Her brows lift. “We’re not?”
“Nope.”
“Then where are we going?”
I smile. “It’s a surprise. Come on.” I take her hand in mine and lead her over to the car. I open the door and she climbs in without complaint. I climb behind the wheel and start the engine. Shifting into drive, I hit the gas and we’re off.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” I remind her.
“I hate surprises.”
“You won’t hate this surprise. At least, I hope not.” I shrug. I pull into Destiny's drive, and she looks at me, confused.
“The surprise is my house?”
“No, go pack a bag. You’ll need clothes to wear home tomorrow if you don’t want to come home naked because, as I already told you, I’m ripping that dress off tonight.”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but she climbs out and goes inside to pack her bag.
I wait in the car, knowing that if I follow her in, we’ll never make it out, and I really want to show her this surprise. I wait on pins and needles until I see her pass by the window. Then she steps out and locks the door behind her. She’s still wearing her dress, and I’m thankful. I figured she would’ve changed out of it to protect it from my wrath, but she must be looking forward to it the same way I am.
Destiny climbs back in and sets her bag in the back. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”
I laugh. “I promise, you’ll like the surprise.” I reach over and take her hand in mine, my thumb moving gently back and forth across the back of her hand. She squeezes my hand in return and, suddenly, I’m in a hurry.
It’s been a long-ass week being without her and now that I’ve survived it, I’m in no hurry to do it again. I don’t know how she managed to work her way under my skin so quickly, but I know one thing: I’m glad she did. I’ve never felt so complete before. I’ve dated many women, and none of them have had this effect on me. She’s the only one I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. She’s the one who lives in my dreams, in my thoughts, in my heart. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her by my side, but I don’t want to scare her off by moving too quickly. I never plan on living without her again, and it’s just a matter of time before she knows.
The road is winding as I drive up the mountainside. The night is dark, but the headlights cut through it like a sharp knife. The stars are bright, the moon is big. It’s the perfect night and I can’t wait to get to the next stage of it.
“Why are we driving so far out of town?”
“It’s a—”
“I know, I know. It’s a surprise.”
I smile. “Then just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
She rolls her eyes but sticks her tongue out at me then giggles at her silliness. I smile and shake my head, keeping my eyes on the road. We’re only a few minutes away and I can’t wait to see her expression.
Chapter Fifteen
DESTINY
Ifeel so stupid for causing such a fuss at the party, but what was I supposed to think? It never really made sense that a man like Shepard would want someone like me. When I saw a beautiful, elegant woman on his arm, I assumed I didn’t mean anything to him.
The car comes to a stop and I lean forward and look out my window at a big cabin settled into the mountainside. “What is this? Where are we?”
Shepard shuts off the car. “I figured that if I was wanting to stick around here, I needed a place to stay. The ski resort is nice and all, but it’s not home, so I bought this cabin.”
I feel my eyes stretch wide. “You bought this big cabin for just yourself? This thing has to have, like, five bedrooms.”
“Five bedrooms, three baths, full kitchen, living room, laundry room, and back patio with a hot tub. And I didn’t buy it just for myself. I bought it with future plans in mind.”
My brow lifts. “Future plans?”
He nods. “Come on. Let’s go check it out.” He opens his door and climbs out before rushing around the vehicle and opening my door. As I slide out, he gets my bag out of the back and carries it to the door in one hand while he holds my hand with the other. He leads me up the stairs on the front porch and to the front door where he stops to unlock it. He pushes the door open and steps inside. A moment later, the cabin is filled with light.
