Page 113 of Hold Still

Her lips curl. “I’m one of a kind.”

“That is for sure.”

Her hand dips below the water’s surface and soon finds its way to my cock. She envelopes it, stroking its length as it grows. “McKenna,” I warn.

“I’m not sore anymore.”

I growl and we put her admission to the test.

WHEN WE’RE DRESSEDand full from averylate breakfast, I bring her into my music room. “We need to talk about the future.”

“Isn’t that kinda soon? I mean, we just had our first overnight.” She blows me a kiss from across the room.

“Our first ‘overnight’”—I use air quotes around the word—“encompassed more than most couples will do in a year.”

Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. “Well, there is that.”

I clear my throat. I need to get this off my chest. “Platinum wants me to go to LA to record the next album right after my residency ends. Which is New Year’s Eve.”

“Oh.” She licks her lips. “So, you’re moving to LA?”

I nod. “Not exactly. I do own a house there. It’s nothing much, but it’s in a safe neighborhood and I paid for it in cash. It was the first thing I bought, besides Shirley, when I was on my tour.”

“Must’ve been exciting.”

“It was.” I don’t share the conversation I had with Teresa when I first bought it. She screeched like I bought us a hovel or something. Come to think about it, though, I purchased it without consulting her first. And she never did see it, in the end. “But, now I want to sell it and buy a place with you. For us. That is, if you’ll have me.”

“You want to move in together?”

I cross the room and stand before her. “Yes.”

Her expressive eyes take on a shine I’ve never seen in them before. “I’d love that. We can use the money from the sale of your house as a downpayment on ours. And, hopefully, I can contribute money from my business.”

I run my hands up and down her arms simply because I have to touch her. And I need to feel her reaction to my next admission. One I’ve given much thought. “I’ve decided to tell Platinum that I don’t want to do a major tour. My life is with you, and your life is here with your mother. I want us to buy a house here, in Vegas.”

She stiffens. “But your career—”

“Isn’t as important as you are. I know other casinos have contacted me about continuing my residency. I’ve told Aiden to explore the offers.”

She leans back. “But what about Platinum?”

“As you’ve heard, my new music is less pop. I’ll talk with Ginger about where I fit in the Platinum family. And I’ll make sure to negotiate a couple of months off from the casino, so I can do shorter tours.”

“You’ve really thought this all out.”

I pull her into my embrace. “You’re my world, Dulcita.”

Watery eyes meet mine. She stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. “And you’re mine.”

We remain locked together for a few minutes. “Let’s go out to the pool. Bans needs to play.” At her name, my dog pops up her head and races out her doggie door. Laughing, we join her out there.

As I toss a stick for her to fetch for the umpteenth time, I mull over some of what Teresa said in her letter to me. Thinking about moving in with McKenna has unlocked a whole host of uneasy thoughts. Knowing the importance of communication, I take a deep breath and say, “I think I was wrong about Teresa.”

McKenna stops what she’s doing and takes the few steps over to me. “What, exactly, do you mean?”

I close my eyes. “You pointed it out to me first. I was loyal to her with my body only. I didn’t communicate with her about anything. Hell, I bought the LA house without even sending her a photo.” Rubbing my bruised knuckles, I confess, “In her letter to me, she said basically the same thing. I’m not saying that we were right for each other, but I do think I owe her an apology. Although, I have no desire to see her ever again.”

McKenna nods. “I understand. Why don’t you do it the best way you know how?”

---