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“Hello, Ms. Nemitz.”

“Hello, Mr. Torres. Where do we go from here?”

“I see you’ve discovered the flaw in my master plan. We never got past discussing the getting married part, did we?” I asked, watching her face carefully. “Taking your question literally, I noticed you arrived with Lisa. So, I’m guessing at a minimum, you need a ride.”

Melena bit her lip and nodded. “I’m thinking I should keep my apartment.”

I nodded slowly. “For now, that makes sense. Neither apartment has much room. But I’m hoping you’ll move in with me when we find a house.”

She glanced at me from beneath her lashes. “You really want to move in together? I thought this would be more of a marriage-in-name-only kind of situation. You know, I’d get your insurance and you’d get my name on the house offer.”

“While it’s true I mostly need your name on the house offer letter, I’m honestly also just...lonely. I’d like a roommate. Or more. Someone to come home to.”

Her smile was incredulous. “You? Lonely? You’re one of the most outgoing men I’ve ever met.”

I shrugged. “People know who they think I am; they don’t know me. I’m the laughing guy at the gym who works a lot. Someone everyone recognizes but no oneknows. Not my favorite color or why I went into firefighting instead of the military, not what I do when I’m not working out or on the clock.”

“I’d like to know you.”

“I’d like to know you too. That starts with us living together. I promise; I put the toilet seat down.”

Her laugh made me smile. “Are we rewriting our vows now? You’ll put down the toilet seat, and I’ll move in with you?”

“Sure. Any other requirements you want to add to the list?”

Her lips tilted up. “I’ll wipe out the sink and shower drain regularly if you’ll keep cooking for me. I had no idea you were skilled in the kitchen.”

“It’d be my pleasure.”

I squeezed her hand where it lay on the table before paying the check.

We were quiet on the ride back to Melena’s apartment. It was early afternoon, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Should I invite myself in? We were married now. But we hadn’t spoken about what that meant for us as a couple other than our addendum vows. What had started as a simple agreement didn’t feel straightforward anymore. I was excruciatingly aware of her in the seat next to me. Her purple dress was draped over her thighs, and the neckline gave me a fabulous view. Melena’s soft heat called to me, the hint of jasmine signaling her warm skin. In any other situation, I’d let my trousers tighten in anticipation of an afternoon in bed with my beautiful wife.Wife.I swallowed hard and cleared my too-tight throat.

“What do you want to do today?” I asked.

“What, you want more excitement than getting married?”

I grinned and glanced over to see her smiling at me. “Yeah, anything else is probably a letdown.”

Her brows waggled comically. “Well, noteverything. I’m sure we could come up with something we haven’t tried before.”

Sure. No pressure. Last time we got hot and heavy she ended up on the floor, but if I was reading her signals right, she was interested in that and more. I glanced back at her velvety lips. Tempting.Sotempting. In the close confines of the car, the scent of warm jasmine surrounded me.

She slowly trailed a finger down my forearm where it rested between us. Like she’d struck a tuning fork, waves of desire pulsed through my body, centering on my groin. I wanted to fork her, all right.

I focused back on the road with difficulty. Suddenly it was hard to work the gas and the brake; I had a major obstruction in my path. I willed myself to relax, but it was hard. Thinking about howhardit was didn’t help either. I cleared my throat. “So, are you suggesting we have a nice, relaxing afternoon...” I trailed off.

“In the bedroom? On the couch? Or maybe up against my door? Yes. Really anywhere but the kitchen floor.” I could feel her gaze stroking like a phantom hand toward my dick. “You seem...tense. Maybe we can start with a nice, relaxing massage?”

“Wouldn’t that be work for you?” I choked out.

She nodded, lips tilting up at one corner. “Don’t worry, I’ll take it out in trade later. I want you to play me like a video game.”

Did she want me to win her? It had to be a euphemism, but I wanted to be crystal clear on her meaning. She caught my confusion. “I mean I want you to press my buttons rapidly for hours and hours until you win me over.”

No pressure. Luckily, I’d trained for this. My game controller skills were finally going to come in handy in real life. I parked in record time and followed Melena up the stairs to her apartment, speculating on what kind of underwear she was wearing under her purple skirt. Whatever it was, the globes of her ass were unobstructed as she moved in front of me, and I was damn appreciative.

She paused to unlock her door, and I guiltily readjusted my focus. She turned with a smile as she let me inside. I stepped over the threshold, then closed the door behind me, leaning against it. She set down her purse and turned back to me.