Page 41 of Puck & Make Up

I need to touch her, to smell her, to feel the silk of her hair, her skin.

To taste her.

But…progress.

So, in an effort to continue with Plan Patience, I drive straight to my house.

I’m exhausted, my back aches from sitting on the plane, from the physical game the night before. And I have a fucking black eye.

Ugh.

Am I grumpy when I have no reason to be?

Yes.

But am I going to do anything about that?

Nope.

I’ll be surly through a long hot shower, shoving some food in my mouth, and then waiting for her to show up.

ThenI’ll be in a better mood.

There. Plan. Go.

But it’s not my plan for very long, I realize as I pull into my driveway, my heart skipping a beat when I see who’s sitting on my front porch.

I shove the transmission into park, turn off the engine, and fly out of my driver’s side door almost before I realize I’ve moved.

Not patient.

Verynotpatient.

Verynotaccording to plan.

Thankfully, Dessie seems as impatient as me. She runs down the walkway, the bags in her hands swinging, her smile wide and beautiful enough to make my heart skip a beat.

At least until she all but skids to a stop in front of me, her expression sobering.

I close the rest of the distance between us, cup her jaw. “What’s up, sugar?”

“Is this—?” She pauses, biting her lip.

“Is this what?”

Her eyes slip from mine. “Is this okay?” she asks softly. “Me surprising you like this?”

I inhale, stepping forward and cupping her face in my cheeks. “You’re always welcome.”

“Even though I didn’t tell you I was coming?”

“This is thebestsurprise ever,” I tell her, holding her gaze for long enough that she knows I mean it. “Now,” I say, nudging her toward my open garage. “Did you finish with Bailey early? Or was that just to throw me off your scent?”

More nibbling. “There wasn’t an order.” A beat. “But there still wasn’t a discussion about poles.”

I smile because she’s funny, but it’s my heart that’s in trouble. It pounds as I ask, “So you just wanted to see me?”

Pink on her cheeks, but her voice is steady. “Is that so hard to believe?”

---