Page 76 of Vodka and Chocolate Drops

And he was going out for supper. In a downpour.

“Scott.”

He paused on the threshold, rain roaring behind him, the cool air wrapping around her.

“I thought maybe…” She crossed her arms, hunching against the cold spray that blew through the doorway. “Well, maybe we could talk here?”

“All I have is cereal.”

“I like cereal.”

Scott shut the door and hung up his coat. Wordlessly, he stepped past her, heading to his kitchen. His moves were efficient and without haste.

In the kitchen they took out cereal, bowls, spoons, and milk, saying nothing until they were seated across from each other at his small table. Scott watched her, assessing her.

“I love you, Scott.”

He slowly lowered his spoon. For the first time since her arrival, the corners of his lips turned up, and his eyes sparkled as they used to whenever he saw her. In that moment she realized just how much she’d missed it, and how much she’d always counted on it. Just as she’d always counted on having her mother’s undivided attention.

“What do you plan to do about it?” He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

Amber bit her bottom lip, shaking her head at him. He wanted to make her crawl, did he? Well, the man didn’t know what he had coming.

Without breaking eye contact, she pushed her bowl to the side. Standing, she placed one knee on the table, making a quick wish that it wouldn’t decide this was a great time to give up its daily battle against gravity. With her hands flat on the surface, she crawled toward Scott, pausing when her lips were a few inches from his. She allowed herself to drop her eyes and focus on his mouth, tipping her head in a way she hoped was seductive and tempting.

Scott had lined his lips up with hers, keeping them a fraction apart as he gently threaded his fingers through her locks.

She was going to kiss the stuffing out of her best friend. Her best friend who had become undeniably hot. The man of her dreams who had been there all along. Through thick and thin.

“Say it again,” he whispered.

“I love you, Scott. And I’m here to make you my boyfriend. Beyond today. Beyond tomorrow or even next year. I’m yours until the end of time and nobody will ever replace you. Forever, Scott Malone.”

He crushed his lips to hers, pulling her off the table and onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, savoring the way he felt strong and right in her grip. Like everything she’d always been missing.

She’d thought the biggest thing she’d wanted in her life was to know who her father was. As it turned out, what she’d actually wanted was Scott’s love.

“I’ll never tire hearing you saying those four words,” he whispered, breaking free for a moment, before kissing her again as they let go of the last of their fears and allowed their hearts to finally unite.

* * *

“Areyou really sure you can handle forever with someone like me?” Amber asked Scott as she toyed with a tuft of chest hair. She’d seen his bare chest while swimming, but never quite like this, moving over her, and now under her as she cuddled him in a we’re-officially-no-longer-just-friends glow.

Making love with Scott was like nothing she’d ever experienced. And not just because they had moved in sync, as though they’d been programmed to be together. But because she trusted him, and most of all, she trusted herself when she was with him. She wasn’t worried about screwing up or what he was thinking. She’d been able to see it all on his face, feel it in the way he touched her, as though she was the most special and precious thing he’d ever had the honor of touching. She’d felt safe. There’d been no need to be bold or to try and impress him--something she’d always felt with other lovers. She could be herself, and every single second had been special and freeing. It had felt right.

“Are you fishing for a compliment?” he asked.

Amber propped her head up so she could watch his expressions--not that he gave much away, but she could still spot a few of his tells. Right now, he felt happy, playful, safe.

“Maybe.”

“For you, Amber, forever won’t be long enough to show you the depth of my love.”

His fingers danced up her back and she shivered, her body pushing against him for more. His arms wrapped tight around her and he took her mouth with his own. He kissed her hard and with such passion she had to cling to his shoulders to keep herself in place.

He broke away from her, their breath coming in desperate gasps.

“Will you stay?”

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