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Her jaw dropped. “No, it wouldn’t have!”
I felt a snarl in my chest. “But if I said we were dating then, you would have corrected me. It was a no-win situation, so I just got us out of it without an interview. But hell. I’ll call Pete right now and set the record straight. Friends for years and now we’re fucking multiple times a day. What is it that you want to call us?”
“Dumb and dumber for all I care,” she spat at me, pulling away from my grasp.
Growling, I raced after her, catching her in the bedroom. “You promised not to fucking run, Raven!”
Tears streamed down her face making me feel like an asshole. “One minute you’re asking me to move in with you for an indeterminate amount of time with nothing to look forward to but a life of pajama pants, scratching your balls, and grunting. The next minute, you’re ready to call Pete and tell him we fuck now. So, am I really the one having a moment here, Chief?”
Throwing my arms around her, I held her to my chest resting my chin on top of her head. “No. Guess it’s me with the moment. I’m sorry. Okay? I’m so fucking sorry.”
Letting her cry a little longer to purge the poison of this encounter, I realized my insecurity led to this disaster. I was supposed to be inviting her to come live with me, to share a life with me.
Clearing my throat, I prepared myself for the words I wanted to say more carefully. “I like the idea of marriage,” I whispered into her hair. “Maybe someday.
She sniffled and glanced up at me.
I pushed some hair from her face. “I just want you to be here. I want to watch you paint your toes red, watch your wide-necked sweatshirts fall off your shoulder, and see your research cover my guest bedroom.” I grasped her hand. “I don’t want anyone else. Ever.”
Gazing up into my eyes, her eyes glistened. “I don’t either.”
I pulled her hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to the top of her hand. “Okay, then we’re dating, right?”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling.
I leaned down and kissed her softly. “So, you’ll come to Ilya and Kiley’s with me? We’ll tell everyone. Make it official?”
The smile spread slowly across her face. “Something happened?”
My lips twitched. “Mulaney got canned. They hired Buchoskya to take his place.”
Recognizing what a huge win this was for Molly, for me, for the team, she leapt into my arms. “Oh, Ransom!”
I caught her and spun her around until she squealed. Then I grabbed her legs and hitched them around my waist. “This is it. Everything we wanted. Your story fucking worked!”
She was beaming. “Now Molls is going to be with the team, Kiley keeps her job, you get back to playing hockey, and we’re together.”
I pressed a kiss to her lips and pulled back to look at her. “Does it get any better than this?”
Pressing her hand against my beard, she looked deep into my eyes. “Nope. Don’t think it does, Chief.”
I captured her lips, kissing her long and hard until she leaned back laughing.
“Now let me get ready,” she said with a wiggle.
I took one more kiss, then I let her down to change. But I didn’t leave as she got ready. I loved watching her. How she moved. How she touched her body while she dressed. How she looked while she leaned over the sink to apply a few swipes of mascara.
And to my surprise, in only a few minutes she was ready. It used to take her an hour to go anywhere, but she seemed to have a new sense of confidence. In just a pair of jeans and a red shirt with sheer sleeves, her hair pinned into one of those older styles, she looked stunning. Her red lips were too tempting, though. I stood in front of the bedroom door, staring at her until she picked out which boots she was wearing.
She raised an eyebrow. “Um, Chief. We can’t leave until we go through this door.”
Stalking forward, I stared at her tempting red lips and licked mine. “That’s right.”
The instant I charged for her, she dropped her boots and let me sweep her up in my arms. Savoring every second my lips were on hers, I held her captive until I was ready to release her.
When I released her, her legs held but she looked dazed. “Wow. What was that for?”
My eyes memorized the look on her face. “I can’t help myself when you look this good.”
