Page 85 of Big Girl Panties

"Good," he murmured, his grip tightening around me. "I was hoping I wasn't the only one suffering."

I laughed, and then his mouth was on mine.

The kiss was soft, desperate, and real. His lips moved against mine like he was trying to pour five days of missing me into this one perfect moment. I melted into him, my fingers tightening in his hair as he held me like I might disappear if he let go.

When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, I rested my forehead against his.

"So," he said, his voice rough. "Coffee tomorrow morning?"

I smiled, feeling giddy, reckless, and perfectly happy. "Only if it's on your patio with the bay view and I get to wear your t-shirt."

His head jerked back in mock surprise as he slowly let me slide down until my feet hit the floor. "Are you asking to spend the night with me, Brooke Wallace?"

I took a step back, grinning. "Too presumptuous?"

"Hell no." He grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the door. "See you later, Davina!"

"Call me tomorrow," she shouted back, and I glanced over my shoulder to see her standing next to Kali, both of them looking starry-eyed and proud of themselves.

That's when it hit me. They'd planned this whole thing.

I smiled and mouthed 'Thank you' to my scheming, wonderful friends. Thank you for not letting me self-sabotage. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for believing in happily ever after when I'd forgotten how to believe in it myself.

As Matt pulled me out into the cool night air, his hand warm in mine, I couldn't help but laugh at the beautiful absurdity of it all. Sometimes the best love stories start with the worst decisions. Sometimes you have to lose something to realize how much you want to fight for it.

And sometimes, if you're really lucky, your friends will stage an elaborate romantic intervention involving bribed bartenders and interpretive dance.

I squeezed Matt's hand as we walked toward his truck, knowing we still had things to work out, like how to mesh our lives together, but after tonight, I was pretty sure we were going to have a lot of nights ahead of us.

Chapter 36

Five Days too Long…

I couldn't wait to get Brooke home, my home. Hopefully, soon our home. It had been five agonizingly long days, and I'd missed her more than I'd ever like to admit out loud. All I could think about was her heated skin against mine. Her lips on mine. Her body on mine.

I pulled her through the entrance, fingers intertwined, and before the door clicked shut, drew her close. The space between us hummed with five days' worth of unsaid things, promises, and confessions that refused to wait longer.

"I missed you," I whispered, voice rough with emotion as I leaned down, breath warm against her skin. My hands found her waist, anchoring her to me.

"Yeah?" She looked up at me with that smile that made my heart race, her hands sliding up my chest. "How much?"

My lips curved into a grin. "Words couldn't do it justice."

"No?"

"No," I murmured, forehead touching hers. "I need to show you."

She kissed me hard. No hesitation. No gentleness. Just hunger, devouring my lips and tongue like she'd been starving too. I grabbed her thighs and lifted. She gasped against my mouth, that small, perfect sound, and wrapped her legs around my waist. The fabric of her dress surrendered, hiking up her thighs.

Sucking her bottom lip between my teeth, I carried her through the foyer, past the living room, up a flight of stairs to my bedroom. I wanted to close the door and not open it for a week. I wanted to make up for every minute I'd missed her. It was completely unrealistic, but I didn't care.

She broke from the kiss as I set her on the edge of my bed. The mattress dipped beneath her weight. My hands lingered on her waist, reluctant to let go. We stayed like that, not touching, not speaking, just looking.

Her chest rose and fell with each breath. Those blue eyes, the ones haunting my dreams for five nights, held mine. A question in them. A challenge. Need, yes, but something deeper too. Something that made my heart slam against my ribs.

She reached out, fingers stopping just at the hem of my shirt. A pause, her eyes asking permission, though she needed none. My breath caught as her hands finally slid underneath. My abs tightened at the feeling of her warm fingertips gliding along my skin, feather-light. She guided my shirt upward, her touch disappearing momentarily as I finished pulling it off, the fabric sailing forgotten to the floor.

"I really did miss you."