CHAPTER EIGHT

Juliette leaned back against Mateo, this time in his luxurious bathtub. The man had made good choices when he’d fixed up his house. “I love your bathtub.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s got these hot water jets and temperature controls. Very nice,” she assured him.

He dripped bubbles across her breasts. “I’ll have you know the adjustable jets and aerators are hydrotherapy features, all designed for relaxation.”

“I approve of hydrotherapy features. I’m so relaxed I could fall asleep.”

“We can’t have that,” he whispered as his hands dipped underwater. Circling, rubbing, stroking, he moved them over her breasts, then lower to her belly, then lower still.

It’d been twenty-four hours since they’d arrived home from the clinic, and both fallen exhausted into bed.

But waking up in Mateo’s bed that morning had been a much different experience than the first time. He’d made love to her. Slowly, thoroughly, and with attention to her pleasure. While the storm moved east and away from Sisters, they spent the day mostly cuddled together on the couch, talking.

Mateo was adamant that she rest her brain, so no reading, no scrolling, no TV.

She couldn’t even look at listings for rentals.

Lucky for them, making love wasn’t on the list of banned activities in the concussion protocols.

She sighed as they moved together in the tub, reaching climax with bubbles swirling around them, then again in bed.

After, they lay cocooned in warm flannel sheets. Juliette had never felt more replete or cherished.

Mateo shifted to lean back against the headboard, drawing her up with him. With the recessed lights on low, his skin gleamed.

“Owen gave us cheesecake. An entire lemon meringue cheesecake.” Juliette sighed. “Cheesecake sounds really good right now.”

“Owen gave us cheesecake because he and Keeley needed to get to Reno to catch a plane. They didn’t want it to go bad. We’re supposed to share with the Triad.”

“I guess it would be selfish not to share.”

“It would. We’ll have cheesecake in a bit.” He ran a curl between his fingers, brows drawn over his eyes.

“You have ridiculously long eyelashes,” she murmured.

“Move in with me.”

She gave an involuntary jolt. “I’ll find someplace to live. I haven’t even had a chance to look. I’m even considering buying a house, but I’ll need to talk with a lender to see if I can swing that.”

“I’m not asking you because you don’t have a place to live. I’m asking because I love you. I want you to move in with me.”

Everything in her stilled, then lit from within with a golden flame.

“We’re moving fast, and I get that. You can stay in the guest room if you’d feel more comfortable. I won’t like it, but you can. But you’d be here, I’d be here, and maybe with time you could love me too.”

She pressed her fingers to his mouth, then bent forward and replaced them with her lips. “I. Love. You.” She interspersed each word with a kiss.

He caught her wrists, his eyes blazing. “You love me?”

“Yes, Mateo, I love you. I’ve been falling a little bit every time I saw you. Once I knew you liked me and only me, I couldn’t stop myself from falling all the way.”

Juliette absorbed the warmth of his embrace. “This is a place to build a life. We have three perfect new babies, our community came together during a big storm, and we found each other.”

“And we have cheesecake.” He tipped his forehead to hers. “I love you. These are going to be the best holidays ever.”

brIGHTON HOLIDAYS

M. TASIA