by Dani McLean
I cleared the lodge in my throat. One of us was going to have to leave soon, or I’d be a blubbering mess.
Jackson saved me, sweet and proud. We caught up to Tiff as she flirted with a very perky woman with a bright pixie cut, and I saw Tiff swapping numbers with her before we said goodnight.
The train home was uneventful, exhaustion finally hitting me. I burrowed into Jackson’s side, my head tucked into his chest as we rode the few stops home, and I closed my eyes, breathing him in and feeling completely at peace.
I couldn’t possibly ask for a better night.
By the time we walked into his apartment, he was the only thing keeping me upright. The bedroom was too many steps away, so I threw myself onto the couch, groaning at the relief of finally being off my feet.
“Just think,” Jackson said, removing my shoes, “we have to do that all again in a couple of weeks when the new season premiers.”
I groaned louder, though it was mostly swallowed by the cushion smashed into my face.
His voice was suddenly very, very close, and very, very low. “Do you know what you need right now?”
My lips curled against the cushion. Sleep. A foot rub. Your mouth on me. All of the above?
I mumbled something that could barely be considered words then heard his answering chuckle. “Come on. I owe you a bubble bath.”
“Can’t. Too sleepy.”
“Oh?” He proceeded to test my theory by lowering himself onto me, plastering himself to my back, nibbling on my earlobe and the soft skin below. “Or maybe there’s something else you’d like?”
His fingers deftly worked my shirt out of my pants, fingers dipping under the waistband as they teased the now uncovered skin. I writhed under him and was rewarded with a hum of appreciation low in my ear before he was suddenly pulling himself off the couch. I whimpered at the loss, flipping onto my back to glare at him.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.” He was entirely too amused for my liking.
Whatever retort I had in mind was replaced by a long yawn, one that forced my eyes closed. It was immediately followed by a second.
Jackson chuckled again. “Alright, sleepy. You’ve convinced me.”
A featherlight kiss passed over my lips as he helped me off the couch, and I let my eyes drift close as he maneuvered me into the bedroom, my legs absentmindedly moving as the energy faded away from the rest of my body.
Only when I was nestled under the covers did I realize I’d lost my pants somewhere along the way. Jackson was a long line of heat and stone behind me, and I melted into it, threading our fingers together once his arm was anchored around my waist and our palms were pressed together at my heart.
Where he lived. Where he belonged.
Epilogue
Audrey
10 Months Later
My phone rang as I finished applying my lipstick. I didn’t need to see the caller ID to know who it was. “Hey, I thought you were working tonight?”
“I am. That’s why I’m calling. Are you free to lend a hand? I’m down a bar bitch.”
“Oh, no, I am not falling for this again.” I pulled the phone away from my ear, calling out in the direction of the bathroom. “Uh, honey?”
“Mmm?” Jackson sauntered into the room, adjusting his cuffs, looking every bit like the movie star he was. The movie premiered in a month, and the hype had been growing since the trailer dropped. My man was officially “hot property.” Not to mention smoking hot in his suit. I didn’t hide my low groan of appreciation as he walked over and pulled me into his arms.
He smelled amazing. That tantalizing mix of cologne and him that made my toes curl.
We were running late. I knew that. And yet, I really wanted to be naked with him.
“My eyes are up here, beautiful.” He winked at me, and it was almost painful not to drag him over to our bed.
“Ugh, I can taste the sickening sweetness from here. You two disgust me.” Tiff's taunting effectively brought my attention back.
Innocently raising my eyebrow to Jackson, I asked, “Is there any reason Tiff is asking me to lend her a hand at the bar tonight? The same night as our anniversary?”
“I don’t know. It might be because we planned a small surprise party.”
“What the f—” I held the phone away to save my hearing. It was no use; Tiff’s loud exclamation could be heard even from a distance.
I laughed as I brought it back. “Oh, did I forget to mention that Jackson told me?”
“Seriously, what the hell! It was meant to be a surprise.”
“I think we’ve had more than enough of those in our relationship, thank you very much. So you can stop trying to come up with ways to meddle.”
“Excuse you. I believe I’m still the one who got you two together in the first place.”
“How could I ever forget when you’re constantly reminding me.”
“Whatever, just get your asses here already.” And with that, she hung up.
Jackson pulled me close. “How disappointed was she?”
“Extremely, but she’ll be over it by the time we get there.”
He still gave me butterflies, even after a year. Sometimes at the oddest times. It could be waking before him, curled against his back, basking in the steady warmth and protection I felt there. Or when I perched myself on the tiny counter in our bathroom to watch him shave in the morning, and he would lean in to kiss me wetly on the cheek, smearing cream on the way. But especially when we went to events because if we were ever separated and our eyes met across the room, my love for him overwhelmed me. Like beginning all over again. I honestly couldn’t stop being grateful for having him in my life. By my side.
“And how annoyed do you think she’ll be about this?” He grasped my left hand and kissed it, the warmth of his lips a contrast against the cool gold band that now adorned my ring finger. Thin and delicate, with a single small diamond embedded in the band. It was understated and pretty, but with a fragility that I fell in love with the minute I saw it. It had only been twenty-four hours, and I had to keep reminding myself it was real.
We hadn’t told a soul yet, deciding to wait until the party tonight. The day had been incredible, and while it was a small form of torture to not immediately call everyone and let them know, being able to celebrate alone with Jackson was a memory I’d cherish for the rest of my life.
Which might not be too much longer once Tiffany killed me for not telling her.
“She might actually murder me. Or you. I wouldn’t put it past her.”
“At least I’ll die happy.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek.
My giddiness hit a new high when we made our way into The Basement and were greeted immediately by our closest friends and family. The bar was closed to the public tonight, and we’d filled the space to celebrate a mix of occasions. Jackson’s film didn’t premiere for a month, and my birthday had been two weeks ago, but getting everyone together was a mammoth affair, and we had figured one giant party with everyone would be our best bet.
I lovingly stroked the lone ring on my left hand. Not to mention the latest good news we had to announce.
It took far too long to get to the bar. You’d think we never saw anyone with the way they were slapping Jackson on the back and wrapping me up in hugs, even though we worked and talked to most of them every day.
Tiffany wasn’t behind the bar tonight, but she was the first to hand me a drink, a short tumbler of honey caramel liquid, one of her latest concoctions, which she’d so hilariously named “the set up” as a tip of her cap to her successful matchmaking. No matter how often I told her, she would not believe it was simply a stroke of luck, countering that she had dealt a hand of fate for Jace and me.
Debating with her was fun, but I actually liked the name and the drink, and it was my usual anytime I visited the bar. Which wasn’t as often as before, but she happily conceded the time to Jackson as she was busy with her own relationship these days.
I held my glass in my l
eft hand, tilting the ring outwards on purpose, but no one had picked up on it.
Fine. Guess subtlety was overrated anyway.
I got Jackson’s attention with a pointed elbow to his side, and he protectively wrapped a hand around my waist before cupping his mouth and yelling over the music.
Most of the room turned to face us, and those who hadn’t, turned once they realized where everyone was looking.
Now faced with telling everyone, I was grateful Jackson was holding onto me. Otherwise, my legs might have given out. I gripped his hand where it rested on my side, and he squeezed me tightly in response.
“I just wanted to thank everyone for coming tonight to celebrate with us. There’s been a lot to celebrate recently, and you’ve all been here with us, so I won’t go over it all again now.”
“Good!” came a shout from the back, sending a wave of chuckles through the room.
“But there’s one thing I’m especially thankful for. A year ago, I met the love of my life, and I can’t imagine having anyone else by my side right now.” Jackson turned to me, and even though he’d already proposed and I’d already said yes, those same butterflies stirred up in me again. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and held his hand tighter as he continued. “And for some unknown reason, she feels the same way, so last night I asked her to marry me.”
Sarah was the first voice I heard, loudly whooping from nearby, and it started a chain reaction of cheers in the room. A loud male voice called out, “She said yes, right?” I was fairly sure it was Jackson’s Dad, but I couldn’t tell over the collective congratulations thrown at us. I did manage to call back, “Of course I said yes!” I held my hand up, which was promptly grabbed by Sarah and nearly yanked out of its socket as she admired the ring. Mrs. Ward then grabbed my hand out of her grasp to hug me and welcome me to the family.
Ok, I was definitely crying now.
Tiff was immediately by my side with a napkin because she knew me like that. She hugged Jackson while I dabbed at my eyes, and when I was done, she crushed me in a hug and spun me around. “You’re lucky I love you, or else I’d be pissed you didn’t tell me.”
“I am lucky,” I breathed out, too emotional to think of a witty retort.
“Shit, Hannah is going to hate that she missed this!”
“I’m happy to see you happy, by the way.”
She hushed me. “It’s only been a few weeks, don’t make a big deal out of it.” But I could tell she was a little head over heels. “Oh! I didn’t tell you, apparently Harry is selling the bar.”
“What? To who?”
“His brother. I’ve never met him, but as long as he stays out of my way, we’ll get along just fine.”
“Good luck.”
She let me go as Wes hugged Jackson next to us and called out, “Toast!”
Tiffany threw up a hand. “Wait! Wait! I just learned sabrage! Give me a second.” She then proceeded to run behind the bar and pull out a fucking sword from under the counter, resulting in a wolf whistle from Wes. She gave him the finger with her other hand before picking the bottle of champagne off the counter.
Everyone collectively took a step back.
“Alright, screw the lot of you. I’m about to be a badass.”
Honestly, I shouldn’t have been surprised when she casually held the bottle up, gave the cork one, two, three baby taps with the blade, then, in one clean, confident swing, popped the bottle open, immediately depositing the now overflowing champagne into the waiting glasses.
She passed Jackson and me a glass first, smiling smugly, though her eyes were a little glassy. I’d tease her about it later, but for now, I was trying my hardest not to burst into tears myself.
A couple of hours later, and the party was in full swing. I’d been nursing an espresso martini for the last twenty minutes, too busy watching Jackson as he chatted to David. David had this habit of using his hands wildly as he spoke, something I was fairly sure he’d picked up from Nicky, causing Jackson to keep moving his glass out of the way.
The fact that he hadn’t put his drink down or made some passive aggressive comment to David about his hands made me so happy that this kind, considerate man was who I got to spend the rest of my life with.
As I contemplated the fantastic future we had in store, I overheard Tiff mention she was out of napkins and needed to get to the office to restock.
“We’ll get some more!” I quickly latched on to Jackson’s jacket on my way past and pulled him along. “Come on, handsome.”
As soon as the door closed behind us, I backed us up to the desk, sat on the edge, and tried to get him between my legs. He stood firm, just out of reach, looking very pleased with himself, even as he denied me. “Baby, everyone’s waiting.”
“Let them wait. You’re driving me crazy in this damn suit.” I pulled again on his jacket, trying to get him close enough to kiss, but he was stronger, and he knew it.
“David was just telling me about the sister bar that you signed and how big it is for the business.”
“Mmm.” I looped my fingers through his belt hooks and pulled again, encouraged as he stepped minutely closer, though still not close enough.
His hands ran up my bare arms, sounding amused. “And it looks like I got that voice acting job for the next Disney film. Terry said they’d call me about it this week.”
“Sure.” My hands felt up his chest, running over the ridges of his muscles underneath, my gaze following, stopping only when I noticed his raised eyebrow and amused expression.
He was biting his lower lip. Definitely on purpose. He knew what it did to me. “I’m starting to think you only want me for my body.”
“But what a body it is.”
He took another step forward. He was between my legs now but still frustratingly out of reach of my lips. I could stand up and close the distance, but part of the fun was the tug of war.
And knowing he would eventually give in.
“And what about the rest of me?”
I locked eyes with him, giving him a look of clear and utter adoration. He blinked, transfixed, and I knew I’d won.
“Every part of you is amazing, and every day we spend together, I find new things to love about you. But if you don’t hurry up and kiss me right now, I’m going to go out of my mind.”
He did just that.
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to my ex-husband/roommate/friend who is the antithesis of Brad and also was my sounding board during the conception of this book. He will also say he chose the title, which… Ok, I’ll give him that one.
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To my close friends and family, who have supported my decision to do something crazy like write a book! And will now have to either (gasp!) read it, or pretend to. Please know that it’s ok if you didn’t finish it, or skipped the sexy parts. And dad, if you didn’t skip the sexy parts, please don’t tell me.
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Huge thanks to the brilliant Bailey from BaileyDesignsBooks for her cover design. She was an absolute JOY to work with, and took what I can only describe as my vague description of what I wanted and turned it into something beautiful. I can’t wait to see what we create for Tiff’s sequel!
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This book wouldn’t be half what it was without the incredible work of my editor. Thank you Olivia, for making this book better and making me a better writer for it. Your advice was crucial to moving the story from okay to great, without ever making me feel like a complete idiot.
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And to every single person who made it this far, and read the book. I cannot thank you enough. No matter what you thought of it, I never once while writing it, thought that one day anyone might actually read it. It means so much that you took a chance on this fluffy little romance, and if you liked it that is all the more special to me.
About the Author
Dani McLean is an emerging author of sexy, snarky stories featuring kickass women who can’t quite get their shit together, and the
irresistible but confused men who fall in love with them.
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Born in Melbourne, raised in Perth, Australia, Dani loves to read, write and travel. She loves Hallmark movies because they’re unintentionally hilarious, she’s been on enough terrible Tinder dates to fuel countless books; and when she isn’t conducting unofficial wine tastings in her pyjamas, she’s devouring all things romance.
