Page 40 of Choosing You

Two weeks later, Sloane drove through downtown Sweetbriar Ridge and smiled. It was late Wednesday afternoon, and she was back for the opening of The Ridge, the Meet in the Streets festival, and to see Will after what had seemed like the longest two weeks of her life. Her job was still sucking her will to live, and she was frustrated beyond belief. No one was listening to her ideas, and she was stuck fixing everyone else’s mistakes and not getting any of the credit.

“What are you complaining about?” her boss had asked. “You’re getting a paycheck.”

Didn’t he realize that at this point, a paycheck was secondary to her frustration level? If he’d just let her have one of the bigger name accounts—the ones that were looking for a high visibility and eye-catching posts with high engagement—she’d be able to prove that she wasn’t that same intern who came to him three years before!

And, once again, he suggested she take the long weekend to think things through. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand if he was giving her the time because he knew he was being a total jerk, or if maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see how things ran around the office when she wasn’t there.

“Pfft…like he deserves to get the benefit of the doubt,” she mumbled.

She pulled into Will’s driveway and smiled when she saw him coming out the door to greet her. Yeah, the weeks had seemed endless, but seeing him right now made it all just fade away. As soon as she climbed out of her car, Will was there to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her.

For maybe the hundredth time, she wondered how this was all possible. Getting swept off of her feet was not typical behavior for her and yet with Will, it seemed natural. When they finally broke apart and he lowered her back onto her own two feet, he smiled that devastating smile that made her weak in the knees.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, caressing her cheek. “How were the flights?”

Shrugging, Sloane took a step back and reached into her car for her small suitcase. “Uneventful, thankfully. I hit a little bit of traffic near the airport, but other than that, it was fine. It took a little over two hours rather than the usual hour and fifteen. I really wanted to be here earlier.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come and pick you up. With the festival this weekend, we want to close the shop and that means putting in extra hours to get it done. Next time, though, I promise to be waiting for you at baggage claim. What do you think?”

“I think I’d like that a lot.”

Together they walked hand in hand into the house, where Will took her bag to his bedroom and put it down before coming back out to the living room. “I got us a couple of steaks to grill for dinner. I hope that’s okay.”

“I believe we’ve already talked about my love of food,” she teased.

“Yeah, well…that doesn’t mean it’s what you’re in the mood for.”

The blush was instantaneous, and when Will pulled her in close to kiss her again, she was grateful for the chance to hide her reaction for a minute.

When they broke apart, he had her face in his hands and all she could do was marvel at how handsome he was. “As much as I would love steak tonight, can we save it for tomorrow? I got here late and I really want to get over to The Ridge. There’s going to be food there, so maybe…that can be dinner? Is that okay?”

Slowly, his hands skimmed down her body until they rested on her hips. “That is totally fine. I should have had something ready for when you got here, but I was busy making sure the place was cleaned up.” Winking, he added, “Especially the bedroom.”

“Hmm…maybe I should check it out and see for myself,” she teased.

He tugged her close and she could feel his erection pressing against her belly. “If we go in there, we’re going to be late to the party.”

Right now, she didn’t care. They’d get there eventually.

“Then we’d better be quick,” she said seductively, and in the blink of an eye, Will scooped her up in his arms again and carried her into the bedroom. As soon as he placed her on the bed, she whipped her shirt off and tossed it on the floor. Will stood beside her and did the same. They were both frantic about getting naked, and once they were and he joined her on the bed, covering her body with his, she sighed happily.

“Damn, I missed you,” he said gruffly, kissing his way down her body. His mouth and hands were doing deliciously wicked things to her, and Sloane arched her back, moaning with pleasure.

“More, Will,” she panted. “I want more.”

Without another word, he knew exactly what she needed and took her to the edge over and over before bracing himself above her. He was sexy as hell, and she couldn’t believe this man was hers.

For now.

Don’t think about that! Stay in the moment!

And when he kissed her—consumed her—he was all she could think about. It was wild and glorious and if she had her way, they’d stay like this until the sun came up. But they couldn’t, and she simply held on for the ride and enjoyed the hell out of it.

An hour later, they were sitting in Will’s truck, parked outside of The Ridge. There were a ton of cars lining the street and they could hear the music even from a distance.

“Okay, before we go in, there are a few things you should know,” she said, turning in her seat facing him. “I told my parents about you. Sort of. I mentioned that we’d met a few times before at some of the town festivals and we’ve just started dating.”

Nodding, he smiled. “That’s pretty close to the truth. Don’t worry. I won’t say otherwise.”

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