Page 116 of Almost Love

He grinned and kissed the side of her head as the shop started to come to life in his mind. Gracie darted across the space and crashed into their feet, rolling over his shoes before looking up at them. Clementine scooped her up and nuzzled his dog as she stepped away, turning to the windows.

“What do you think about dark green trim here?”

“Could work. What color are you thinking about for your counter?”

“White or something light, so that it’s bright.”

“Then dark green would be good.”

She flashed him a smile and he felt it in his chest. It might not seem like much to most, but the fact that Clementine was asking his opinion and taking his thoughts into consideration was a very big deal. This washerspace and he knew her enough to know that she liked having things a certain way. Welcoming his ideas meant that she was letting him in. That she trusted him.

“Would matching upholstery be too much?” she asked, setting Gracie down.

“Not necessarily. I think that’s a call we can take once you get the tiles and trim done.”

“We, huh?” He blushed, mouth flapping open and shut as he tripped over what he wanted to say. “No, don’t take it back. I like that.”

She spun slowly, the skirt of her long dress flowing out around her and the center slit showed off her legs. The slip of his tongue from moments ago was forgotten as he watched, a wide smile lighting up her face.

“What did you think of the kitchen?”

“I’d love to see it through your eyes,” he said and she shook her head, catching onto his smooth operator moves, but her smile never faded. She snapped to get Gracie’s attention and his girls ran around the corner, Clementine’s laughter reaching his ears. His heart raced at how free she sounded, howunrestrainedshe seemed that day. Rubbing his chest, he stepped into the kitchen as she came to a stop in the middle.

“Amazing, right?”

“Glorious,” he whispered.

And she was. A thick beam of sunlight covered her, shimmering as she talked. Her hands were flying everywhere, hair fluttering as she turned and gestured at parts of the room. Oakley knew he needed to pay attention, but he couldn’t. Not when she looked the way she did. This was a side of her he’dseen maybe once or twice, but never this loud. Never this open. How was he supposed to not be obsessed and in love with this woman?

“Oakley?”

He blinked at his name. Clementine was watching him with a frown. “Did you say something?”

“You okay?”

Just enamored by you, melor. “Absolutely.”

“Wanna see my office?”

“Definitely.”

Her concerned expression hadn’t shifted, but she pointed to two doorways. “The left is where I’m thinking of putting the walk-in freezer. The one at the current shop is good, but it’s quite small.” She stood in the second archway and hooked a finger at him. “Step into my office, good sir.”

Smiling, he closed the gap between them. Her hands landed on his chest, gently pushing him against the wall. He grabbed at her hips to keep her close as they stared into each other’s eyes. “This is an incredible space, Clem.”

She nodded, hands wrapping around his neck. “It is, isn’t it?”

“And you’ve got a great vision for it.”

“We’vegot a great vision for it.”

Words were useless at that point and he was impressed tears hadn’t slid down his cheeks yet. Her eyebrows started to dip, but he stopped that by pressing his mouth to hers. A soft moan slipped from her and when her lips parted, Oakley licked inside groaning as their tongues collided. Her fingers corded through his hair, the kiss deepening as he pulled her even closer. Her tongue stroked his before she sucked on it, making him growl. His hands slid down to grab her ass, squeezing as her hips pushed into his.

She smiled against his mouth and broke away on a soft laugh, hands still in his hair, hips still pressed together. As if there wasany hope of himnotfalling in love with her; she was everything he ever wanted. Even when he didn’t know it.

“I guess the decision has been made.”

He squeezed her sides. “There’s no harm in taking one more day to think about it.”

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