Page 53 of Wrong Car, Wright Guy
“It is. If I could review your prowess on Amazon, I’d headline it as ‘Five stars because ten isn’t enough’. That’s how good you are in bed.”
“Careful, Casey. I’ve already got a pretty giant ego. Don’t want to make it worse.”
She laughs. “Impossible. When you look up egotistical in the dictionary, there’s already a picture of you in it. It can’t get any worse.”
Chuckling, I slide my arm around her, pulling her closer. “I’m so in love with you, Ruby Casey. Move in with me.”
She pulls her head back. “Permanently?”
I nod. “I don’t want you to go back to your apartment next week. I want you to move in here with me.”
A slight frown creases her brow. “I don’t know. I mean, staying with you for a few weeks was one thing, but moving in for good? That’s abigstep, Tanner. And in the grand scheme of things, we’re still so new. Maybe we’re rush—”
I silence her by planting my mouth against hers and kissing away her objections until her body softens, and she sighs into my mouth. “It’s not rushing when you know,” I whisper, kissing her lightly again. “But if you want, we couldreallyrush things and I could start insisting you marry me.”
“That would actually make your sister obscenely happy. She wants to be our flower girl.”
I can’t help the smile that curves my mouth knowing that. People often underestimate Camille, but she’s very insightful. “She does?”
“Yeah. But that doesn’t mean I want to get married. We have to take our time with something here. I mean, you haven’t even met my parents yet.”
“Oh god,” I moan. “Don’t remind me. I’m happy to meet yours, but that means I have to reciprocate. And I really don’t want to subject you to that.”
“I’m big girl. I can handle it,” she whispers, touching the side of my face with her hand.
“Can you handle moving in?” I brush my nose alongside hers. “I don’t want to wake up without you, Ruby. Not after I’ve learned what it’s like.”
“OK. But on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“I keep my apartment for now. Just in case. I want to fall into this wholeheartedly with you, but I still need a safety net. Canyouhandle that?”
“I can. And it’ll work out, baby. I know it will. We’re perfect together,” I murmur against her mouth, kissing her slow and long, my body waking up for just one more round before we both finally cave to sleep.
Twenty-Two
Ruby
“How’s everything going with Nick?” I ask Tahlia while I box up my things. It’s a good week later, and Theo and Darren have just finished loading the moving van to take everything over to their new place. Tanner is coming back with the moving van once they’ve unloaded, so we’re all moving on the same day. Two birds with one stone.
She bounces a shoulder. “I don’t know. He’s very hot and cold, so I don’t know if it’s going to work out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he’ll ignore me for days on end, then all of a sudden, he’s all over me, asking question after question like he wants to know absolutely everything about me. He asks about my family, my friends—like, he’s super interested in you and your show—then he’s just…gone again.” She sighs as she tapes up a box and labels it ‘living room’.
“How do you feel about him when you’re together?” I’m wrapping glassware in newspaper and setting it in a crate for the short journey to Tanner’s. I’m not taking everything I own, just my favorite pieces because I want my things mixed in with his. It’s the only way it’ll feel likeourplace, and I want to do this living together thing properly.
“I really like him. But then, I don’t know. Maybe I just like the idea of him. And maybe I’m just lonely because everything is changing and I feel like I’m getting left behind.”
I stop what I’m doing, my head tilting to the side. “Oh, honey. I’m not abandoning you. I’m still gonna be your best friend.”
“Oh, I know. It just won’t be the same. You’re not across the hall anymore. And Theo and Darren are gone now, too. I’m just feeling…Blergh.” She sticks her tongue out. “But I’m so happy and pleased for everyone. Especially you. I mean, you should have seen how excited we all were watching the live stream of your awards show. The whole building probably heard us cheering.”
“I’ve no doubt,” I say, crossing the room to wrap her in my arms. “And I’m sorry he’s not making you feel as special as you are. You deserve so much better. Did he even attempt to help you move out of accessories into fashion like he said?”
She shrugs as I release her. “I don’t know. I think he was just telling me what I wanted to hear so he could get into my pants. I’ve gotta stop falling for these guys.”
