Page 74 of The Fate Philosophy

We both paused, swiveling our heads to face each other. The moment our eyes made contact, mutual laughter busted from our mouths and didn’t cease until we were doubled over with tears in our eyes. Sighing, I reached across her lap and into her tote bag. I knew she never went anywhere without a pen and post-it notes. Sure enough, I found both floating around in a side pocket.

I scribbled across the post-it before smacking it against her forehead.

She tsked at me, peeling it off and turning it so she could read it. I saw the moment she took in my doodles, her eyes widening. She slammed a hand over her mouth and looked at me. “Is this to scale?”

I cackled, nodding.

Suddenly, her eyes lifted to something behind me, and I noticed her face redden deeply. A dark arm reached around my shoulder, plucking the note from Penny’s hand. She averted her eyes, looking down at her lap.

“You drew a fucking ruler?” I turned and looked upward, Dom towering above me as he stared at the note himself. Carter was peeking around his shoulder, but Dom quickly crumbled it up and put it in his pocket.

Carter’s forehead scrunched as he took in Penelope. “Should I be concerned about her blushing like that?”

Penelope dropped her face into her hands. Dom looked away himself. I shrugged.

Carter moved swiftly, scooping Penny under the knees and behind the back and lifting her into his arms. “I need to remedy this immediately.” She swatted at him, her face still flushed. “Don’t come home for a few hours.” He turned around, still carrying her, and walked back toward our apartment building across the street.

“What about the pizza?” I yelled back at them.

Carter waved a hand behind him. “Bring back leftovers. Pep will be hungry, I’m sure.”

I thought I heard Penelope mutter something like, “Oh my God,” into Carter’s shoulder as he carried her across the street.

Dom sat next to me. “Well, that was embarrassing.”

“I’ve walked in on them having sex in the kitchen twice.Twice, Dominic.” I shrugged. “There are no boundaries anymore.”

His laugh was rough as he pressed his lips against my shoulder. “Well, we could go back to my place if we need to kill a few hours. I’ve got some ideas.”

“I think we’re going to have to, because walking in on the two of them is not something I wish to encounter ever again.”

“If you lived at my place you wouldn’t ever have to worry about that, y’know? You could walk around naked at all times.” His fingers tickled my neck. “In fact, it would be a requirement. And,” he breathed against my skin, “I could fuck you on every surface of the house. Any time you want.”

I shook away the chills he sent shooting down my spine as the words registered.

Once they did, I leaned back and blinked at him. I couldn’t stop the gasp, or the shock I knew coated my face. “Dom, are you asking me to move in with you?”

For the first time, maybe ever, he just shrugged bashfully. As if he was afraid of my response. “I want to be around you all the time, Macie. Every night when I go to sleep I want to be next to you, and every morning I want to wake up to your snores.”

I couldn’t stop it then– the smile that spread across my face.

“First of all, I don’t snore.Yousnore. And you talk in your sleep.” I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Secondly, it would be reckless to move in with someone after two official days of dating them.”

His face was serious as he nodded. “You’re right. It would be reckless. Crazy.” The corner of his mouth twitched up playfully. “Absolutely wild.”

A small giggle escaped me, but I found myself at a loss for words.

“How about this: I’m finishing renovations on my house within the next three months, then I’ll be out of my studio apartment. Give me those three months to convince you to fall madly in love with me, and when my house is ready, I’ll ask you again to move in with me.”

“I think I already am,” I admitted.

He raised a brow. “Am what, Mace? Spell it out for me.”

“Falling in love with you, idiot.”

“Oh thank God,” he said as he leaned in and kissed me hard. “Because I fell in love with you a while ago. I’ve been waiting all this time.” He smiled against my mouth.

As his lips moved against mine, I realized that all the fear, the doubt, the insecurity that had plagued me over the last few months—the last few years— had diminished almost entirely.

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