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She had never wanted so much for him to stay and leave at the same time. It had been fun to spend the day with him and Stuart, getting to know a whole different side of Cherish. But she wanted to be alone with Cherish more than anything.

They’d come back to Cherish’s apartment, arms full of alcohol and snacks, and binged with a sitcom on in the background while sharing embarrassing stories. It had honestly been the best time she’d had in the whole last year, including finally getting Febe to pay attention to her idea.

When Haylee turned back around, she groaned. Cherish stood in the middle of her living room, head down, thumbs typing furiously on her phone. “Who are you texting?”

“What?” Cherish lifted her head, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

“I swear if you’re texting Febe, I’m going to kill you.”

“She’ll want to know how everything turned out.”

Haylee snorted loudly and rolled her eyes. She walked straight to Cherish and snagged the phone from her grasp.

“Hey!”

“Nope.” Haylee dropped the phone onto the couch and pulled Cherish in closer. “I’ve been waiting all afternoon for five minutes alone with you, and I want them.”

“Do you now?” Cherish’s tone was full of teasing and delight.

It sent a shudder of pleasure through Haylee. They’d finally broken down that barrier. They’d finally pushed through the layers and found each other. Now they just had to go deeper in their relationship, and only time could do that.

“Yes.” Haylee swooped in, pressing their mouths together in a passionate kiss. Cherish melted against her, wrapping her arms around Haylee’s neck and tilting just so to make the angle perfect. Fuck, this woman was brilliant.

Haylee slid her tongue along Cherish’s, remembering the feeling of what this was like but also savoring the newness of it. Tonight was different than before. Tonight was purely about them in the place they were at now. Haylee put her hands on Cherish’s hips and started swaying in the middle of the living room. She wanted her full dance. She wanted the television lights to be the only light that guided them, the romance alive and burning brightly between them.

When had she become such a romantic?

Grinning, Haylee pulled away slightly. “I really do love you.”

Cherish smiled, pecking Haylee’s lips with a quick kiss. “I love you, too.”

“I want to make love tonight. Not just fucking, not just sex, but actually making love to each other—whatever that means for us.” Haylee slid her hand up Cherish’s back, feeling the warmth of her body through her shirt. “And damn, you’re sexy in jeans.”

Laughing, Cherish buried her head in Haylee’s shoulder. “Stuart said you’d say something.”

“I couldn’t stop staring at your ass all night. It’s like my eyes were glued to it.”

“Oh God.”

“Not yet.” Haylee chuckled low as she dove back in for another kiss. “What do you say, Cherry? Love me tonight?”

“I’ll love you forever,” Cherish whispered. She pulled Haylee in, sliding her hand through her hair and against her undercut, scraping her nails on the short hair.

Haylee groaned in satisfaction. She loved when Cherish touched her, when they were wrapped together like this. “Bedroom.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cherish stepped backward, pulling Haylee with her. She took three steps before turning around and tugging Haylee by the fingers toward the bedroom.

Once again, Haylee found her gaze traveling down the line of Cherish’s back to her ass, her perfect ass in those damnable tight jeans. Her heart thundered. She just wanted to get down on her knees and take a bite, scrape her teeth along Cherish’s supple flesh.

When they got to the bedroom, Haylee spun Cherish around and pushed the backs of her thighs into the mattress. “You first, boss.”

“Don’t call me that.” Cherish ran her fingers up and down Haylee’s arms. “I’m not going to be above you for much longer.”

“Oh, yes, yes, you will. Just in an entirely different way.” Haylee nipped Cherish’s lower lip with a tease.

“You’re insatiable.”

“You don’t even know the half of it.” Haylee dropped her hands to Cherish’s waist. “Can I undress you yet? As much as I love these things, they’re in my way.”