. Or I’m over at your place. And I was thinking, you know...with Shailene getting engaged, she’ll be moving out when the lease is up. So maybe we could...you know...”

Nate watched her, his eyes heavy-lidded, his lips a little swollen from kissing her. “Are you suggesting we move in together?”

She cringed. “Too soon? I know we haven’t been together for all that long, but I—”

“When’s your lease up?”

“End of next month.”

“Not soon enough, but I can wait.” He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her panties and inched them down. “In the meantime, what do you think about getting hitched?”

Her heart stuttered. “Is that a proposal?”

“Would you say yes if it was?” All hint of humor left his face. “I love you, Dorcas. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to love you every day, every minute of my life. I want to grow old worshiping you. Will you let me?”