Page 145 of Things I Read About

I do.

Well, I start the kiss, but he takes it over. He takes me over, holding me tight and branding my mouth with his long, hard kisses. We both moan and sigh, kiss and cry for a long while. I don’t know how long but I know my core starts to throb.

He pulls back and looks around us. “How’d I do?”

“What?”

“My grand gesture? Was it as good as your books?”

“Better.” I assault him with small kisses, his cheeks, his eyes, his jaw. “You’re better. This, us, we’re better than all the things I read about, Nate. I love you.” I kiss him again and again and tell him I love you, I love you, I love you, over and over.

He starts walking us out of the little room.

“I can’t believe you bought me a house?” I say in between kisses.

He grins as he moves into the other bedroom. “Actually,youbought you a house.”

I look at him.

“I have the money, for the record, I could have. But I wanted it to be your own thing, your own place.”

“I love it. But how?” I say looking around.

“Your sisters. And the guys. It was a whole thing. The group text thread is obnoxious.”

I laugh. “I bet.”

“Canton Four has started calling me Yul. I don’t love it.” I laugh again and he smiles wide, watching me. He stops at the side of the bed. “I love you, though.” He kisses me again, roughly, his tongue plunging in and out of me the way I like.

I moan.

“I also love these satin sheets.” He reaches down and flips all the bedding off the bed so just deep red satin sheets remain. “I kept thinking of you, spread out on them for me.”

I whimper as I nod eagerly, and he sets me down. I get on my knees on the bed so I’m almost face-to-face with him.

“Yeah? You sure, baby?”

“Yes,” I say, taking off my shirt.

His jaw forms a hard straight line as he looks at the bandage on my shoulder.

So, I take my bra off ,too. “Yell at me about that later.”

His eyes leave my shoulder immediately. “Uh huh,” he says, his mouth already moving to my cleavage. “Damn, I love these,” he says, his mouth on one side of my chest, his hand on the other, squeezing hard.

I throw my head back and sigh.

His mouth goes up my neck. “Jeans,” he says into my ear.

I get to work on them. “You, too.” I sigh.

Soon I’m back on my knees in just my panties.

He’s in just his boxers. But his chest. He’s still magnificent, covered in black ink and muscles cut to perfection. But he’s got bandages wrapped all the way around him. I can see bruising even with the tattoos.

“Nate.”

“I feel fine, baby. Lie back.” I hesitate and he raises an eyebrow at me. That one tiny gesture sends a thrill through my whole body. And it makes me rise up taller, defiant.