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Miles smiles. "But you've spoken with them a million times."
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. He's obsessed with it, touching it whenever he can, and I love that.
"A weekly FaceTime doesn't count. This is the first time I'm seeing them in person. This means a lot to me."
Miles nods, picking up on my mood. I love chatting to his parents. They've made me feel so welcome, like I'm already a part of their family. It's great, it's just that…well, it brings up feelings and memories about my own family, reminding me that they're gone.
"Hey." Miles lifts my chin, bringing my eyes to his. "You're one of us whether you want to be or not. Mom and Dad already love you." He ducks in a little closer. "I love you."
Warmth spreads through my entire body. "I love you, too."
I smile like a sap. Even though we say the words multiple times a day, I'll never get sick of us sharing our feelings for each other. And to think, if it weren't for a hurricane and my silly lapse in my judgment, we may never have gotten the chance.
I lean in and press a chaste kiss to his lips, since we are in public, after all. X-rated shenanigans are reserved for the bedroom…and my sketch pad.
Yeah, I still do that. Except now, my illustrations aren't fantasies, they're an X-rated vision board that I share with my amazing partner who then helps me turn them into reality. Yay for power of attraction, and all that.
"Dinner with my parents will go great," Miles murmurs against my lips. "And then after dinner, I've got some plans for you, Mister."
"Hey." I pull back, grinning. "You're not my boss anymore."
"That's true." Miles matches my grin. "But I have your full permission to get very bossy with you. Don't I?"
My cheeks flame, and I nod. "Yes."
He very much does.
After we survived the very serious and life-threatening situation at Elysian, I got poached from Miles by the CEO. Apparently, he'd mentioned she was interested in promoting me while I was drawing him but I was too distracted becausehello, I was drawing him.
He's a fucking god, the sexiest man alive hands down.
The best bit? He's now starting to believe that himself, too. There's nothing sexier than seeing someone you love growing in confidence, accepting themselves fully.
As much as I didn't want to stop working for Miles, we discussed it and decided it actually worked in our favor. It allowed us to have a relationship without people gossiping behind our backs that I was sleeping with the boss, him risking his professional reputation, or us running into a barrage of HR issues.
Plus, we still get to work for the same company, so we can drive in from his—sorry,our—apartment together.
"Mom and Dad already think the world of you," he assures me, threading his thick fingers through mine. "Just relax and have fun. I am so proud of you, Kyler."
"You are? Why?"
"For opening up the way you did at Elysian. You shared your feelings about me." He lowers his voice and glides his fingers over my cheek. "You told me you're submissive. Witnessing you being so brave gave me the courage to do the same, to unlock a part of myself that I'd kept hidden away. And look, by us being open and honest even though it's scary, it's brought us to this incredible place."
I look up at the sign. "Ponchie's Mix'n'Match Grill?"
"Hey, don't knock it." Miles chuckles. "It's Dad's favorite restaurant…for some unknown reason. He insists we come here every time I visit."
I take a deep breath and smile, thinking about the amazing life Miles and I are creating together.
Given how fast and intense things have been since we got back from Elysian, we're trying to take it slow. Well, sort of slow. I already moved in with him, and we've already talked about marriage and kids. We're both on the same page, we want both. But we also want to enjoy every step of the journey so that, like Miles's parents next year, we can look forward to celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary.
"We live together, we work together, and yet somehow, it never feels like too much."
"I agree." He slides his hand around my waist. "We give each other space. You spend evenings drawing while I'm working late."
"You cook me amazing breakfasts on Sunday."
His voice deepens to a husky growl. "You allow me to do amazing things with your body."
