Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
I’ve never thought those words before she came into my life.
“At least, if I haven’t seen or held you in a couple of days, I’ll smell you on the sheets. I’ll see your coffee mug in the sink and your stuff in the bathroom. Your books lying around the house. You’ll be here, even when you’re not here. No more overnight bags.”
She pushes her fingers through my hair, using her nails on my scalp in that way that makes me want to fucking purr.
“Are you sure?” she asks, her voice quiet.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Looks like we have plans for our day off tomorrow after the bike ride.”
Thank God.
I rest my forehead to hers, still holding her against the wall. “Let’s move you in tonight.”
She frames my face and smiles at me. “Tonight?”
“Do you have much to pack?”
“No, just a couple of suitcases—”
“Then yes. Tonight. The faster you’re here, in our house, the better.”
She blinks up at me. “Our house.”
“Yeah, baby. Our house. Unless you don’t like it and want to buy something else.”
She exhales with a surprised laugh, then wraps those arms around my shoulders and buries her face in my neck. “I love this house.”
Tell me you love me, too.
I almost say the words out loud, but I hold them back.
She’ll say them when she’s ready, and it’s not fair of me to demand them.
But fuck, do I need to hear it.
“Blake.”
“Yes, baby.”
She pauses, then says, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I grin and kiss her cheek. “Same here, my love. Same here.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
HARPER
“That’s the last of it.”
Holy shit. I’m really doing this. I’m moving in with Blake Blackwell.
I get to see him every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes between our crazy schedules, and part of me is so relieved. I need him every day.
With my few suitcases and a couple of totes in the back of his vehicle, Blake reaches up to close his SUV just as Xander comes driving up in his fancy-as-fuck car and parks behind us.
“What are you guys up to?” my brother asks as he climbs out of his sports car and pulls his sunglasses off.
“Oh good, I don’t have to text you. I’m moving all of my things over to Blake’s place.”
The smile falls from Xander’s lips, and his gaze bounces between Blake and me.
“Say that again.” Xander crosses his arms over his chest and glares at Blake, and I let out a sigh.
“Stop looking at him like that.” I prop my hands on my hips. “Thank you for giving me a place to live, X. I appreciate you, and I have loved having some time with you since it feels like I never get to see you. But Blake and I hardly see each other as it is with our schedules, and I’m going to be living with him.”
“You move fast,” Xander says, still staring at Blake, and I close my eyes and shake my head.
“God save me from overprotective men. Xander, chill out.”
“It’s my whole job not to chill out when one of my sisters decides to shack up with some dude,” he reminds me, then turns back to Blake. “Look, I like you. I like your family. I don’t have beef with you, but she’s my sister, and she’s already been through it. So if you hurt her, if you even hurt her feelings, I’ll hurt you tenfold.”
I walk right over to him and wrap my arms around him, hugging him close.
“He won’t hurt me,” I tell him, meaning every single word. Sure, we might argue, and earlier, I was ready to run Blake over with my car. But when it really counts? I know that Blake won’t hurt me.
“I love you, baby sis,” Xander says, kissing my head.
“Yeah, yeah, love, blah, blah.” I grin up at him. “Ditto, X-man. Now, stop being a bully, okay? You can pull that shit on the ice, but not with me or my man. I won’t bake you any more cookies.”
“You don’t pull your punches.” He tugs on my hair the way he always does, and I know that everything is right with him. “You’d better tell the others. And you better not tell Dad over text.”
“I’ll call him.”
“We’ll go see him,” Blake counters and offers his hand for Xander to shake. “And we’ll have you all over for dinner soon.”
“Good luck with that,” Xander says. “Wrangling us all together at once isn’t as easy as it used to be.”
“You did it for the resort,” I remind him.
“No one was going to pass up that little vacation.” Xander laughs and turns to go inside. “Do you need help with anything?”
“Nah, we got it. I don’t have much.”
“Just call if you do.” Xander winks at me, nods at Blake, and disappears inside.