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Apparently, the wait had been just as hard on his kitten, since her front door opened before he was even out of the car. She stopped halfway down the front steps, her mouth dropping open when he took a few limping steps toward her.
Her excited squeal disturbed the neighbor’s cat, who shot them a glare from where he was napping on their front steps.
“You’re off the crutches! Wait, did you go to the doctor today? Why didn’t you tell me? What did he say?” Kit peppered him with questions as she hurried toward him as fast as she could without breaking her neck in the needle-thin heels he remembered from their trip to Black Light. They matched the dress perfectly, and without disappointment clouding his judgment, he was able to fully appreciate how off the charts sexy she looked.
“Get in the car and I’ll tell you.” He propelled her forward with a sharp smack to her ass and she giggled in response as she climbed into the car.
As soon as the door was shut, she pounced again. “Tell me what’s going on before I explode!”
Instead of a verbal response, he fisted a hand in her perfectly curled hair and yanked her in for a long, deep kiss. The instant their lips met, she went soft under his touch, sweet and submissive, yielding to him as he demanded.
“Good girl,” he murmured, pulling just a breath away. “I really fucking love you.”
“I love you back. Please tell me what’s going on, sir?”
“Doc says there’s a really good chance I can play next season.”
With another squeal, she threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so happy for you.”
“For us.” Gently untangling from her embrace, he shifted so they were facing each other more fully and lifted each of her hands to his lips in turn. “I couldn’t have done this without you, Kit. And you’ve done so much for me the past month, but I have one more favor.”
“Anything.”
“Move in with me. We can keep your place and rent it out, or you can sell it, whatever you want. But I want you to move in with me, for real. What do you say, kitten?”
Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, she pulled back, her eyes searching his face. “I don’t know. That’s a big step. What if you get tired of me? What if you hate the way I chew my food or the fact that I get up really early or—”
“Stop. You’ve been there for a month already and I don’t hate the way you chew. I’m sure we’re going to get on each others’ nerves, but there’s nobody else I want to growl at in the mornings or fight with over who drank the last of the coffee. You don’t have to answer me now, just promise me you’ll think about it.”
“No.” She shook her head, dark curls flying. “No, if I think about it, I’m just going to talk myself out of it. Let’s do it. I’ve been wanting to buy some rental property anyway, so why not start with something I already own?”
“Are you wearing panties?”
“Um, yes?”
“Take them off.”
“Why? Never mind.” With an exaggerated eye roll, she lifted her hips off the seat and worked the scrap of lace down her legs. “I don’t need to know why, right?”
“Such a good girl.” Taking the panties from her, he shoved them in his pocket before running his hand up the inside of her thigh. “I think you deserve a reward.”
It took an extra three trips around the block once they reached the restaurant, but he managed to give her three screaming rewards before they climbed out of the back seat.
Chapter 24
Katherine
Humming softly to herself, Kit scanned the display of chicken, carefully selecting a pack and placing it in her cart. Ever since Austin had asked her to officially move in, she’d been walking on air. Everything seemed to be clicking into place. She hadn’t started packing up her house, but she told herself she had time.
Maybe the rest of their lives, though neither of them had mentioned marriage yet.
“Slow down, Kit,” she quietly lectured herself as she picked out a gallon of milk. “Plenty of time for weddings and babies later.”
It was all so normal, making menus together, doing the grocery shopping. Bumping into each other in the bathroom in the mornings while she was getting ready. There were moments she completely forgot he was anything more than just the man she loved, the man who’d asked her to share his home and his life for the foreseeable future.
With her cart full, she maneuvered into line behind a petite woman whose hair made her nearly as tall as Kit herself. Someone to her right snickered and Kit fought the urge to giggle. As ridiculous as the woman looked, it wasn’t polite to laugh at strangers.
But the hushed laughter was soon joined by loud whispers and dread settled like a rock in her gut. Risking a glance toward the commotion, she found two teenage girls holding a magazine and staring.
