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Telling me, through his actions, that he wanted more and was willing to take those steps.
And because of that, this overwhelming feeling rose through my body.
I didn’t know what it was.
I didn’t know what it was called.
I didn’t even know how to describe it.
All I could do was take it and feel it—everywhere.
“All right, then,” I whispered. “Show me how it’s going to be different.”
His lips landed on the side of my face, pressing into my cheek.
It was there that I felt him breathe me in.
That I felt the heat of his mouth.
That I felt the hardness of his body as we became aligned.
And it was that moment that showed me how well we fit together.
Not pieces of a puzzle—those edges were far too rounded. We were like jagged blades, his pointy spikes filling my hollow grooves.
“Bring me inside, Rowan.”
As his lips left me, I swallowed, trying to encourage my body to move, gradually peeling myself off the side of the door, and I walked into my foyer, waiting for him to follow before I closed the door behind him.
He’d been here before, so he knew where to carry the groceries, and that was where he headed. Instead of joining him in the kitchen, I went to the bar, taking a tumbler off the shelfand filling it halfway with bourbon, bringing it into the kitchen, where he was setting all the ingredients on the counter.
“Looks like I really nailed that description.” He nodded toward the end of the island, at my laptop and wine, where I’d been sitting before he came over.
I winked at him. “You did.” I closed the screen and moved the laptop out of the way, but I held the wine and took a sip. “I was following up with the governing officials of Alberta. They finally got back to me.”
“Any good news?” He began opening cabinets, eventually finding where I kept my pots and pans, and he took out a cast iron skillet.
“I explained our concerns, and they’re going to investigate. It didn’t sound like it was something they’d ever encountered. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
He set the skillet on the gas range, placed a large pot next to it, and turned on the oven. “It means that whatever decision we go with has to be the right one, or we’re fucked. Bringing it to their attention will put all the eyes on us.”
I winced. “Oops.”
He laughed. “No, you did the right thing. We always want to take the proper steps when it comes to building. Sometimes, the officials—in any county, state, or even country—just need to feel included. It doesn’t hurt to butter them up a little. Sounds like you did that, and you’ll end up doing a lot more of it.”
I twirled the wineglass over the counter. “My positive deed for the day … you had one yourself, I hear.”
After he opened the package of meat, he glanced up through his long golden-brown lashes. “You’re talking about my phone call with Rhett?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Whoa, that dude is fucking feisty.” He shook his head. “Once we made our way through some strong-ass banter, he said heneeded to see the land in person. I had our assistants schedule a trip for the three of us. We leave in less than a week.”
“So I’ve been told.” I reached across the counter, putting my hand on his. “Thank you. You could have had me make that call … and you didn’t.”
“I’m not going to hide from the motherfucker. I’m also not going to tell him what’s going on between us.” He ran his teeth over his lip. “I’ll leave that up to you.”
“Fair enough.” I sighed. “But the real question is, are we going to survive the Rhett and Brady shitstorms that’ll rain down the second they find out about us?”
