“When has that ever stopped you?”
With a mock scowl, I pressed our hands into his chest.“I’m trying something new.Sue me.”
Watching his smile curl wider brought a fresh wave of butterflies.“The one time you don’t speak your mind.”
“Would it have changed anything?”I asked, but we both knew the answer.When he brought our hands up to his lips, l watched transfixed, the brush of his kiss scattering a burst of electricity through my body.Every inch of my skin felt alight.It wasn’t enough.I needed more.
“Sam,” I ventured softly, my eyes glued to the deep pink of his cupid's bow as it raised off my knuckles.“You have to tell me.”
“It’s difficult for me to express my feelings.”
“Understatement of the century”
“I’m trying to tell you I’m in love with you.Do you have to interrupt?”
“Hmm.Not quite sure I caught that.Can you tell me again?”
“I don’t quite remember it now.”
“Sam,” I said impatiently, slipping my hand out from his.Incredibly, it worked.Or maybe we were both just too far gone on each other.
“I’m in love with you.”
My lips were on his before he’d finished speaking, catching him off guard, but I felt his grip close on my waist, pulling me in as I pressed closer, threading my fingers into his hair so I could deepen the kiss, hungry for him after our time apart.When I felt the tip of his tongue tease mine, I responded in kind, eagerly licking into his mouth, swallowing his soft groans as he stole the breath from my lungs.
“I’m in love with you, too,” I finally said when we parted.Giddy, a laugh bubbled up out of me, light as air.Sam rested our foreheads together.“What?”
“Are you sure?I’m not an easy person.”
He chuckled.“I know that.I’m not either.”
“Yes, but which one of us pissed Pierce off?”I punctuated my statement by tapping my finger to his collarbone.
“I think that would be both of us now.”
“Ok, I’ll give you that one.
“Any other points you want to make, or can I go back to kissing you now?”
I gave him a look.“Sam—”
He pressed his lips to my cheek, “I know what you’re going to say.And I’m, surprisingly, not going to disagree with you.Neither of us is easy.We’re probably going to be wrong or argue or get sick of each other.But we’re also going to understand each other and support each other and care for each other.”
I bit back a smile.Honestly, I’d made my mind up the minute I saw him on the other side of the door, but I really liked watching him try to convince me.I’d always enjoyed the benefit of Sam’s focus when it was directed my way, and now that I was hearing all the words I’d hoped for, I was hardly going to stop him.
“Whatever the future holds, I want to face it together.”With that, he finally opened the envelope and held out a stack of papers, eyes hopeful but unsure.
Taking them with trepidation, I felt my breath catch when I skimmed the first page.Co-ownership extended to Miss Tiffany Young …I didn’t read any further and thrust the papers back at him.“Sam, no.I can’t take this.It’s too much.”
“You wouldn’t be taking it.I’m offering.”
“This is by far the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”
“Excuse me?”
“This?”I said, waving the papers in his face.“What made you even think I would want half of your business?”
“The two most important things in my life are you and this bar.What is so wrong about me wanting to combine them?”
