Page 115 of Silver Player

“Yes, a noise violation,” Roxie states, drawing me back to her.

“You know, complaining about loud music only proves you don’t know how to have fun.”

“I know,” she says, surprising me. “I have other things to disprove as well.” Her hand lifts for her throat and cups her neck. She’s wearing a black dress with a velvet jacket in silver over it. The color enhances her eyes.

“Like what?” I ask, still standing behind my desk, my heart racing in my chest.

“Like I’m sorry. I thought you’d want to keep things casual, so I tried to do that, and I messed it all up.”

“Roxie.” My voice lowers. Her fingers tap along her throat, and my mouth waters to kiss her there.

“I couldn’t keep it casual, so I pushed, maybe a little too hard. Lashing out is what we do, but I don’t want to lash out any longer. You broke me by what happened with Sadie.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I—”

“William,” she interjects, holding up the hand from her throat, the back of it waving at me. “Let me speak.”

She says something next, but I don’t hear a word as my eyes are fixated on the silver gleam coming off her left ring finger.

“You’re wearing the ring,” I interject again, pointing a finger at her.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” she snaps without much bite. I round the desk, stalking up before her. My eyes still fixated on her finger as she returns her hand to her throat. “I’m trying to say I’d like to take your promise and offer one of my own.”

My head leaps up as my hands cup her upper arms. My mouth has gone dry.

“We need to talk, Billy. We need to talk about a few things, but I want to promise to pay better attention to the signs. To read you better. I want to promise that I will love you with my whole heart and all my being and—”

I don’t let her continue as my mouth crashes into hers, wanting to swallow every word. I drink in the possibility of her promise. The hope she’s saying yes to everything. Us. Sadie. The three of us together. I reach for the corner of her lips and kiss her in a way her mouth curls, and then I return to full coverage. Devouring the lower lip before licking against the seam, asking for her to let me in.

“You are trouble, Billy Harrington,” she mutters against my mouth, and I pull back, hesitantly relinquishing her lips. I don’t want to stop kissing. I want to keep kissing her until she accepts there’s something between us. Something forever.

“But you love me,” I tease, not expecting an answer.

“Yes, I do.”

My brows rise, and my heart drops. She…

“I love you, Billy.” Her voice softens as her hands come to my jaw, stroking my scruff. My eyes close, pinching under the relief that she’s here. She’s touching me. She’s saying yes to me.

“I love you, too, Roxie. God, I love you,” I say as my eyes open, and my mouth returns to hers for another breathtaking kiss before I pull back. I reach for her hand, stroking my thumb over the ring.

“I don’t want to be just roommates,” I say and then lower to kiss the back of her hand over the ring. Then turning it over, I press a kiss to her palm and a second on the inside of her ring finger. “I want us as forever-mates.”

“Forever-mates?” She chuckles as she scrunches up her face. “Like roommates forever?”

“Like lovers forever. And best friends. And soul mates.” I look at her face, holding her eyes with mine. “I want to marry you one day, Roxie. If you’ll have me.”

“I’ll have you, Billy.” Her lips curl into a deep smile. “Speaking of having you…” She tips up on her toes and takes my lips this time, her tongue pressing forward. Her body leans into me, but I want to be clear.

“So, this is a yes? You’re moving in with me? You and Sadie. And it’s not casual, and it’s going to get complicated.”

“So complicated, William,” she teases, her voice lowering as she presses against me. “And yes, I’d like to move in with you and Sadie.”

Another kiss ensues before I can’t take it anymore.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” I say as the kiss accelerates, and I’m stiff as a block of wood. “I want to slip inside you underneath this skirt.” My hands come to her hips, rocking forward so she knows how I feel about her.

“What is it with you and my skirts?” she teases.