Page 94 of Off the Rim

Pressing up on my toes to deepen his teasing kiss, I nearly fall prey to the magnetic pull between us. We haven't had this much time alone in so long, it's hard not to want to fill every spare moment with all the touches and wild sex we rarely have time for anymore.

"I forget what we were talking about," I mumble against his mouth. "How much time do we have again?"

"Maybe enough to try out the ensuite shower. I made sure it was big enough for two."

"Fucking sold."

Another hour later, we stand side by side outside the doors to the newly renovated sports complex we purchased almost a yearago, waiting for the next chapter of our lives to begin. It's been a slow process getting it to where I wanted it to be and meeting the specifications of our sister-business in Florida. EGE Sports started as a baseball training facility, but the owners Gabe and Elliot were looking to expand. Some connections, phone calls, infinite video conferences, and two years of planning later, and we're standing in the brand-new James-Vell Sports Complex, an extension of the EGE Sports program. Ashton initially didn't want his name on the project at all, but considering AJames Enterprises is our biggest sponsor and he's my husband and business partner in this venture, I insisted. Besides, after everything we've been through in this life together, it's nice seeing our names together on more than just our marriage certificate.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just thinking about how we got here."

"You realize Rome is the same age we were when we first met?"

"I still can't believe you remember that."

He chuckles and kisses my temple. "Who'd have thought that you'd ever fall for my bullshit?"

"Not me," I laugh. "I suppose I'm thankful that you're a spoiled princess used to getting his way."

"If I'd gotten my way, we would have been attached at the hip from that very first meeting. I would have gotten that first kiss and never hurt you."

"It all worked out exactly how it was supposed to," I tell him, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Everything that happenedbrought us together and led us to where are, and who we are now. And I wouldn't change a thing."

The End