Page 60 of Love in Mission City: The Shorts

“But you never said…”

“Sweetheart, you were underage.”He pressed a kiss to my temple and sucked on my earlobe.“Tell me I’m not too late.I want this house…and goddamn, I want you.”He ground our pelvises together.Cock to fucking cock.“Need you.”

“Let me take down theOpen Housesign.”

“And if someone else shows up?”

“They’re fucked.”

“Oh, someone is definitely getting fucked.And I hope it’s me.”

OMG.Marcus Branigan wanted me—little Cadence Crawford, was going to buy the cottage,andwas a bottom?Fuck, life had never looked brighter.“Let me show you to my room.”

“Ourroom.”

Oh, fuck, yes.

Chapter Two

Marcus

When I saw the sign for the Open House, I nearly drove off the road in my haste to pull a U-turn and get here as fast as I could.I’d wanted one of these cottages for as long as I remembered.Had prized the things.Coveted them.

Dreamed to make one mine.

Did I expect Cadence Crawford to answer the door?

Hell no.

Was I thrilled?

Fuck yes.

Somewhere, in the recesses of my mind, I remembered hearing he was a realtor.The kid, make that, gorgeous man had always been ambitious, and that industry certainly demanded cutthroat tactics.

I followed him back through the house and waited impatiently as he went outside to retrieve the sign.At least the house was mine.I could afford the price.It’d be tight, but I’d make it work.

He gave me a wicked grin as he grasped my hand and led us up the rickety staircase, I admired both his ass and the fine construction of the house.It had to be seventy or eighty years old, but she had good bones.I envisioned my living space on the ground floor, with an accessible bedroom for Shannon, as well as a couple of bedrooms up here.If they were small, I might knock out a wall and create one massive room.And likely the bathroom would need upgrading.Dollar signs clouded my vision.

“I’ll show you the master first.”

He had saidourroom.Had he moved into Gertie and Mabel’s bedroom?I followed him into the space and the explosion of floral décor nearly floored me.

Shannon, a girly girl, hasn’t had these many flowers.

The bedspread, the drapes, the wallpaper, the dust ruffle…the stuff was everywhere.

“You didn’t redecorate?”

His casual shrug didn’t fool me.

“I figured the next owners would do that.”

“You couldn’t bear it, could you?”

Piercing blue eyes lit with an intensity I rarely witnessed.

“No, I couldn’t.Miss Mabel loved floral.Gertie didn’t want it in the rest of the house, but she acquiesced here.”He ran his hand across the bedspread.“I know it won’t stay this way.Nor should it.But I couldn’t be the one to do it.Might I make a few less bucks?Sure.But my heart stays intact.”

---