I pushed off the doorframe and walked over, stopping behind her as she set a small glass dish on the counter.
“It’s chocolate mousse layered with peanut butter cream and pretzel crumble on top.” She bit her bottom lip, like she wasn’t sure if I’d like it.
My mouth was already watering, but not for the dessert.
Still, I took the spoon she handed me and reached around her to scoop a bite. It melted on my tongue. Rich. Decadent. Fucking perfection. But not as perfect as the heat radiating against my chest from the back of her body.
“Holy shit, Rylin. That’s incredible.” I set the spoon down and moved in even closer, one hand finding her waist, the other curling around the curve of her hip. I leaned down and brushed my mouth over the shell of her ear. “But I bet it’s gonna taste even better when I’m licking it off your pussy.”
Her breath hitched, and a little whimper fell from her lips.
She didn’t have a chance to reply before I turned her to face me, gripped her ass, and lifted her onto the counter. Her knees fell apart instinctively, and my body filled the space between them. I kissed her like I was starving. Like I hadn’t had her in the middle of the night and again this morning. Deep and possessive.
Her taste was as succulent as her dessert. One of my hands slid up her shirt, grazing the soft skin of her ribs and the curve of her breast.
And right there, with her breath fanning hot against my cheek and her nails sinking into my shoulders, I couldn’t hold it back another second. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Rylin.”
She froze for half a second, like her brain needed to catch up to her heart. But then her lips softened, and she met my gaze intensely. “I love you too, Micah.”
That was everything. I kissed her again, slower this time, pouring everything I felt into it. Then I pulled back and gave her a crooked smile. “Now you can’t argue. You’re moving in.”
She laughed, tugging at the front of my shirt. “Pretty sure you already took care of that. I’ve got more stuff in your apartment than mine.”
“Still not official.” I let my hand slide to her bare thigh. “But it will be.”
Her smile lit up her whole face. It was the look that decided it for me. I wasn’t waiting another fucking day. I kissed her one more time and then lifted her off the counter.
“Where are we going?” she asked, breathless, laughing as I carried her down the hall.
“Bedroom.”
Her arms looped around my neck. “So bossy.”
I kicked the door open, crossed to the bed, and set her down gently on the edge. “Stay there.”
She tilted her head. “Micah?”
I stalked to my dresser and opened the drawer where I’d hidden the little box and closed my fist around it. My heart pounded harder than it had during the final quarter of our toughest game. When I turned back around, she was still seated, watching me with amused curiosity.
“I’ll kneel if you want me to.” I walked toward her. “I’ll make a long mushy speech. But the one thing I’m not going to do is ask.”
Holding out my hand, I slowly uncurled my fingers to reveal a little robin’s egg blue box.
She popped up to her feet and clasped her hands together in front of her. “Micah?—”
“We’re getting married.” My voice was low and steady, immovable. “You said you love me. You’re mine. That’s all there is to it.”
Before I could even flip the lid open, she shouted, “Yes!”
My mouth curved into a wide grin, and I opened the box anyway, just to watch her eyes get big and shiny. The ring had a large, brilliant diamond in a sleek platinum setting. Simple. Elegant. Timeless. Like her.
I slid it onto her finger and pulled her into a kiss, one hand fisting her hair, the other wrapping around her hip.
When we broke apart, she was breathless and a little dazed, but she looked up at me with a teasing glint, although there was anxiety too. “Okay…I have one condition for officially moving in.”
I frowned. “You already said yes.”
She laughed and swatted my chest. “Fine. Then it’s a condition for marrying you.”
