“Please don’t apologize. That shower was dreamy—I can’t believe it’s outside. I never even knew an outdoor shower was a thing. And now I’m just obsessing over this view.”
I lifted an arm, setting it over her chest. “The first time I came to this island, I was with one of my New York teammates. He owns a place here, and we were out on his boat, and we cruised past this house, and I instantly fell for it. I called my Realtor and told her I needed it. I never even saw the inside.”
“It’s magical, Jordan.” She leaned her head back against me. “I could spend the rest of my life right here and be totally happy.”
I’d thought about when the right moment would be to do this, to ask the all-important question, whether it should be on this trip or when we got back to Boston.
But I couldn’t wait.
I needed her to know what I wanted.
And I needed an answer from her.
My hands tightened—one above her navel, the other just under her breast. “Move in with me.”
I felt her take a deep breath. “Move in ...here?”
“Here. Boston. New York. Every home I have, I want them to be yours too.”
She turned around to face me, her arms rising to my shoulders. “But my lease isn’t up yet.”
“Then I’ll pay off the remainder to get you out of your lease.”
“Jordan”—she shook her head—“I can’t let you do that.”
“Why?”
“It just . . . feels wrong.”
“Then keep paying your rent at the apartment but live with me.”
Her teeth stabbed the skin beneath her bottom lip. “I can do that.”
“Is that a yes?”
She grinned and nodded. “It’s a yes to moving in.”
I held both sides of her face and kissed her. “If you change your mind about the payoff—and I hope you do—all you have to do is say the word.”
She scanned my eyes. “It’s thousands of dollars, Jordan.”
“Baby ...” I smiled. “The amount I spent to gas up the boat today is probably double what it would take to get you out of your lease.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not even sure I have the words to reply to that.”
“I just want to put things in perspective.” I rubbed my thumb over her lips. “I understand how you feel. I know the work you’ve put in to get where you are. In no way am I trying to take that away from you. I just want to give you everything.” I kissed her. “Because I can.”
She slowly opened her eyes. “Just like that ... it’s that easy.”
“It’s that easy, especially when I want something. And you know how much I want you.”
A different look crossed her eyes.
A deeper one.
A hungrier one.
“Show me, Jordan.”