揑 know,?she whispers back.
I turn her in my lap so I can see her face. I抳e made a big decision.
揑 mean permanently, Nevermore.?I take a deep breath. 揥e should go to your place first and get your stuff.?I may have lost it but I don抰 care.
Her eyes become two jade moons, wide and bright.
揥ait, you抮e saying I抦 moving in with you??
揑 said you抮e coming home, didn抰 I??My lips cascade up her throat again, stopping to nip at that sweet spot just under her ear.
揃ut棓
I shrug. 揘o buts. You don抰 want to move in with me, fine. I抣l stay at your place.?
揗y shoebox apartment??She presses a hand to my forehead. 揇o you have a fever? Linc, you can抰 be serious…？
揥hen it comes to you, I don抰 joke. I also don抰 give a single solitary shit where we抮e living, as long as it抯 together. My place has a lot more room, but if you don抰 trust me enough for that, I抣l棓
揕incoln??She waits for me to go quiet. 揝hut up and kiss me.?
Agreed.
Just like that, her lips find mine, sealing our fate.
She kisses me frantically, and I swipe my tongue across hers until I抦 fucking dizzy. Her hands grasp at my hair.
If we didn抰 have business to tend to, I抎 throw her on my desk, open her legs, and take her right here.
Shame that has to wait.
I抦 rasping when I pull away, cradling her to me, pushing a hand up her skirt. She抯 so drenched I shudder when I squeeze her pussy through her panties.
揌old on, Nevermore. Just a few more hours, and I抦 reclaiming this tonight. This time, forevermore.?
We sit side by side at the conference table, our hands joined under the table.
Ida, my HR head, meets my eyes, scans the room, and looks at me again.
揗r. Burns, I don抰 think anyone here quite understands what you want us to do. Can you walk us through it again to make sure we抮e all on the same page??
揝ure. I抎 like to make Dakota a very well-compensated independent contractor under her own LLC. She抣l help with copywriting and marketing part-time for Haughty But Nice, according to our needs and her heart抯 content. The rest of the time, she抣l be freed up to pursue her poetry career. I抣l remain CEO梞ostly for insights and branding梑ut since everyone in this room is extremely talented, I抣l be delegating a lot more to my executives and managers. While I was out, you抳e all proven you can rise to a challenge. That means I抣l be working from home at least a few days a week. Thoughts??
Dakota squeezes my hand so sharply my breath almost catches.
揑t抯 workable and sensible,?Jane says.
We talk among ourselves with a few other executives I抳e pulled in from sales and legal. While Dakota looks on, we draft up a blueprint for how Haughty But Nice will be run in the future with the personnel balance it deserves.
By the time we抮e out of the room, her hand smolders mine, holding on like her life depends on it.
Honest to God, it does.
With everything in place, we have a new freedom I抳e never imagined.
It抯 cavernous, honestly. A life teeming with possibilities and dreams.
Without this woman, I know how lost I抎 be.
That抯 why I push my fingers through hers, matching her grip with my own, ready to march into our future together.
I barely make a fuss loading her bike up in the trunk of the town car.
揑 still hate you biking all over town,?I tell her.
揥hy??Dakota stands behind me. 揑t抯 healthy. We should get one for you.?
I snort. 揥hat if you get hit by a car??
揙ur ride could be crushed by a semi on our way home, too.?
揟his vehicle has airbags.?I open the door for her, contemplating how pissed she抣l be if I buy her a ride with four wheels.
She climbs in. 揝ince when did the big bad Marine get so concerned with safety??
I get in beside her and shut the door behind me before I answer.
揝ince you, Nevermore.?
That shuts her up. Her eyes dance when she smiles.
揕ovesick fool,?she mutters.
She has no idea, but she抯 about to. I grab her soft legs and pull her onto my lap.
揟old you I抦 bewitched. I must抳e been under somebody抯 spell when I hired a damn bird guy to apologize.?
揂nd I loved every bit of it. I抳e missed you so much,?she whispers, looking up through her lashes.
揗e too棓
揑t took you an entire month to text me.?
揑棓 There抯 no good explanation for that. 揑 was a coward, and I抦 sorry.?
揥hat changed your mind??
揗a helped. She told me losing someone you love isn抰 a tragedy. The tragedy is never loving. Sappy as it sounds, there抯 some truth there.?
She sighs. 揑 don抰 know about that. If something happened to you, I抎 never be the same.?
揟hat抯 another thing I was worried about. That抯 why I thought I should keep my distance. What my mom said made me think, but it wasn抰 the final answer.?
揧eah? So, what was??
揥yatt. He has a huge crush on Meadow,?I say, grinning when I think of that clown with the little gardener.
揟hat抯 sweet, but what does that have to do with us??Dakota asks.
揧ou remember how Wyatt lost everything because of his ex-wife and bad habits? I never thought he抎 survive, honestly, let alone make the turnaround he has. If he can still find it in him to love after everything he went through…why can抰 I? Especially when I抳e got one hell of a gorgeous reason to live to my fullest.?
She kisses me, softly and sweetly, tempting me with that mouth.
揌ow抯 he doing, anyway??
揗uch better. He抯 holed up in my guesthouse, mostly watching bad TV and messing around with Meadow when she visits him…？I run my fingers through her hair. 揈nough about them. There抯 an angel in my lap, and I haven抰 seen her in a fucking month. Wyatt is not what I抦 wasting breath on.?
When we pull up to my place, our lips are fused, my hand running up her thigh. Every time I feel her wetness, I sink my teeth into her lip.
Louis has to gently tap the privacy screen down to remind me we抮e home.
I climb out first with a muttered apology, holding the door for Dakota, and then roll her bike to the garage. I pull her to me and hold her for a long moment before leading her inside.
揇amn, it抯 so good having you home.?
She shows me she knows, leaning up on her toes and pressing her lips to mine with wild abandon. She flicks her tongue against my lips, and when I open my mouth, she sucks my bottom lip.
I sigh out my soul, my hands falling to her ass, digging my fingers into her curves.
I抣l mark her tonight, I swear to God. Possibly for life.
My jealousy, my greed, all my darker impulses can抰 be bad if they抮e all for her, can they?
I wonder.
And I wonder a lot more when she looks up with her eyes so hot, so shiny, her lips parted.
揑 love you, Lincoln Burns.?She swallows hard. 揑…I had to say it.?
I pull her in, holding her like she抯 closer than my own shadow.
揑 love you too, Dakota. Love you so hard it drives me batty. You have no idea.?
揑 don抰 know. The raven with the scroll gave me some idea.?
揟he bird doesn抰 scratch the surface.?I lead her inside, thinking we抣l sit on the balcony for a minute or two.
We抣l see how long it takes for the madness in my balls to drive us to bed.
We get exactly two steps outside before she抯 pinned against the wall, whimpering real sweet for me.
I抦 on my knees, flicking up her skirt, my mouth roaming up her thighs.
Neither of us care if half the city can see. I抣l eat her until she screams with the entire world watching, and the moon for good measure.