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Chapter Thirty
Latham
I can’t breathe as I wait for my words to sink in.
Harper glances around, first to the back half of the building that’s filled with product for the hardware store. Then her eyes swing to the front half of the building, the part that’s still empty of merchandise. “I don’t understand,” she whispers, tears filling those gorgeous blue eyes once more.
“This is ours. Together.”
Her eyes meet mine and her mouth falls open, but no words come out.
So I keep going. “See, we both had a dream. Yours was to expand your business so you could bring in more product, right? Local vendors and new things that would cater to more than just those individuals seeking lingerie,” I say, watching as she nods her head in confirmation. I already knew that, though. Yeah, I figured it out on my own just by being around her, but I’m not ashamed to admit I recently talked to her best friend for a little more intel.
“Well, I bid on this building for much of the same reason. Numbers were down, and the business was suffering. Dad was worried our small family-owned business wouldn’t survive without some sort of change. He mentioned the building being for sale, and I sort of went with it. I felt like it was my only option to save the business I had grown up in.”
“I’m glad you won,” she says, catching me off guard.
“You are?”
“Yeah,” she replies with a small smile. “I would hate to see it close down. It’s a staple for our community, and whether the residents realize it or not, this place needs your store.”
I swallow over the lump that forms in my throat. “Well, thank you. But I also realize if you had won, I could have still made it work. I could have reorganized the store and figured out how to carry more product in our existing space. I could have gotten rid of the stuff that wasn’t moving. I just had it in my head I needed this in order to achieve it. I was wrong.”
She glances around, really taking in the building again. “This is stunning,” she says, a smile on her totally kissable lips.
I turn us both so I’m gazing directly into her eyes. “I want to share it with you. Because I love you and want to spend my life with you.”
Again, those tears fill her eyes. I hate them, honestly, especially because I’m the dick who put them there. Unless they’re the good tears, the ones my sister has talked about. The ones that actually mean she’s happy and not sad.
“Lingerie and hardware really don’t mix,” she says, her lip barely curling upward.
“Are you kidding? Something sexy from your store and maybe some new rope or bungee straps actually sounds like a good time,” I reply with a wink.
Her laughter fills the space, and my soul, making it shine like the sun for the first time since she walked away. “Maybe, but I’m thinking you’ll be the one tied to the bed,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around my chest and leaning her head against my shoulder.
“If it means you’re back in my arms, I’d let you tie me up anywhere,” I reply, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. Her shampoo assaults me, reminding me of just how long it’s been since I’ve been this close to her.
She glances up, her eyes shining with happiness. “I love you too.” Her words make me smile, make my heart do a double backflip in my chest. “But I have a confession to make too.”
I gaze down at her intoxicating blue eyes and wait.
“I knew you were bidding against me too. I figured it out when I went to see Mrs. Morton and you were leaving. In fact, both times, you beat me to the punch. You even wined and dined her better than I did.”
I can’t help but snort. “I’m sorry I went behind your back like that.”
“Don’t be. I did the exact same thing. I could have asked you, but I didn’t. I’m at fault here too.”
“Maybe,” I tell her, squeezing her a little tighter in my arms. “I guess this all could have been avoided if we had just communicated a little better, huh?”
“Oh, I believe we communicated just fine.”
“Glitter doesn’t count as communication,” I tease, drawing a small laugh from her lips.
Then, finally, after the longest twenty-one days, my lips are on hers, soft and sure. She tastes like heaven. My heaven. My hands slide to her head, threading into her ponytail, as I devour her mouth with my own. She gives just as good as she gets, using her tongue to pretty much send me straight over the edge of sanity.
Pulling back, we’re both panting and trying to catch our breath. “Did you really go outside like this?” I ask, glancing down to where her nipples poke through the material.
She blushes as she glances down. “I wasn’t thinking. As soon as I heard that stupid song, I just flew out the door.”
