Pulling away slightly, he captures me by the waist and aids me over to his lap, so I’m facing him with my legs tucked through the space on each side of him.

“No flinging us out onto the ground,” I order, putting my glove on before winding my hands around the chains. “Last time I nearly broke my arm.”

A devious look masks his face as he picks up his feet and soars us off into the sky. It’s cold as hell and there are dogs howling in the background as someone starts to shout, but I can still feel it—the lightness that comes with letting someone love you completely.

Chapter 18

Micha

Early the next morning, Caroline called to ask Ella if she would mind doing the shopping for Christmas dinner. Ella agreed and Caroline gave her a list of stuff. I was kind of annoyed, since Ella used to have to take care of this shit all the time when we were growing up. Dean should have offered her a break. So after we cleared out all the alcohol from the house in preparation for the arrival of Ella’s father, we went to the local grocery store.

“I have a confession,” I announce as we walk up the frozen-food aisle. The store is crowded and picked over since it’s Christmas day and everyone in the damn town has rushed to buy last-minute stuff.

“I’m not sure I want to hear your confession,” she responds with a smile as she scans the list. She’s wearing a tight pair of jeans that hug at her hips, and every time she bends over to grab something off the bottom shelf, I get a nice view of her ass. “Things have been going so well.”

“But it’s kind of important and it’s been bugging me since our game of truth yesterday, because it should have been said.” I pause. “I want you to know that I talked to this music producer down in San Diego.”

Her eyes slowly lift from the paper. “When did this happen?”

“It happened, like, a couple of days ago.” I inch the cart out of the way as an old woman nearly runs into the back of me. I have my hood over my head and she looks at me like I’m going to rob her, so I charm her with a smile, before returning my attention to Ella. “And it’s not really a big deal. Some guy came up to me and handed me his card when I was playing at The Hook Up. I don’t even recognize his name or anything, although I Googled him and he does work for a small studio.”

“Did you call him?” She opens a freezer door to get a bag of frozen peas.

I nod, taking the bag from her hand and tossing it into the cart. “Yeah, he wants me to come out for a meeting in, like, a couple of weeks.”

She wraps her leather jacket tighter around her with a puzzled look on her face. “And what happens if it works out for you? Then you’ll move to California?”

“Maybe… I don’t know,” I lie with hesitance. “I haven’t let myself think about the what-if’s too much.”

She adds another bag of frozen peas to the cart and starts walking down the aisle. “But what if something happens? Because it could. You are amazing after all.”

“Well, if something does happen…” I clear my throat, feeling like a total pussy over the fact that I’m nervous. “Then I was thinking that maybe you could move there with me. They have a couple colleges nearby that you could transfer to so you don’t have to give that up.”

He eyes widen just like I anticipated. “And we would just, what? Live together?”

“Well, I wasn’t thinking we’d move out there and live separately.”

“Live together,” she repeats. “Like, with you?”

“Calm down, okay? You don’t have to answer now.” I toss a bag of chips into the cart and push it forward. “Just think about it.”

She scratches off an item on the list with the pen. “Okay… I’ll think about it.”

I opt to end the conversation there, right on a good note, because it will keep me in a good mood all day.

Ella

I unpack the groceries and read through the many past-due bills that were piling up in the mailbox. One in particular is a notice that the house is about to go into foreclosure. My chest tightens as I read it and the paper shakes in my unsteady hand.

“What’s wrong?” Micha asks, coming up behind me.

“It’s nothing.” I stuff the letter back into the envelope and set it down on the kitchen table. “Just bill stuff that I have no idea what to do with.”

I head to take a shower. I’ve been frozen since we arrived and the hot water sounds great at the moment. Plus, I need a minute alone to mull over his declaration that he wants us to live together. Live together. My mind can barely grasp the idea of it.

Micha trails after me toward the stairs. “You should let me get in with you,” he says with a captivating smile on his lips. “It could be for my birthday.”

“Your birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” I remind him, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “And besides, I have to take a quick shower and get dinner started.” I glance at my watch. “Everyone is going to be here in, like, four or five hours.”

He presses his hand to his heart with the most appealing look on his face. “I’ll be quick. I swear.”

“What exactly do you think’s going to happen during this shower?” I ask as his fingers spread across my hips, just below the hem of my shirt, and he guides me against him. “Because I plan on getting clean.”

He shakes his head slowly with fire blazing in his eyes. “No way. Showers are made for dirty things.” He backs me around the banister and into the wall, tangling his fingers through my hair forcefully and dipping his voice to a husky whisper. “Think about the last time you and I showered together. How good it felt.” His hand comes up between by thighs, not stopping until it reaches the top. Even through the fabric of my jeans, heat devours my skin.

Something between a moan and a whimper escapes the back of my throat and he takes that as a yes, colliding his lips into mine. I suck his tongue deep into my mouth as I unbutton the front of his shirt and rip it off.

“I don’t have any clean clothes,” I murmur against his lips as he backs us toward the downstairs bathroom.

“We’ll figure something out.” Kicking the door open, we stumble in and he locks the door before returning his lips to mine. Trailing soft kisses down my jawline, he unfastens the button of my jeans and I slip them off, then tug off my shirt and shake out my hair.

The desire in his eyes nearly melts me and my body craves him inside me so badly. I quickly unclasp my bra, then grab the waist of his jeans and haul him toward me. When my nipples brush his skin they instantly perk up and his eyes close as his lips find mine. Desire pours through me as his hands glide around to my backside, searing hot as he enfolds our bodies together.

Reaching behind my back toward the tub, I manage to turn on the water and steam slowly engulfs the room. My skin dampens and my thighs tingle to be touched. I start to take off his jeans and he helps me out enthusiastically. Once the rest of our clothes are off, we climb into the shower and he draws the curtain closed. I can’t help but smile at the memories that surface.

Water drips from his blond hair, beads across his lips, streams down his lean chest. His hand travels down my side and along my stomach, but before he can slip his fingers inside me, I jump up and link my legs around his waist, surprising him.

“I want you inside me,” I whisper, letting my reservations go. “Right now.”

His eyelids open and his lashes flutter against the splashes of the shower. My confession shocks us both and without any more hesitation, he braces a hand on the wall and thrusts inside me.

My breath comes out ragged and my legs tighten around his hips as he pushes deeper into me. I can barely breathe… barely think. It feels so good. When he hits the right spot, I moan and grip my fingers into his shoulder blades.

“Micha, I love you,” I murmur between breaths and realize that this is what I want. Forever.

Micha

It startles the shit out of me when she says she wants me inside her. She has never been so upfront about what she wants and it turns me on so badly that my cock actually hurts.

Once I’m inside her, it feels so goddamn good, and I’m probably not going to last long. Water runs down our bodies and makes everything slippery, which is an added bonus. Bracing against the wall with one hand to keep us from falling, I rock into her over and over again, driving her to the edge. When her head tips back, the flow of the shower streams along her tits and I can’t help myself. I want a taste.

I lower my mouth to one of her breasts and suck the water off while tracing her nipple with my tongue until she groans. Her fingers knot through my hair and she guides my mouth closer, seeking more. And I give it to her. Hard. Until she scream out my name. Her hair is soaked and water beads on her eyelashes as her head angles back against the wall and her green eyes glaze over. Moments later I join her, breathing loudly as I struggle to hold us up.

Once we’ve both caught our breath, I slip out of her, turn off the water, and we climb out. She wraps a towel around herself and I tie one around my waist. I feel so alive right now there are no words.

She chews on her lip as she slants back against the wall. “What are you smiling about?”

I shrug, rolling my tongue to retain the smile from getting bigger. “I didn’t know I was.”

She kisses me on the cheek. “You have this big grin on your face, so just tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“You really want the truth?” I question. “Because it’s intense.”

She nods her head and her wet hair drips water down her shoulders. “I want the truth.”

I kiss her lips lightly and whisper in her ear, “I was thinking how we could do this every day when we have our own place.”

Her faltering breath hits my cheek and I worry she’s going to freak out. “I think we should start trying some different places beside the shower.”

My grin enlarges as I lean back and search her eyes. “I could throw you down on our table. Or better yet, I could bend you over the banister.”