“Ah! Dean! What in the—”
As we all piled through the front door of the warehouse, everyone rejoiced. Stone took Hayley into his arms and kissed her until her knees buckled. Frost picked Lexi up and spun her around before scooping Natty into his arms. The celebration that ensued forced me to blink back tears, and as Chloe leaned against me to seek my warmth and comfort, I scooped her up as if she weighed nothing.
“I need a shower,” I said as I barreled through the crowd, “and you’re coming with me.”
She grinned. “And what if I don’t want a shower?”
I chuckled. “Tough shit.”
She tucked her head beneath my chin and proudly let me carry her back into my bedroom. I kicked his door closed and locked it for good measure with my elbow, and I didn’t even think about putting her down until we were in the bathroom. While she perched on the countertop near the sink, I stripped myself down for her. Staring at her, licking my lips, and devouring her with my gaze.
And as her nipples puckered against her bra, I stood there with my chiseled muscles twitching with a need for her softness.
“Your turn,” I said with a smirk.
She slid from her perched position and dropped to her feet. I watched while she swiveled her hips and fluffed her hair, making a real show of getting out of her clothes. My cock ached for her. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest as every beautiful, perfect inch of her came into view. When she bent down to slide her jeans to the floor, she jiggled her ass for my viewing pleasure. And the growl that fell from my lips stoked a fire beneath her skin that flushed her entire body from head to toe.
She barely got naked before I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.
“I love you, Chloe,” I whispered against the shell of her ear.
She paused at the sound of my words. “You do?”
I spun her around and placed my forehead against her own. “I really do, and so long as you allow me to be in your life, you’ll always be safe. Understood?”
She nodded softly. “So, where do we go from here, then? Does that mean we all get to go home?”
I snickered. “That anxious to get away from me?”
She shrugged. “Well, I just—”
I knew something was churning in her head, and I wanted to know what it was. I wanted to know what had this strong, intelligent, bombastic girl so caught up in herself. I gripped her chin. I focused her gaze on my own as I guided us into the shower. And after turning on the water with my free hand, not allowing my gaze to waiver once, I took a shot in the dark.
“You want to know if we’re going to move in together, don’t you?” I asked.
As water poured over my shoulders and down my back, Chloe’s eyes cased my body. She pulled away from my grasp and took a few steps back, studying my frame as she drew in a deep breath. Her eyes ignited with fire. Her body, flushed from head to toe, cried out for me to stuff her full. And as she brought her stare back to my own, she simply nodded.
“Maybe not immediately. But maybe you could come stay with me for a few days? I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to react to being in my apartment after everything that happened. I might not even be able t—”
Her words got caught in her throat and I lunged for her. I pulled her close, allowing her to cry those scared, frightened tears that she refused to show anyone else. I ran my fingers through her hair. I kissed the top of her head. I gave her the room to feel what she needed to feel while also showing her that she’d never be alone again.
Not as long as she had me.
“I have a condo with a great view, and you’re more than welcome to come stay with me,” I murmured.
She sniffled. “Really? That would really be okay?”
I threaded my fingers through her hair and tilted her head back to find her reddened eyes. “Of course, it’s okay. You can sleep with me, or I’ve got a couple of guest bedrooms you can occupy. Plus, I even have a view of the ocean, so there’s that.”
She blinked. “Where the hell do you live?”
I chuckled. “Some place you wouldn’t expect me to live, that’s where. And you’re welcome there anytime.”
She sighed. “I fucking love you, you know that?”
I smiled from ear to ear. “And I love you.”
I dipped my lips to hers, capturing them in the softest kiss we’d shared thus far in the small time we had known one another. She captivated me. Entranced me. Chloe brought out a side of me that I thought had died the second Tiffany had been slaughtered like a calf around the back of the barn. I blanketed her back with my arms and picked her up against me, listening as she squealed down the back of my throat.
