Page 25 of Hacker Heart

My chest fills with satisfaction at her words. “Your man, huh?”

Her brow lifts as she stares me down. “I said what I said. Got a problem with it?”

“Not-a-one.” I grin, and she mirrors it.

“I think that covers all the talking points that needed to be covered, don’t you?” she asks, pushing up onto her knees and climbing over the cushions to reach me. She settles on my lap, her thighs bracketing mine, and I curl my hands around her hips.

“Just one more thing,” I tell her when her lips are just a breath away from mine.

“What’s that?” she whispers.

“I love you,” I murmur, our lips brushing with each word. “Always have, always will. Don’t make me live without this again.” She nods, her blue eyes shining bright, and I close the gap, kissing her softly. My fingertips trace up her spine until they’re tangled in her hair at the base of her skull. “I love you, and I’m never letting you go.”

Val kissesme until I see stars and I have to plant my hands on his shoulders, pushing him back so I can take a few deep breaths. He chuckles, the sound rich and masculine. He makes me so incredibly happy my head spins. Or maybe that’s the lack of oxygen?

Either way, I don’t care. Val is mine. He loves me. He never wants to let me go. My heart sings, a reaction that’s usually reserved for when I find the perfect shoes to complement my outfit. Or vice versa.

With his hands buried in my hair, Val tugs the strands lightly and it feelsah-maz-ing. Not in a sexual way, but in anoh god, that’s so relaxingkind of way. “Do that again,” I encourage.

He chuckles again, sending a swarm of butterflies into flight in my chest. I smile at him, and he brings his lips back to mine. We kiss for what feels like days, slow and lazy.

“I love you, too, you know,” I tell him between soul binding kisses. “Always have, always will.”

“Yeah, Bee, I know,” he murmurs against my mouth. “Now shut up and kiss me some more. We’ve got years to make up for.”

I’m about to do just that when the doorbell rings and Val’s hands slide down to my waist, holding me in place when I try to stand from his lap.

“It’s dinner; I’ll be right back,” I promise with a laugh, this time successfully making it to my feet.

His hand shoots out, grabbing mine and tugging me back onto the couch beside him. “You aren’t going anywhere looking like that,” he says, pushing up to his feet.

“Looking like what?” I demand.

“Thoroughly fucked,” he deadpans as he reaches for his crotch and rearranges things downstairs.

“Fine, but for the record, you don’t look much better.”

He smirks then strides to the front door shirtless and collects the food. Instead of returning to the couch, he takes the brown paper bag into the kitchen and places it inside the oven.

“What are you doing?”

“That’ll keep it warm enough for now,” he says on his way back to me.

“But I’m hungr—”

“So am I,” he says, bending over and grabbing me by the waist, then tossing me over his shoulder. One of his arms wraps around my thighs, holding me in place as he turns to the hall and heads for my room.

Oh. Oh, I like this plan. Very much.

Epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER…

The only thingthat’s changed since Val and I became a couple is that we have more sleepovers. That, and we share the same bed when we do stay at the other’s house. Oh, and clothing is optional.

The transition from friends to lovers was seamless and as of today, we’ve officially been more than best friends for six months. We’ve spent every moment of it making up for lost time and I’m not complaining about a second of it. Time well spent, if you ask me.

We mostly stay at my place since all my clothes and shoes are there. I’m slowly working on improving Val’s wardrobe. But truth be told, I prefer him in as little clothing as possible, if any at all. A fact he takes advantage of often.

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