Page 47 of Five Mountain Daddies

She stands there in the living room. It’s pretty spacious, blending into the kitchen off to the left, with two bedrooms down the back hallway and a nice, large, modern bathroom at the very end. It’s a pretty typical apartment, except everything is new and perfectly done, and the view isfantastic.

She walks over to the windows, not saying anything at first. I stand and watch her, wanting to give her a second to think aboutit.

“I can’t accept this,” she saysfinally.

“Yes, youcan.”

“No, really.” She sighs. “I’m not staying here. I can’t take an apartment for, like, two months. Less than that,really.”

“I own this whole building,” I say. “You’re not exactly costing memuch.”

She pauses. “Really?”

“Really,” I confirm. “Closed on the deal just a few daysago.”

She laughs nervously. “Did you buy an entire apartment building just to get me my ownplace?”

“Yes,” I say, walking over toher.

“Ryan,” she says softly. “Ican’t.”

“You can.” I stop inches away from her. “Do you really want to live with yourparents?”

“No,” shesays.

“Do you want to have us over whenever you want, stay out as late as you want, no oversight, noworries?”

“Yes,” she says, this time almost awhisper.

“Then this is your apartment for the rest of the summer. And when you’re done with it, I’ll rent it out, noproblem.”

She sighs, but she doesn’t say no. I tip her chin up toward me and kiss her softly. She kisses me back, a little hesitantly at first, but slowly gets more into it. She kisses me slow and deep and I press myself againsther.

We break apart and she sighs, hugging me tight. “I don’t know how I can repay you,” she says, and I can feel a big smile on myface.

She doesn’t need to repay me at all. I’m just more than happy that she’s taking the place. I know she’ll be content here, at least until she moves into thecity.

She looks up at me and kisses me again. I run my fingers through her hair, kissing herback.

We break apart after another minute. “Well,” I say, “we’d better get some furniture in here,yeah?”

She groans. “You’re not buying all that forme.”

“Consider it a signing bonus, for taking the newjob.”

She groans again, but she doesn’t fight me. I know she’ll let me buy her whatever I want, because at the end of the day, everyone wants to be spoiled. As independent and smart as she is, she’s no different. She wants to be showered in gifts, and I want to give hereverything.

There’s a voice in the back of my mind, a voice that I’ve been trying to ignore lately, but it’s getting harder and harder. It keeps telling me to get her to stay, to keep her around, to make sure she never leaves. I don’t want to get attached to London, because I know her heart and her future is in the big city, but I can’t help but give in to that feeling, at least a little bit. Part of giving her this apartment and furnishing it for her is to make her see that Leadwood isn’t so bad, at least if she has her own space. I can’t help but hope that’ll help to sway her, make her want to stay, as selfish as thatis.

I’ve never wanted a woman for more than a night before, not a single time in my whole life. But now, I can see being with her… even if she’s also with my four best friends at the sametime.

17

London

All five guys come over for my first night in my newapartment.

I can’t believe I took this place, but I couldn’t say no. Ryan was right, I needed to get out of my parents’ house, and this is just too perfect. The place is beautiful, so much nicer than anything I’ve ever lived in before, and even the view is fantastic. It’s pure forest as far as the eye cansee.

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