The sun shines in through the sliding doors of the back patio. I threw them open wide, letting the smell of the sea fill my lungs. It’s a perfect February day, cool and dry, not a cloud in the sky. Beyond the whitewashed deck, a little boardwalk leads out over the dune and down to the beach.
I glance around the empty space, letting my eye linger on the open kitchen. The cabinets are white, the style modern, with sleek stainless-steel appliances. I like the hardwood floors. They’re a light oak color, giving it a beach house vibe.
Knock, knock.
“Hello?” Tess calls, her voice echoing around the empty space. She sounds hesitant. Of course, she is. I just got back from the airport and wouldn’t let her come pick me up. Instead, I told her to meet me at this random address. “Ryan…are you in here?”
I spin around with a smile, walking a few paces to the left so she can see me from the entryway. ‘Hey, babe,” I call.
She steps into the empty living room, and I swear my heart fucking stops. She looks gorgeous in a cropped T-shirt and flowy floral skirt with a slit halfway up her thigh. Her hair is up in a messy bun, big gold hoop earrings almost touching her shoulders.
She flicks her aviators off, tucking them on top of her head as she looks around. “Where are we? Why did you tell me to meet you here?”
She’s asking questions, but I can’t make sentences right now. I can’t talk anymore about Cincinnati or her encounter with the dragon-in-law. I haven’t seen my girl in forty-eight hours, and I’m feeling desperate. I rush over to her, wrapping her in my arms. She thinks I’m going in for a kiss, but I surprise her when I pick her up, hauling her over my shoulder.
“Ryan,” she squeals, her arms flailing as her purse slips off her shoulder and hits the floor.
I give her ass a playful swat as I hurry over to the kitchen and drop her right on the island. Stepping in between her legs, I cup her face and kiss her.
She moans against my lips, her body melting against me, her arms around my neck.
“Baby, I missed you,” I say, peppering her lips with kisses.
She laughs against my mouth, her hands smoothing over my shoulders. “I missed you too. Fuck, I love you.”
“I love you so fucking much.” My hands drop down to her thighs. I smooth them up and down, feeling the way she shifts to the edge of the counter. At the first touch of her bare thigh, I know there’s no stopping us.
I had a plan, a whole damn speech, but it flew right out the windows, sailing away on the open ocean. Tess is in my arms, and I can’t not have her. “I want you,” I say, my hand slipping under the slit of her skirt, grazing up her thigh.
“I want you too,” she pants, hiking up the skirt.
I help her, the two of us fevered as we pull at our clothes. I jerk her panties down, dropping them to her ankles. She unbuttons my jeans. It’s the work of moments before I’ve got my hard cock in hand, lining myself up at her entrance.
“Please, baby,” she whimpers, nodding as she bites her bottom lip, both of us looking down at where we’re about to be joined.
I angle the tip of my dick where I want it and look up, holding her gaze as I sink in inch by inch. Her lips part in a breathless moan as she takes me, her long eyelashes fluttering.
“That’s it,” I soothe, my hand gripping her hip as I make a few short thrusts, working my dick all the way in. “That’s my girl. Fuck, you feel so good.” She’s so warm and tight.
Her hands go to my shoulders as she angles her hips back, opening her channel, easing my thrusts in deeper. We both moan, chests heaving as I rock against her sharp and fast, my bare hips slapping her thighs.
“Oh god, don’t stop,” she begs, her pussy fluttering around me. “Ryan, please—”
“I had a whole plan,” I pant. “Tess—god—I had a whole fucking speech. One look at you, and it all went outta my head. I can’t think—can’t fucking breathe ‘til I come inside you—”
“Give me the CliffsNotes version,” she says, her lips against mine.
“You’re my home,” I say, hands shaking as I feel my orgasm building. “You’re all I want. You make me so fucking happy.”
“Ahh—” Her pussy clenches me tighter as she drops one hand from my shoulder, slipping it between us to tease her clit. “Fuck,” she screams, head tipping back as she comes.
The walls of her pussy squeeze me like a vise, and we both cry out, our bodies falling together as I lose all sense of rhythm. I’m wrapped around her and in her, my face buried at her neck, as I release. I spill into her, filling her with my cum.
We stay like that, clinging to each other, her ass perched on the edge of the kitchen counter. After a few moments, we loosen our hold on each other. I lean away, keeping my dick inside her as I cup her cheek and sprinkle her face with kisses. “I love you. Love the way you make me feel.”
She lets out a deep, shaky breath, and I feel her relax around me. Then she’s blinking up at me, the haze of her orgasm lifting as she comes to her senses. She gives me a little push, and I pull out, the warmth of our releases pooling between her legs and on the counter.
With a whimper, she reaches between her thighs, swiping her fingers through our release. Her green eyes are molten as she lifts her fingers to my lips. “Taste.”
I suck her fingers into my mouth, groaning at our taste on my tongue. It reminds me of another moment, only a few short months ago, that I had her finger in my mouth.
“Better than frosting?” she teases, reading my damn mind.
I nod, letting her fingers go. And because I can’t help myself, I do the same, swiping two fingers from pussy to clit, bringing it to her parted lips. She doesn’t hesitate, pulling my fingers into her mouth and teasing them with her tongue as she licks them clean. She lets them go with a pop, and then she’s slipping off the counter, ducking down to pull up her panties.
The haze of our joining dissipates, and I find myself standing in the middle of this empty kitchen with my dick wet, my pants around my ankles. The back doors are wide open. With a laugh, I duck down and pull up my pants, tucking myself away.
Fuck, this woman is trouble.
She steps around the island and walks back into the empty living room. “Why did you want me to meet you here?”
“What do you think?” I reply, gesturing around.
She glances from the kitchen to the whitewashed stone fireplace to the large, outdoor deck leading out to the beach. “It’s cute. What is it, two bedrooms?”
“Three,” I say. “Though the third bedroom is pretty small. The whole place is small, really. It’s just a bungalow. But it’s a new build, and it’s right on the water.”
She spins around, her face framed with curly red tendrils. “It’s supercute. Are you thinking of renting it?”
“I bought it.”
She gasps. “What?”
“Tess, I bought this house. My contracts are all approved. The Nike deal, the new deal with Bauer, my contract extension with the Rays. You’re looking at a guy with a twenty-million-dollar four-year contract and a four-mil signing bonus,” I say, unable to avoid puffing out my chest a bit.
“Four?” she says, eyes wide. “I thought it was three.”
“MK negotiated,” I say with a grin.
“Oh—Ryan, that’s amazing,” she cries, coming around the island to wrap her arms around me.
I let her hug me, taking another shameless hit off her scent. She’s all floral and coconutty. I want that scent bottled. I’ll wash all my sheets and clothes with it. I want to drown in her. But I know a Tess-scented detergent isn’t enough. I want her. I want everything.
She lets me go, spinning around again. “When do you move in?”
“Whenever I want,” I reply. “It’s ready now. Seller was motivated, and so was I.”
She smiles. “I’m really happy for you,” she says again. “How does it feel?”
I glance around and shrug, slipping my hands in the pockets of my jeans. “Like it’s a house.”
“And they told me all you hockey boys lack common sense,” she teases.
I just smile, watching her fill up this empty space with her light. “It’s not a home, Tess.”
“Well, not yet. But you gotta give it a fighting chance. At least put down a rug. Maybe a couch here,” she says, pointing to a spot on the floor. “Plug in your Nintendo, toss a few boxes of Kraft mac and cheese in the pantry, and you’ve got yourself a Casa de Ryan.”
“That won’t make it my home,” I reply solemnly.
She turns around, slower this time. “Curtains, then? Maybe something blue. And a dish of seashells. Apparently, no Florida home is complete without a decorative dish with some shells. Oooh, can that be my housewarming gift to you?”
“It’s not my home, Tess,” I say again.
I can almost see the relief on her face as she lets out a little breath. “Oh, is it like a rental, then? Diversifying your assets?”
“No, I’m gonna live here. This is my house. I’m gonna decorate it top to bottom. I’ll work out on my patio in the mornings, do beach walks at night. And yes, I’ll make my mac and cheese on the stove and play Mario Kart when I’m bored. But none of that will make this my home. Only one thing can do that.”
She goes still, her chest rising and falling as she eyes me warily. “What are you doing?” she finally asks, unable to play dumb a second longer.
“Not proposing,” I reply.
The breath she’s holding leaves her in a puff through parted lips. “Ohmygod, you were scaring the shit outta me,” she says, her hand covering her chest as she takes a deep breath. “Ryan, you said no marriage. You said you don’t believe in it—”
“And you said no man will cage you,” I counter. “You said you’ll never be someone’s wife again. So, I didn’t know how to fucking do this without making it seem like I’m proposing to you when I’m not. ‘Cause neither of us want that…right?”
She blinks at me, tears in her eyes, saying nothing.
And now my heart has fucking stopped. “Oh…fuck.”
She steps forward, one hand reaching out to me, whether to pull me closer or push me away, I have no fucking idea. “Ryan—”
“Tess, what the fuck are you doing to me,” I cry, dragging both hands through my hair.
“Nothing!”
“You can’t stand in the house I bought for you, wearing my cum between your legs, looking at me like that when I ask if you want to get married. I’m gonna freak the fuck out!”
She gasps. “You—what? Ryan, tell me you did not buy me this house!”
“Of course, I bought you a house,” I shout, gesturing around. “I gave up my death trap apartment weeks ago. And you said you couldn’t keep staying in Ilmari’s house after all the peeping Tom bullshit. I wanted a place where we could both start fresh. New chapter, right?”
Tears sting her eyes as she shakes her head.
“Don’t do that,” I say, my head mirroring her shake. “Don’t close off. Talk to me. Get it out.”
“I’m scared,” she admits. “This is all moving so fast. Ryan, I’m scared of what I feel for you. I have never loved another person the way I love you. Not as a friend, not as a lover. Not ever—”
“I feel the same way,” I say, stepping closer, my hands brushing down her arms. “Tess, I know I teased you and said I don’t believe in soulmates and love at first sight and all that stuff. And I’m still not sure I do,” I admit, taking her hands in mine. “I’m a rational guy, Tess. I like evidence. I like knowing a thing is real because I see it and feel it. But now, I’m beginning to think I didn’t believe in soulmates because I hadn’t met mine yet. How can you see and feel what it is for your soul to mate with another’s until you find that person meant to be yours?”
“Ryan…” she whispers.
“Tell me you don’t feel it too,” I challenge. “Tell me you don’t feel a…a rightness in yourself when we’re together. At first, I told myself it was lust. I told myself it would fade if I could just scratch that itch. But baby, it’s not fading. It just gets stronger. Every day the wanting you gets stronger. Do you not feel it too?”
“I do,” she admits, her voice small. It matches her hope. She’s not ready to dive in with both feet. Her trust burns like a weak candle on a windy day.
“One step at a time,” I say, being the strength I know she needs. “You don’t want to live at Ilmari’s house anymore, right?”
She shakes her head.
“Good, so move in here. You can have your own room if you want. Or you can sleep in my bed, and I’ll worship you like the goddess you are every day of the fucking week. Every night too,” I add with a grin. “And I’m thinking of adding a sauna out on the back deck.”
She smirks.
I cup her cheek, brushing my thumb along her soft skin. It might just be my favorite point of contact when we’re not fucking. I love the softness of her cheek. “We’re starting small. Let’s live together. No labels, no cages. Just two souls happiest together. Whatever else comes—marriage, babies, life partnerships, or a respectful parting of the ways, that door will always be open,” I say, pointing to the front door. “I will never hold you back or hold you down. I don’t need any papers or legal proof to mark what we both know is true.”
“I know,” she says, her hand splaying over my chest.
“I just want to love you,” I say. “I want to put you first. I want to see you smile every day and know I’m the reason. I want to be your person. I want to make my home in you, and I want you to make your home in me.”
“I want that too,” she says. “More than anything.”
“I told you I would never ask you to marry me, and I meant it—”
“I’ll ask,” she says, tipping up on her toes, her hands on my shoulders.
“Wait—what?” I look down at her, eyes wide.
She looks right back up at me, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll ask you. Ryan, you deserve to be asked—not right now,” she adds quickly, and we both let out a nervous laugh.
“No, yeah,” I say, nodding as if she hasn’t just punched a hole through my universe.
“My divorce isn’t even final yet,” she hedges.
“Fair,” I say, still reeling.
“And if it’s okay with you, I’d like us to just take this slow,” she goes on. “I want us to enjoy each other. No cages, no labels, right?”
“Of course,” I say, nodding like a bobblehead.
“But I will ask you, Ryan,” she says again, a smile curling her lips. “If we someday decide that a legal marriage is what we both want, then when I’m ready…when we’re ready…I’ll ask you to be my husband.”
“Are you serious right now?”
She flips my hair off my brow with gentle fingers. “It’s like what you said about soulmates. You don’t know what it means to have one until you have one. I think perhaps I was too quick to dismiss the labels of husband and wife and what they could mean to me because I hadn’t met the person who was meant to carry that title with me.” She smiles, dropping her hand away. “Ryan Puppy Langley, you’re the best person I know. You’re so kind and loving. You’re gentle, yet strong. You listen. You learn. You fight and grow. I’m in love with you, and I’d be honored to be your wife…someday…probably…” Her grins widens and there’s a twinkle in her eye. “I know that’s not the most romantic of not-proposals, but it’s as vague as I can make it.”
Joy floods through me, and then I have her in my arms. “I’m gonna need you to say that again,” I say, my face nuzzling her neck.
“What—the whole thing? Ryan, that was total word salad.”
“No, just the last part—or the second to last part—the “L” word part,” I clarify.
She laughs, her hands stroking my back. “I love you, Ryan.”
I groan. “Again.”
“Don’t get greedy,” she teases.
“Too late,” I reply, my hands drifting down to cup her perfect ass. “You know that’s my fatal flaw. I’m greedy when it comes to you. I want every kiss…” I brush my lips against hers. “Every smile…”
“They’re yours,” she replies, her face glowing with joy.
“Every orgasm,” I add with a smirk.
“There I draw the line,” she says, pushing against my shoulder. “You know how much I like playing with my toys. And you travel a lot. I can’t possibly give them all to you.”
I consider for a moment. “That’s fair. How about when I’m away, I still get to watch? We haven’t experimented with video calls yet. That could be fun.”
“Sorry, puppy. This show is live action only,” she teases, her strokes shifting from loving to seeking, her hands brushing down my abs and over my hips. “What if I promise to think of you when I come and you’re not around?”
I groan, sinking against her as I kiss her neck. “Don’t go breaking my heart—”
She stills, pushing me off her gently to hold my gaze. “Don’t break mine.”
“Never. Tess, I’m gonna be so good to you.”
“We’ll be good to each other,” she replies, kissing up my jaw. Her hands slip under my shirt to stroke the warm skin of my back.
I weave my fingers into the curly hair at her nape and give it a pull, loving the little hiss she does, the way her eyes heat as she gazes up at me like I’m the only thing she sees. Smirking down at her, I add, “And if we ever do get married, we’re having mac and cheese at our wedding.”
She laughs, her hands slipping down to cup my ass, pulling me tight against her. Then she angles her mouth up and whispers in my ear, “Make it lobster mac and cheese, and I’ll even wear white.”
It’s a gift and a promise. She’s offering me hope. I just have to trust her and love her. This woman is mine. My friend, my soulmate. She already wears my jersey and sleeps in my bed. Someday, she may even share my name. As we sink to the floor, unable to wait for more, the name rings true in my mind: Tess Langley.
My Tess. The cataclysm that came and shook me up. Now she’s mine to love. Mine to cherish. Mine to make happy for the rest of my lucky fucking life. I smile, kissing her perfect lips.
Nothing has ever felt so right.
