Page 44 of Sugar Pie
He crossed his arms. “You think that’s it?”
I knew what property would look like in the end. “With the lake and a drive around the lake along with homes set back from the road, this place will be a goldmine for escaping Northerners not wanting Florida but wanting a better climate and slower pace.”
His arm hung next to mine.
Butterflies danced in my stomach. I wished he’d kiss me right here.
Instead, he placed his hand on my back and said, “Let’s head home before it gets dark.”
I needed to get my mind right. We were a work thing, and maybe if I wasn’t so nervous near him, we could be a casual thing. We carried the models back to the truck. What had happened earlier clearly hadn’t meant as much to him.
My heart pounded. I didn’t say a word for a while.
As we neared our street, I crossed my legs and asked, “Do you want a few more small jobs till we close on the property?”
He parked the car. “Fill my schedule till I’m tired to the bone.”
I nodded and hopped out before he tried to help me. I grabbed one of the models to carry as I said, “I’m on it, boss.”
“Don’t call me that.” He quickly joined me, holding the other two models.
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t sure what to say. As we made our way upstairs, I asked, “Why not?”
“Because we’re partners.”
His words made my blood rush forcefully through my veins. I glanced at him, and my lips tingled for another kiss. “Okay. I like that better. We’re equals, then.”
He juggled the models but got the door open without incident. “I need to tell you something.”
We went inside. I half expected a dark secret, and I swallowed hard. “What?”
We put the models on the floor in the living room. “I was successful as an investor. I’m just not touching that money for a year to prove I can run this business.”
So he would be perfectly acceptable to my mother and father if I ever brought him home. I stiffened, remembering my mother’s voice, but I couldn’t hold that against Warren. I squeezed his arm. “That does explain a few things about you, like a personal shopper that’s not your Maman.”
He pivoted and was so close that I couldn’t see anything but him. “Like what?”
The ache to be his rocked me to my core. No man ever made me feel so alive just from being so close. “You have excellent credit, hated thrifting, and didn’t know how to pay for the phone.”
He shrugged. “I used to have a personal shopper, but I like our life as it is. It’s like I found my home with you.”
Me too. I liked being with Warren. “I’m ready now.”
Then I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him.
The moment his lips met mine and he kissed me back, bliss overtook every cell in my body. We could belong to each other, if he still wanted.
22
Kerry
Warren’s touch set me on fire. As we made it to the bedroom, and he kissed me near the bed, the sweet burn grew stronger. Without clothes, he would ignite me.
Our lips met again, and I ached for him. My heart beat wildly as I unzipped my dress.
He stepped back, gave me a smile that made my knees weak, then tossed his white shirt on the ground.
Those muscles of his made my pulse zip. I swallowed and wiggled out of my dress until it hit the ground around my feet.
