Page 71 of Back To You

“I’m still not opposed to burying you in the backyard.”

That catches me off guard, causing a laugh to escape my throat. “I’ll help you dig the grave. Just say yes,” I plead, seconds away from getting down on my knees.

“Yes to you helping me digyourgrave?” And, by the way she’s trying to hide the smile on her face, I know she already agreed to moving in with me. Now, she’s just giving me a hard time.

I huff out a breath because that threat doesn’t go away just because she’s my girlfriend, and I think she really is going to kill me. “Do you actively try to be a brat, or does it come naturally?”

She rolls her eyes as her lips curve into a smirk. “It’s as natural as breathing, bartender.” She stands, and I know she’s about to head to the guest room. Little does she know, I have no intention of letting her sleep anywhere but in bed—with me—ever again.

I stand from my chair, blocking her way. “So, it’s a yes?”

“Are you done with that?” She takes a little step closer to me, tilting her head a few inches to keep her eyes on mine. She crosses her arms, sitting into her hip.

“Still haven’t heard the word.” I look down at her.

We stay in our stand-off, waiting to see who will be the first one to back down. We both know that her answer is yes, and we both know she won’t give me the satisfaction of just saying the damn word.

We also both know that I will be the one to back down.

“Come here,” I say, swallowing her gasp when my lips press against hers.

I grab her by the hips, picking her up, and her legs immediately wrap around my waist. The material of her pajama shorts is soft and thin against my palms as I hold her against me.

Annie’s arms wrap around my neck, pulling me in. Her lips taste like chocolate and cherries, and I’ve never tasted anything more perfect.

I don’t break the kiss as I walk us to my bedroom—ourbedroom.

Chapter 27

Annie

I can feel the heat and passion in Luke’s kiss as his lips reacquaint themselves with mine. I went seven years without kissing Luke, and I survived. Now, I can barely go an hour without thinking of how his bottom lip feels between my teeth, how his tongue dancing with mine sends me into oblivion, how our lips fit so perfectly together.

He walks me from the kitchen to his bedroom, and it’s the first time I’ve been in here since I moved in—actually, it’s the first timeever—and I’m too overwhelmed, in the best way, with all of these emotions flooding through me. Luke kicks the bedroom door closed with his foot, before walking over to his bed, and laying me down.

When he breaks our kiss, my eyes slowly open as I adjust to the darkness of the room. His blonde hair frames his blue eyes as he stands above me.

He reaches for me, his hands trailing up the tops of my legs, up my stomach, and to my chest, finding the straps of my pajama top.

His eyes meet mine, silently asking for permission, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes and take the tank top off myself.

Instead, I reach for the thin strap over my shoulder, bringing it down slowly before doing the same to the other, and I feel his patience being tested as his fingers come to the bottom to help me pull it off over my head.

There’s something about Luke’s movements, the look in his eyes, the tension in the air, that makes me feel like we have all the time in the world. It’s easy to want to rush into this, to lose ourselves in each other and not think of what comes before or after.

But I want to savor every moment and feel every feeling I convinced myself I didn’t have.

I want to make up for lost time.

Not just because this is Luke, the boy I lost my virginity to. He’s the one who I’ve loved my entire life, the one who makes me feel more seen than anyone else in the world.

Not to mention the man who demanded I show him how I use my vibrator right in front of him.

But because he’s been patient with me for years; he knows me better than I know myself; he reminds me that everything’s going to be okay, as long as we’re together.

We’ll figure it out.

Together.

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