“He makes me happy. He’s so . . . God, I don’t know how to say it. There used to be such constant bickering and irritation, but the moment the dam broke, he became this overprotective alpha that won’t let anything hurt me. He possesses me in all the right ways, but he’s also all about me being independent and building my business.”
Lottie nods. “It’s the Cane way. Don’t you remember how Huxley and I were at each other’s throats? And then, we just . . . slipped into each other and it’s been hard to breathe without him since.”
“Yes.” I glance toward the house, where the boys are putting together dinner, most likely talking about us. “It’s been a few days, and I can feel myself . . . God, I can feel myself falling for him, hard.”
Lottie quietly claps the tips of her fingers. “Ohhhh, this makes me so happy. I just knew it. I knew you two would be perfect for each other.”
“I’m just terrified that something is going to go wrong. Someway, somehow, this is all too good to be true.”
“It’s not. Don’t think that way. He really likes you. I can tell from the way he looks at you, the way he sits near you, and how he rests his hand on your thigh. He’s infatuated, he has been for a while. This is it, Kelse, this is what you’ve been waiting for.”
I roll my teeth over my bottom lip and say, “I think it is, too. Even before we got together, when we were just hanging out as what I thought was friends, he understood me. He supported me. He knew what I needed. I’m just . . .” I press my hands to my cheeks. “I like him so much.”
The sliding glass door opens and the boys walk out holding large, wooden charcuterie boards stacked full of crackers, cheeses, meats, jams, spreads, and fruit. They set the trays down on the coffee table in front of us, and then JP takes a seat next to me, slipping his arm behind me before leaning in and tilting my face toward him to place a gentle kiss on my lips.
When he pulls away, he whispers, “Talk about me?”
I can’t hide my smile. “Yes.”
“Good things?”
“Great things.”
“Huxley, look at them,” Lottie coos. “God, I’m so happy right now.”
I catch Huxley’s glare toward JP as he says, “I’m happy, too.”
But he doesn’t look happy. Not even a little.
Later that night, when JP is walking me to my apartment door, I ask him, “Is everything okay with Huxley?”
“What do you mean?” JP asks. When we reach my door, he takes my keys from me and unlocks it for me. He holds the door open and I walk in, with him following closely behind.
“He didn’t look happy. I know he said he was happy for us, but I can’t help but think he might be upset. Is he mad at me?”
JP shuts the door, then leans against it. He pulls me in close. Holding my hands, he says, “He’s happy for us, but he’s basically shooting off warning signs to me. He doesn’t want me to hurt you. I assured him that wasn’t going to happen, but he’s more protective of you than me.”
“Oh. So, he’s not mad at me?”
“Not even a little. I’m sure if you ask Lottie tomorrow, she’ll confirm that. As he explained to me in the kitchen, Lottie is his everything, and what’s important to her is important to him. Apparently, you trump me now, and honestly”—he rubs the side of his jaw—“I’m okay with that. He gave me the speech not to hurt you or he’ll hurt me.”
I smile at that. “Well, look at me having a big brother.”
“That’s exactly what he is, and I hate to admit it, but I might love him even more for looking out for you.”
“So, does he approve?”
JP nods. “With caution. He likes the idea of us, but he wants to make sure I’m in this. I told him I was, that I was one hundred percent invested in making you happy, and that wasn’t ever going to change.”
My heart flutters and I close the minimal space between us. I run my hands up his chest, to his jaw, then pull him closer to my mouth. “You make me happy—you know that?”
“Same, babe.” He wraps his hand around the back of my head and very slowly kisses me, the delicious feeling of his lips spreading through my veins, all the way to the tips of my toes.
Yup, I’m falling so hard for this man. Harder than I’ve ever fallen before.
Chapter Twenty
JP
“This is absolutely breathtaking,” Kelsey says as she takes in the 360-degree view of the San Francisco skyline. “I can’t believe you flew us back up here for our first official date.”