Page 77 of All I Need

“Mm hmm. You act so tough. Admit how incredible that was.”

She shrugs but won’t look me in the eye. I move her chin so she’s facing me. “Look at me, Ellie.”

When I finally have her deep blue gaze on mine, I say, “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever experienced. Second only to finding your vast sex toy collection,” I tease and she bites her lip. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Not with me, okay? Never with me. That was a first for me, too. It’s important to me for you to know that. And Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

I lean in close, my hand on the back of her neck tugs her into me and I lower my voice, my lips grazing her ear as I tell her, “I plan on reliving every single moment of last night with you very soon. But this time, we won’t be on the phone.”

“Soon?” she whispers.

I kiss a slow path down her neck before I let her lean back away from me, but not far. “Very soon.”

She squirms on my lap, eyes drifting down to where our bodies align. “Oh my.”

“Yeah. So, whatever it is that’s going through that beautiful head of yours, clear it out, babe. All that shit in the past is just that. The past. Looking to the future, and I see an us. You with me?”

She looks at me like she’s trying to find the dishonesty in my words but she won’t. I told her she could trust me and I meant those words to the depth of my soul.

“I don’t know,” she admits and damn if it doesn’t make me like her that much more. Her honesty is refreshing.

“I’ll convince you.” I rest my back against the chair and play with the ends of her hair. “You’re beautiful.”

She blushes. “You aren’t so bad yourself.”

I grin. “This weekend, I wanna take you out.”

“Let me guess, pregnant goats this time?” she asks then her eyes light up with happiness. “Oh my gosh! Pregnant goats. Yes! Let’s go find some. I bet baby goats are adorable!”

“Kids are some of the cutest.”

“I said baby goats.”

“That’s what they’re called. Kids.”

“No.”

“Yup.”

“That makes it even more adorable. Can we find some?”

I laugh loudly, pulling her in close so I can hug her to me. “Ellie… holy shit. I don’t know your last name. How do I not know your last name?”

“I never offered it up. Did you not pay attention to my paperwork, boss?”

“Calling me boss makes it sound so dirty.”

“And?”

I grin. “Okay, so…”

She deflates a bit, knowing I’m not going to let it go. “Cummings,” she mumbles.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“My last name is Cummings, okay?”

“As in…”

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