Page 121 of Meet Your Match
“I don’t know how y’all do this during the season,” I groaned as Vince held the passenger side door open for me to crawl inside his Maserati. I never grew tired of the way that engine purred to life beneath me when he took his place in the driver’s seat.
“Stamina, baby,” he said with a wink, leaning over the console to kiss me. His hand slid over my thigh, and he kept it there after he broke the kiss, driving with one hand as he usually did when I was beside him.
It had been a fun weekend in Austin, but I was glad to be home, the lights of Tampa welcoming us as I smiledand watched the palm trees pass out the window. I was so exhausted from the long hours partying all weekend that I was in a daze, and I didn’t notice we were heading toward the beach until we were halfway across the Courtney Campbell bridge.
“Vince, you’re going the wrong way,” I said on a frown.
“Am I?”
His mischievous smile was all he left me with as he continued driving, and we crossed into Clearwater until we were right on the beach, pulling up to a massive, beautiful home guarded by a large metal gate. It swung open with the tap of a card Vince swiped out the window, and he drove the Maserati up the stone driveway to park in front of the beautiful home.
“What is this?” I asked, my fatigue fading under the excitement. “Did you rent us this place for the night or something?”
“Or something,” he said, cryptic as ever, and then he rounded the car and helped me out of it.
It was dark, but even still I gasped when we walked through the grand foyer, the layout of the house steering us right toward the expansive windows that provided an uninterrupted view of the Gulf of Mexico. The sand was white as snow, reflecting the moonlight above.
There was no furniture in the home, and it seemed brand new, the marble floors glossy and smooth. My heels clicked on them as I crossed the space and went straight out the back doors, inhaling the scent of the ocean, breathing in the salt air as the waves lapped at the shoreline.
“Do you like it?” Vince asked, wrapping me up from behind.
“It’s unbelievable,” I breathed, turning in his arms. “And very empty.”
“Well, that’s because I thought we should pick out furniture together.”
My heart galloped before sliding to a halt.
Vince took my silence as shock, which it was, and he held my hair out of my eyes as the wind battled against him. “I bought this house,” he said. “For us.”
“You…what?”
“Move in with me,” he whispered, just loud enough that I could hear him over the waves. “Let’s make a home together. Let’s make alifetogether. Right here, on the beach where you love to be, in a house where we make the rules.” He smoothed his thumb over my jaw, smiling. “No more driving back and forth. No more half of my stuff at your place and half of yours at mine. I want to wake up next to you every morning, Maven. I want to listen to you snore when you fall asleep.”
I swatted at his chest, but my eyes still glossed with tears, my cheeks burning from how big my smile was.
“Whatever plants you want, whatever garden you want to create — it’s yours.”
“Is there a space for your pottery wheel?”
He chuckled. “Yes. It’sours, Maven. We can make it whatever we want.”
“Oh, does that mean we can have a kinky sex room?”
His eyebrows shot up. “If that’s what you want.”
“I mean, Ihavebeen daydreaming about that toy you used on me a few weeks ago…”
He groaned, capturing my lips as he pressed his hips against mine. I felt him growing hard already, likely at the same memory.
“Tell me that’s a yes,” he said. “So I can take you inside and christen every room of our house.”
“Our house,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. I jumped, knowing he’d catch me, my legs winding around him next. “It does have a nice ring to it.”
“Woman,” he growled, nipping at my bottom lip.
“Yes,” I breathed, and I barely got the word out before he was hauling me inside, pressing me against the sliding glass door as soon as we shut it behind us.
I clawed at his shirt until he dropped me long enough to rid himself of it, allowing me to do the same with my dress. I peeled it overhead, making quick work of my heels, panties, and bra while Vince watched with an amused smirk at me hopping around, the layers flying like confetti in every direction.
