Page 19 of Thunder Thighs
We stayed snuggled for a long while. The boat bopped gently under our bodies, lulling us into a meditative state.
"Are you sure?" She whispered into the quiet.
"Positive." I told her, not even needing to clarify.
She drew in a shuddering breath. "I want to take this plunge with you."
My arms flexed, holding her tighter.
"I'm just scared. No one has wanted me like you do."
"Their loss." I tilted her chin up, waiting for her to look me in the eye. I needed Ella to see how dead serious I was. "You're beautiful, Ella. Every part of you. Your body, your soul. You treat everyone with sass and good humor. You strut your sexy ass around your home and I go weak. I want nothing more than to see that smile on your face and kiss your lips. I don't have any doubts, baby. I haven't since the moment you guessed my beer. You're it for me."
Tears shimmered on her lashes. "I love you, Gunnar."
"I love you too, baby." I pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Now, which option we gonna choose?"
She sniffed, brushing a hand across her eyelids. "My head says option one – living with me."
"But your heart?"
She looked up at me, her gorgeous mahogany eyes shimmering. "My heart says option three."
I grinned, not even fucking caring if I looked like the cat that ate the cream. "Then option three it is. Start looking for houses, baby. I don't want to wait another minute."
Chapter Seven
Gunnar
"Jesus Christ, slow the fuck down." Erik demanded from the passenger seat of the truck. "Last thing we need is to fucking roll this thing."
I glanced at the dash, easing my foot off the gas as I registered my speed. "It's been a month." I muttered.
Erik sighed heavily beside me. "Ah, young love." He shook his head. "Look, Ella's awesome but you went decades without her. Surely you can live another twenty minutes."
Barely.
I didn't dignify him with a response. He'd get it one day.
I'd spent the last month closing out my responsibilities. I'd put my house up for sale, packed all my shit in a truck, and put a down payment on a house in Capricorn Cove.
Our house.
Ella hadn't been wrong about the older generation looking for a move. We'd been inundated with house offers when word had got around that she was looking to buy. She'd sent me pictures of one with two words – our home. I'd put a deposit on it that day.
I didn't care that it needed work or that we'd probably need to add additions on at some stage – the house sat up on a protected little block with views out to the ocean. The front of the massive block was flat with plenty of space for a yard, entertainment and even a shed. The back was a mess of trees and brush but a sloping stair path led down to a private beach – complete with a small pier perfect for docking a little fishing boat.
We'd picked it up for a song and would be moving in this weekend. I had plans to fuck Ella in every room of the house. And that beach? Perfect for a little afternoon delight.
Beside me, Erik opened the manila folder, interrupting my day dream.
"We're gonna need to renegotiate this," he muttered for the umpteenth time since this trip started. "The terms are good but I think we can do better."
I ignored my brother, focusing on navigating the tight turns that took us around the coastal road to home. We were in negotiations for the marina – including the old fish market that would eventually become our new workshop. Erik had taken one look at the opportunity on his visit and I'd practically seen dollar signs flash across his forehead. I loved my brother but the guy was a shark when it came to money-making ventures.
"You know, if we took that old yacht club and overhauled it, got Ella in to run it, we could make some serious buck with weddings and what-not." Erik muttered, making notes in the margin of a paper.
My heart lifted as we turned the last corner, coming into sight of the sign welcoming us to Capricorn Cove.
