Page 70 of One Steamy Pucking Meet Cute

“Actually… I have an idea. Let’s do your place.”

“Yeah?” he asks.

“Yeah. We’ll see you there.”

31

JAKE

Caroline steps back, finger and thumb on her chin as she surveys her work. A satisfied smile appears on her face. “Yep. That is perfect.”

I tilt my head. Walker is in his crib, gnawing on a bright yellow set of wooden keys. Behind him, I’ve just hung a pair of white curtains with a geometric pattern in navy blue over my apartment windows.

“Well?” she asks.

“They’re great,” I say. “Love them.”

Caroline rolls her eyes. “You may not sound excited, but we’re just starting. This is step one in a long chain of steps to turn your apartment into a habitable zone for human beings.”

“I’ve lived here for years.”

“And yet…” Caroline spreads her palms, turning in a slow circle.

“What?”

“Your TV is sitting on the floor. Your couch looks like you got it in college.”

“I did.”

“This is exactly my point. Your home is supposed to reflect something about you. Show a little personality. A little warmth.”

“Maybe this is my personality,” I suggest. “Minimalistic.”

“Nope. This isn’t a personality. It’s depressing, and I won’t stand for it.”

“Nobody is asking you to stand.” I step toward her, then scoop her up by the ass. Caroline wraps her legs around me. I push her up against the new curtains, her back pinned to the wall. “You could take it lying down. On your knees. On your back. Hell, I’m pretty sure we could figure out how to do it upside down if you’re so against standing.”

She chews her lip. “You know what I meant.”

“So what if I did? Now I’m thinking about you. I need your mouth.” I bring my lips to her ear, smirking as my stubble brushes her soft skin. “I need your pussy.”

Caroline goes stiff at my words. “Well… Walker is awake.”

“I’m a patient man,” I counter.

“He could be awake for another hour or more.”

“Alright,” I say. “And?”

She smiles. “What do you see in me, anyway?”

The question is a sudden shift, but I take it seriously, digesting the words and thinking hard. “I see somebody to admire,” I finally say.

She threads her fingers behind my neck. “No, really. What do you see in me?”

“I mean it. You and Jesse both drew a shitty hand. Nobody should lose their parents so young. And look at how you both turned out. Absolute badasses. You’re like the glue that holds an entire town together. People love your B&B. People love you.”

“Do you?” she asks, eyes sparkling.

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