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My greedy hands reach for the coffee, but halt midway as my even greedier eyes take him in. He’s wearing nothing more than a pair of compression boxers and a cocky smile. The Lord is testing me.
“Here, let me help,” he says, passing me my mug and thankfully not commenting on my gawking.
I take a long sip, feeling infinitesimally more human. At least enough to do more than stare at the hunky, confusing slab of man meat sitting on the edge of my bed.
West watches me over the rim of his own mug, patient as ever as I gulp down my coffee. Once I drain the cup, he takes it and places it on the bedside table. “Sleep well?”
I go for honesty. “Not really.”
He winces. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault—well, not entirely.”
“I hate to lay it on you first thing, but did you think any on my proposition?”
“Uh, it’s pretty much all I’ve thought of.”
“Right, right.” West reaches over and takes my hand in his.
The sensation of his calloused palm sliding over my smooth one sends a wave of butterflies dancing in my belly. I’m not sure what it is about this man, but it almost feels like he was custom made just for me. Every single thing about him heightens my senses. From his panty-melting looks, to his intoxicating scent; from his delicious voice, to the way his hands feel so right on me—West Larson gets my blood rushing and my heart racing.
“And?” he asks when I don’t elaborate.
I take a deep breath. “And…I…I’ll do it.”
West stares at me. “You mean it?”
“Yeah,” I say, almost not believing it myself. “I mean it.”
The second the words leave my mouth, West tackle-hugs me to the mattress, pinning my body beneath his much larger one. Though, instead of feeling smothered or crowded, I feel protected and cherished as he peers down at me with an unmistakable softness in his gaze. “You won’t regret this. On my life, Stacia, you won’t. I’ll cherish you, and this gift you’re giving me. I’ll love our child and raise him or her by your side.”
Tears dot my lashes. “Please don’t make promises you don’t plan on keeping.”
He brushes my messy morning hair out of my face. “I meant what I said last night. I love you. I don’t know when my feelings morphed into something more, but they did. I. Love. You. And I’m going to love our child as well—with every ounce of my being, I’ll love y’all. And I don’t expect you to just take my word for it. I’m going to show you. Day in and day out, I’m going to show you.”
My lips tremble as I try and keep my tears at bay. “You’re too much,” I say as a lone tear falls over.
“Sometimes I worry I won’t be enough. You’re…you’re so full of life and fire and passion, and some days I just feel lucky to be able to bask in your glow. But, Stacia, I don’t want to leech your light. I want to add my fuel to your fire; I want you to combust and burn so brightly that nothing can ever stand in your way.”
I press my lips to his, the salt of my tears flavoring our kiss. “You’re so much more than enough, West. You’re…everything.”
We stay in my bed kissing and touching and talking until the sun sits high enough in the sky that its light fills my entire bedroom.
“Are you free the rest of the day?” he asks.
“Yeah, I just need to call Lesli and get ready.”
“Come find me when you’re done, and we’ll go see Colton.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What? Why?”
His eyes smile back at me. “I said I was going to show you. Step one, having Colton draw up a contract making sure you’re protected in case, God forbid, things don’t work out between us.”
I gape, shocked by his honesty.
“Plus, we need to break the news about him working for your dad for free. I’m really looking forward to that one.” West hops up from my bed. “Oh, and there’s a cookie cake downstairs. I bought it for you.”
As sad as it is, my heart pitter-patters at his words. “You got me a cookie cake?”
“Mmhmm. Decorated it myself, too.” He leans down and kisses me. “Save me a slice.” And with that, he’s gone.
My mind is racing as I dial up the steakhouse. To say I’m overwhelmed would be an understatement. It feels like things between West and me are moving at warp speed, but at the same time, it feels like this has been a long time coming.
Obviously, I’ve had a thing for him since we met, but us moving in together seemed to be a catalyst. It, along with some other variables, brought us together in a way that I don’t think would have otherwise happened.
