Page 63 of Runaway Bride's Guide to Love

Which is how I know without a shadow of a doubt this needs to stop. Nothing this good lasts forever. That’s one thing I know for certain. We’re living in a fantasy world right now. When we’re back in Nashville with jobs and lives and families and everything else, it won’t be like this. So while I might be enjoying my time with Stella, this needs to stop while we’re ahead. It’s the smart thing to do.

Though sometimes I hate being fucking smart.

“Are we out of ice cream?”

The sound of Stella’s voice shakes me a little, but I’m immediately calmed when I feel her arms wrap around my waist.

You’re still in the bubble. This is okay. Enjoy every minute while you’re here. Don’t waste a single one.

“We’re not.” I grab the ice cream from the freezer before turning around. I place it down on the counter but quickly pick her up to set her on the island. We’re eye level, which gives methe chance to gaze into her eyes for a few seconds. Fuck, they’re gorgeous. She’s gorgeous. But she’s more than that.

She’s…everything.

“Got in my head for a second. Sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” She gives me a sympathetic look as she softly runs a hand through my hair. “Want to talk about it?”

I slowly shake my head as I lean into her touch. “Not important. Definitely not as important as tonight’s sweet treat.”

I take her hand and place a kiss into her palm before taking a step back. Except when I step away, I catch a glance at the bottoms she’s wearing.

Boxer shorts. My boxer shorts. And not a pair she grabbed from the clothes I’ve started keeping over here. But the ones I gave her the night we first met.

“What are those?” I shift my glance from the shorts to her blushing face. She’s biting her lip as if she’s nervous. I can take a guess as to why she is, but little does she know she should be nervous for a whole other reason.

Because seeing her in my clothes is doing something to me in ways I’ve never felt. And it’s making me think things I’ve never thought.

Like this woman is mine.

Like the thought of her wearing any other man’s clothes makes me murderous.

Like I don’t want this to end in two days.

“Your shorts?”

I grab the waistband with both hands and step back to her. Her legs instantly go around my waist so she has no choice but to feel my cock pressing against her through the fabric.

“Have you worn them before?”

I see her swallow before she answers. “Yes.”

“Why have I never seen them?”

Her smile goes from nervous to playful. “Because when I’m with you I’m usually naked.”

Fair. And a naked Stella is never a bad thing.

“If I would’ve known this was an option, I might have kept you clothed more.”

“Really?” She raises an eyebrow as her hand reaches down and inside the sleep pants I’m wearing, slowing beginning to stroke me. “You don’t want me naked?”

The growl I let out echoes through the room. “I never said that.”

My mouth finds the base of her neck, which is open for me because of the off-the-shoulder T-shirt she’s wearing. Stella starts moving around, but it’s not her normal fidgets when I’m hitting the spot that sends her wild. I quickly take a peek to see that she’s trying to take off her—my—shorts.

Except that’s not going to do.

“Stop.”

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