Page 78 of All I Feel

By the end of the day, I was beyond ready to go. I pulled out my phone and called Tessa.

“Hi, handsome,” she greeted me.

Hearing her voice for the first time since I’d dropped her off made all the work stress vanish.

“Hey, Tessa. I’m getting ready to head out of here for the day. I just wanted to confirm that Lark gave you a ride home from work. If not, I’ll be there in a few minutes to get you.”

“I’m already back at your place.”

“Alright. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Sounds good. See you soon, Ace.”

“Later, Princess.”

I ended the call and left, eager to get to her.

But when I made it home, I got more than I’d bargained for. As I walked up to the front door, it opened. Standing there, with a bright smile on her face, was Tessa.

She was so beautiful, it hurt. My chest ached at the sight of her there.

I’d looked forward to seeing Tessa answer her own door and surprising me with whatever she’d be wearing. It was my favorite thing. But this…

This I loved. I loved it in a way that I knew I wanted it forever.

I smiled back at her, closed the remaining distance between us, and wrapped my arms around her as my mouth descended on hers. I didn’t care that I hadn’t showered yet. Or that she’d somehow located an apron in the kitchen—something my mom had probably purchased for me years ago.

Mouth connected to hers, I hoisted Tessa into my arms, and her legs wrapped around my waist. There was nothing I could do to hold back the groan that escaped from me, so I didn’t even try. Tessa whimpered in my hold as I shoved the door closed behind us. Then I stood there, holding and kissing Tessa, her fingers in my hair, thinking how much I wanted this to be my reality every day for the rest of my life.

Tearing my mouth from hers, I searched her face. Pouty lips and a heated gaze stared back at me. One half of my mouth quirked. “You make a great case for getting me to convince you to make your move here permanent.”

She arched a brow. “All I did was open the front door.”

I nuzzled my face into her neck. “I know. I always liked that at your place, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I’d like seeing it at mine.”

Her arms tightened around my neck, her thighs squeezing my waist. “Well, how will it make you feel to know you’re coming home to thisanda home-cooked meal?”

The moment she mentioned it, I realized something smelled wonderful. “It’d prove I was the luckiest man in the world.”

“The whole world? That’s all it would take to make you feel that way?”

I laughed. “Tessa, I felt that way long before this moment. What I’m saying is that you telling me that now proves my theory.”

Her fingers lightly scratched the back of my scalp. “And I had something to do with this feeling?”

“You had everything to do with it.”

She licked her lips as she tucked her chin toward her chest. “You’re going to make me blush.”

“Telling you that makes you blush, but what happened the moment you opened that door to me doesn’t?” I questioned her. “And may I remind you that they’re your beautiful legs that are still wrapped around my waist, squeezing me every time you get excited.”

Tessa’s lips parted. She hesitated for a moment, then squirmed in my hold, a silent demand to put her back on her feet.

I did as she wanted, clearly reading that I’d taken things just a bit too far. This was going to be part of what I had tonavigate with Tessa moving forward, especially now that she was living with me for the time being.

We’d only just decided to shift from a close friendship to a romantic relationship. Tessa had revealed that she was a virgin until about a week before she learned her ex was cheating on her. She’d had that one experience, and it had taken her eight months to get to that place. It was obvious she had no problem with the kissing we’d done or the physical closeness we shared when cuddling. But anything beyond that appeared to be off-limits for now. I’d have to keep that in mind every time she did something that drove me wild.

“Are you ready to eat now, or do you want to shower first?” she asked. Her voice was softer than before.