“If I remember correctly, you love me feisty and then tied up.” I took great pleasure when he closed his eyes, gripping the steering wheel harder with my words.
“Back to your question: your brother told me he couldn’t think of anyone better for you than me.”
“Oh. That was really sweet, and it so happens I agree.”
He laughed. “He also told me at the concert why he had to give away my surprise once he found out you were coming home early. I think he and Josh really enjoyed putting a plan together.”
I laughed. “I think so too. Maybe it was their way of making up for Vegas.” I paused a moment and then had to ask. “Are you hungry?”
The change in subject threw him. “Sure, starving, actually.”
After looking for all-night options on my phone, he pulled into a Jack in the Box ten minutes later. We scarfed down fast food in a parking lot, which made me giggle.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, but I had a really great time on our date tonight.”
He chuckled as it dawned on him where I was going with this. He wanted to take me on a proper date before we slept together again, and I was checking that box via Jack in the Box.
“Is fast food really considered a date?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Ask Josh. Haylee told me their first date was him taking her to In-N-Out Burger.”
“My brother?”
I giggled. “Yep, Mr. Conservative Suit and Tie himself through the drive-thru.” I reached over and put my hand on Colby’s thigh, my fingers traveling up. “How much longer before we’re at your place?”
“Five minutes,” he said on a hiss when my fingers traveled up to find the outline of his ever growing erection in his slacks.
“Drive faster.” I stroked him through the material, delighted when he sped up some, and we arrived at his gate in four.
He’d barely put the car in park and shut off the ignition before he was on me. His hands wove into my hair while his mouth ravaged my senses with a kiss that was a contrast between tenderness and raw heat, scorching a trail down my throat.
I moaned with uncontrolled longing, wanting more than this cramped space in the car but not wanting to break away from his mouth, either.
Finally he did so, looking at me with unveiled love and lust. “What is it with you and this garage?”
I smirked, getting out of the car and watching him fetch my suitcase out of the back. “It’s you that’s the common denominator.”
Stepping into his house for the first time in over a month, nostalgia hit me. I felt his strong arms go around me from behind, hugging me close.
“Those weeks after the Vegas debacle, I couldn’t stand to be here because everything reminded me of you, so I stayed at the office mostly. Of course I was useless there too which is what I think propelled me to go visit the kids in the hospital. From there I managed to get my shit together.”
I turned with his confession, touching his face. I’d needed to know that his leaving me in Vegas hadn’t only been hard on me, but on him as well. We may be willing to leave things in the past, but learning from it was also essential. “I’m really glad you did.”
He laughed as I knew he would. “Me too.” Then his expression turned serious, and he took my hand to lead me into the bedroom. There he kissed me as if he wouldn’t ever get enough.
I wrapped my arms around him, eagerly returning his kisses and scarcely believing we’d survived almost three weeks without them.
“Christ. That felt like the first time.”
I shook my head. “Uh, more like the second time because if I recall the first time, it wasn’t—” I didn’t get to finish before his lips took mine again.
He was smiling when he started undressing me. “I blocked out all memory of that first kiss, so if anyone ever asks, we start counting from the second one.”
“Sounds good. And I won’t ever tell anyone it happened on your brother’s couch.”
He laughed out loud. “Deal. Oh, and don’t worry, I won’t mention the Tide stain stick comment from how wet I made you with our do-over second attempt.”
I sucked in my breath, horrified by the memory for only a second before I laughed. This was us. Fun, goofy, TMI moments—and I wouldn’t change a damn thing. “Okay, but if anyone ever asks, we waited until after our five dates to have sex.”
“I’m sensing a trend that the first times don’t go so well for us, but at least we more than make up for it later.”
“Yeah, we do.” I moved one of my hands down, taking a firm grip on his cock, curling my fingers around it. The frantic noise he made matched my own level of desperation to have him inside of me. We undressed desperately from that point on, but the leather pants, which had been sexy as hell on, were anything but when caught halfway down my legs.
Laughing against my lips, he walked me towards the bed and pushed me gently onto my back. He then pulled at the bottom of each leg to release me from my pants. “I have to say I prefer the dresses when it comes to getting inside of you faster, although the way those hugged your ass was hot as hell.”
I would’ve agreed, but at the moment could only concentrate on how incredible his body looked. One final tug on my thong, and I was finally completely naked under him. It wasn’t until he pressed against my entrance that I finally started to relax, knowing the delicious torture of waiting all night—hell, three weeks—was about to end. We both groaned in unison when he filled me on one stroke.
“I’ll make it up to you the second time,” he murmured.
I wasn’t sure what he meant until he started moving harder and faster, lifting my hips up and driving into me with deep, measured thrusts. My eyes rolled back, my core clenched, and suddenly I was coming in spectacular fashion, gripping his ass to rock him deeper into me, enjoying the sound of him reaching his own climax shortly after. We stayed joined for the longest time, each of us unwilling to break the connection.
When he ground his hips, starting to drive again, I moaned with satisfaction. Was he already hard again, or did it ever really go down? This time he pumped with slow, long, deliberate strokes, rising above me. He captured my face in his hands, his gaze looking intense. “I love you, Kenz.”
Dear God. Hearing those words while he moved inside of me would be my undoing. “I love you, too. So much.” I took his lips in a kiss, pouring all my emotion into it and feeling him do the same until we built up to the second release for both of us.
We lay there, quietly entangled in one another in the wee hours of the morning, neither of us wishing to miss a moment by sleeping.
“So, I think I found a roommate and a place for you to live,” he said quietly in the dark.
“Oh, yeah? Is it a house or apartment?”
“Here, I’ll let you hear the ad.”
What was he doing, combing Craigslist for me? “Uh, okay.”
He climbed out of bed briefly to rifle through his nightstand drawer. “This is still in draft, since you weren’t due home yet, so it can be amended as needed.”
I didn’t fully understand what he was talking about until he started reading the notepad he’d retrieved, propped up in the bed.
“Roommate wanted: Fun, extraordinarily good looking man—” He winked before proceeding. “—known for his panty dropping grin, in search of the one woman who not only makes him the happiest he’s ever been, but keeps his ego in check. She must be a combination of feisty and sweet with a wicked sense of humor. Preferences include: a healthy dose of patience, long, sexy legs and love of food. Walking around naked is a definite plus.”
I burst out laughing while at the same time biting my lip to keep from tearing up. “Where is this guy located?”
“Santa Monica, however that can be flexible if you choose to attend a different school than UCLA”
“How’s a house flexible in its location?”
“Not the house, the roommate. He’s willing to move wherever it’s most convenient for you to live.”
He smirked. “Tied to the bed as much as possible.”
“Sign me up, then.”
“That’s all it takes to convince you? Don’t you want to verify he’s actually handsome as advertised?”
I leaned up, biting his bottom lip gently. “If you put a blindfold on me, it won’t matter.”
“Is it any wonder I’m crazy about you?” He reached over grabbing his phone from his trousers off the floor.
“What are you doing?”
He was scrolling through his device. “The last part of the ad has a visual component.”
My lips curved up in a ridiculous smile. “Oh yeah?”
He chuckled. “Not that kind of visual, although I do appreciate how your mind went straight to the gutter.” Passing his phone over, it showed a picture of an adorable yellow Lab puppy on the display.
“I don’t understand.”
“There’s an option for this little guy. He’s at the shelter and can be picked up Monday.”
I’d always wanted a dog, but my mother was allergic. I practically launched myself at him. “Oh, my God, we’re getting a puppy?”
“Something tells me I could’ve skipped the whole ad and convinced you with the dog alone.”
“Your ad was about the sweetest thing ever.” I kissed him deeply, then curled up into his body, loving the naked cuddling. “But picking out a puppy, from the shelter no less, knowing how much I’ve always wanted a dog, pretty much sealed it. Was there anything in your roommate requirements about number of orgasms per night?” My fingers danced up his chest.
“Mm, that can definitely be negotiated. So is that a yes to moving in with me?” His hands glided over my skin.
“A definite, resounding yes.”
He grinned, pulling me closer and kissing me playfully before his face turned serious. “I have no idea what the future holds, but I absolutely know I can’t imagine mine without you Kenz.”
“Good, because you won’t have to.”
“Even though the lead singer of Misfit Toys is the type of guy you usually go for?”
I was completely confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Well you’re going out on tour with them next summer and you once said men with tattoos and brains were your thing.”
“Oh, my God, I wasn’t being serious. I was only trying to throw you off because saying pretty boys with devastating dimples who make me laugh would’ve been too obvious.”
His smile could’ve lit up the room. “And to think this all started with a bet.”
“Uh-huh, sure, that’s when it started.” The crush for the sixteen years before that and the seduction fails didn’t need to be mentioned.
He smiled. “Okay, maybe it was seeing you in your lacrosse shorts and that sexy mouth guard in your last game that started me realizing I might have other thoughts about you. You were so cute.”
I propped up and noted his smirk in using that word I detested. “Was it when I was chasing after the balls?”
“Have I mentioned how much I adore you?”
“You might not feel the same when I name our dog Beaver.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “That wouldn’t be a good idea. Think about telling your first class full of kids what your dog’s name is.”
I grinned. “No, probably not. When you said that, I got chills. Ms. Lane: future music teacher.”
“I’m willing to bet that might not be your last name by the time you’re teaching in the classroom. I mean, what could be better street cred than being a music teacher named Mrs. Singer?”
“Damn. Is that a proposal?” I couldn’t help but tease him.
“No way. I may not be the best with all of our previous firsts, but I sure as hell won’t mess up when I ask you to marry me.”
My heart fluttered. “Good. Now come here and kiss me like it’s the second time.”
EPILOGUE
It was only fitting that during the best year of my life, I’d be lucky enough to be up on stage accepting a Golden Globe. As the producer for the film, I had a list of people to thank, from the director to the cast and my team, before looking at my amazing wife in the audience. “Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my gorgeous wife who makes me laugh every day and inspires me to love what I do and do what I love.”
Kenzie blew me a kiss from the table as I grinned, thinking she’d never looked more beautiful than she did tonight.
After winning the award, I dealt with the press and photographers, necessary tasks that came with taking home the trophy. If I could ever get out of here, I planned to meet Kenzie for the after party, along with my brother and Mom, who’d flown in to share this evening’s celebration with me. Realizing my phone was buzzing in my pocket, I stepped to the side to answer my brother’s call.
“Hey, Josh.”
“Hey, congratulations.”
“Thanks. So I’m hoping I’ll wrap up here soon.”
“Well, I hope it’s real soon because Kenzie made me promise not to tell you for a half hour, but I can’t wait any longer. She’s in labor.”
“What?” She was only a week away from her due date, so labor wasn’t unreasonable, but she hadn’t mentioned anything earlier, so I’d assumed we were good. “Okay, where is she now?” Jesus, I’d just seen her in the audience only twenty minutes ago.
“On the way to the hospital with Mom in our limo. She didn’t want to interrupt your press, but I thought I’d leave that decision up to you. By the way, she said to pass on that she was calling her brother, but not her mom until after the baby is here. I’m two blocks over in a cab, ready to go when you are.”
“Okay, I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
By the time we arrived at the hospital, it was almost an hour later. The traffic from the Globes hadn't helped the drive. My brother had kept me calm, and thankfully, I was able to get a hold of Kenzie, who assured me that we had plenty of time. After getting out of the car, I was about to sprint in through the hospital doors when I saw my mom in the parking lot next to a limo.
She beamed with excitement. “Kenzie’s in the back. Josh and I will head in and let them know you’re here and leave you two a few last minutes of privacy. Congratulations are in order all around tonight. Love you.” She gave me a hug, grinning from ear to ear.
“Thanks, Mom. Love you, too. We’ll see you both in there soon.”
Climbing into the back seat next to my wife of almost a year, I smiled at the familiar rush I experienced every time I set eyes on her. She had the kind of energy that brought sunshine to a dark room and she was undoubtedly the love of my life. Brushing her hair over her shoulder, I kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear, breathing in the floral scent that I knew came from her conditioner. I grinned when I pulled away and her eyes met mine with humor. Those big brown eyes with the golden blond hair were a lethal combination, and I was one lucky bastard to experience it on a daily basis.
If she was nervous about what was about to happen, she sure as hell wasn’t showing it. Instead, she was shoving her face with In-N-Out Burger, which made me chuckle.
“Hi, Kenz.”
She attempted a smile with her mouth full. “Hey, you.”
We were both smiling, so easily lost in one another as we often were, even amongst a crowd or in a busy parking lot.
She offered up a fry, and I shook my head. “I take it you didn’t eat much during the ceremony?”
She wrinkled her cute nose and shook her head. “Every time I went to take a bite, someone would ask a question or the camera would pan to the table. I didn’t want to be the preggo wife who was bulldozing a meal for the whole world to see. Plus, I was kind of nervous, hoping so much that you’d win. After you stepped up on stage and gave your really great speech, I was instantly starving.”
“How long have you been in labor?”
Her grin was sheepish. “Uh, I might’ve felt some pangs on the red carpet.”
/> My eyes widened. “Jesus, why didn’t you say anything?”
She gave me the look. The kind you get that says, yeah right. “This was your big night, and there was no way you were going to miss winning a Golden Globe. I’m so proud of you, by the way. You worked so hard on this film. I was just hoping I could give you some more time, but your brother was kind of freaking out about waiting.” She winced with some discomfort before returning to her chocolate shake.
I laughed, picturing Josh stressing about Kenzie telling him to delay in sharing the news. “Although I appreciate you wanting to let me have this night, you have to understand that compared to all of my other productions, this is by far the greatest one. There’s nothing more important.” I rubbed her pregnant belly, completely in awe when our baby moved under my touch.
She put her hand to my face. “That was really sweet. Now take my mind off of what’s about to happen, please.”
“My pleasure.” I tipped her chin and met her lips, never tiring of this action and forever appreciative that she’d been the one and only woman I’d ever kissed like this. Finally breaking away, I whispered. “How was that?”
“Perfection. Now if only I could both eat and kiss at the same time.” She finished up her burger, then frowned at her phone, which seemed to be blowing up with text messages.
“Who is it?”
“My mother. She heard over the news that after winning your award, you had to leave because your wife went into labor. Damn press. She’s upset I haven’t contacted her yet.”
Knowing full well I wasn’t going to let Kenzie’s mother stress her out another minute, I bit the bullet by taking her phone and dialing.
Kenzie’s eyes went wide.
“Hi, Mrs. Lane.”
Her upset voice greeted me, but I didn’t hesitate in pushing forward. “I’m sorry to be calling so late at night, but wanted to let you know that Kenzie went into labor. With all the traffic around the Globes and chaos, we’re only now in the parking lot of the hospital, about to go inside.”
Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3) Page 34
