Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“You never lost me.” And she never will.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Eira
As soon as I step inside Dax’s place, even though I’ve never lived here, it feels like home.
“Wow,” I say. “I like what you’ve done with the place.” I sweep my hand around his waist and lean into him as I survey the few bits of furniture in the living room. All of it’s come from the flat and looks pretty beaten-up in these new surroundings. “Have you been robbed?”
“You sound like my brothers.” He chuckles. “Promise you won’t freak out if I explain why it looks like it does?”
“Why would I freak out?”
He turns so we’re facing each other. “I was waiting for you,” he says in a tone I somehow know he only uses for me.
“Waiting?”
“I want a life with you, Eira. I want you to move in with us. And if you agree, I don’t want this to be my home that you live in. I want it to be our place. A place we bought furniture for and decided how to decorate together.”
My insides turn to liquid as he speaks. Dax isn’t a love bomber, he’s just speaking from the heart and being authentic. That’s the only way he knows how to be.
And that’s just one of the reasons I love him.
“You are a good man, Dax. Thoughtful and sensitive, and I want us to live together too.” A grin cracks across his face, but I hold a finger up. “On one condition.”
“Just one? I was expecting a bigger list than that.”
“I’m sure I can add to it if necessary, but the first one is the most important. For me anyway.”
“Anything,” he replies.
“I want to pay for half.” It will be my second real estate investment, as I just bought the flat Callie and I are in. She’s insisted that she’s going to pay me half the rent, like I’m still living there.
“Half of the furniture?” he asks.
I nod enthusiastically. “Yes. And the house.” I brace myself. I’m not sure what his response will be—I don’t know how sure he is that we’ll survive. Yes, he said he wanted to marry me, but does he want a partner? An equal?
“It’s an expensive house,” he says, cautiously.
“I understand that,” I reply.
He shrugs. “If that’s what you need, that’s what we’ll do. But you don’t need to. It’s a really expensive house.”
I have a feeling Dax’s entire philosophy of our relationship will be, if that’s what you need, that’s what we’ll do. And I don’t know how I managed to find a man with such confidence that he is happy for me just to do what I need.
“You’re perfect,” I say.
He shakes his head. “Far from. But I want to be the best man I can be for you. And Guinevere.”
I shriek. “Oh my gosh, we should go and get her!”
He laughs. “Later. She’s with Jacob and Sutton. I have a key. I’ll go and collect her before her midnight feed.”
I smooth my hand up his shirt, my body melting into his at the feel of him. How did I manage to stay away for so long? “Oh—one more condition.”
He laughs. “I’ll meet every single condition you come up with.”
“I want a big tree. In the foyer, I think.”
He looks at me like he’s concerned I’m delusional. “A tree in the house.”
“A Christmas tree.”
He breaks into a grin. “Sounds good. Somewhere to put Guinevere’s hand-and-footprints.” He nods over at the decorations resting on the built-in bookshelves that have no books on them yet.
“Oh, Dax,” I say.
He dips his head and presses his lips against my neck, the vibrations of his moan as he connects with my skin radiating across my body.
I push my fingers into his hair and enjoy the feel of him, savoring the knowledge of what’s next. His fingers fumble at the hem of my t-shirt and I take a half step back to sweep it over my head. I reach for his buttons while he traces the lace of my bra around the upper swell of my breasts.
“I missed you,” he says.
I use the palms of my hands to reach beneath his unbuttoned shirt, to feel as much of him as I can, before pushing the shirt off his shoulders. “Here?” I ask.
“Anywhere,” he replies. “Everywhere.” His eyebrows pulse and I shiver.
I sigh and he lifts my chin.
“Tell me,” he says. “Tell me what you’re thinking. I want to hear it all.”
I hook my fingers into his waistband. “It feels big, that’s all. This moment. It’s like we’re crossing a line or something.”
His hand cups the back of my neck. “You’re right. Because it’s one way from here. There’s no going back. It’s us, together, sharing our futures. It’s the start of our forever.”
I swallow. He’s so earnest about it. So reverent. Intense.
“I like the idea of sex being a ceremony of sorts.”