I spot Marley darting out the door in tears and leave Bryson midsentence to go after her.

The night air is frigid. The moon hangs low and full, glowing like a wafer in the sky—perfect considering it’s Halloween. Speaking of which, Marley has been raving about the holiday for weeks. She even made her own elaborate costume that she spent hours sewing herself. She let me know that as soon as Will came down for the weekend she was going to do a little belly dance for him in private. Those velvet cuffs of hers are still yearning to be broken in. I don’t judge Marley’s need for kink. I just want to slap Will upside the head for not giving it to her. Giving it to her. I frown at the irony.

I flag her down before she crosses the street, and she backtracks.

What’s going on? Are you going to meet with Will? That was stupid. Obviously, she’s upset, but a part of me is hoping these are happy tears and there’s finally an end to her misery. I’ve never seen anyone so love sick before. It’s about as pleasant to watch as oral surgery sans the Novocain.

She shakes her head as she sniffs back tears. The wind pulls her unruly blonde mane back revealing glittering eyes. “He can’t come. He’ll try tomorrow.” Her lips bloat a ruby red as she clicks into her phone. A friend of mine who lives in his building says there might be someone else.

Oh my, God, I’m so sorry. My heart breaks as I type out the rest of my reply. Are you sure? Maybe this friend is just jealous. I think maybe you should hold off until you can speak with him in person.

“Oh, I will.” She clicks into her phone. I’m holding back all of my anger. I’ll deal with the son of a bitch when I see him. Her expression morphs from anger to concern. “Are you really spending the night with Blake?”

I shrug. I want to. We’ll see. If I’m not home, don’t worry. I’ll be by around noon. I’m taking Blake to meet my family tomorrow night.

Marley touches her head as if checking for a fever. “Spending the night—meeting the family? All in one weekend?” She makes a face at the Black Bear. “You should, though, you’re in love.” She leans in and lands a sweet kiss to my cheek before pulling back and typing into her phone. I guess I’ll go troll the Internet for some ‘how to keep your man’ articles—you know, taking one for the team. She digs her pinky into the corner of her eye before continuing. I envy you. Goodnight.

Marley envies me. I marvel as I head back into the bar. I don’t believe there’s been a person in my life that’s ever envied me before. But I am in love. My feet hardly touch the ground as I start in on the search for the man of my dreams. That’s what Blake is. Actually that’s not entirely true. Blake is more than I could have ever dreamed up, and that’s the best part. It’s as if reality blindsided me in the best way possible.

I spot Holt and Bryson standing in the entry with Blake between them.

Oh, for God’s sake. Leave him alone. I sign before plucking him out of their clutches.

“We found him stumbling out of the bathroom with this girl, right here, hanging off him.” Bryson steps back exposing Ms. America—Ms. I’m-going-to-turn-you-into-a -torpedo, Ms. I’m-going-to-dry-hump-your-boyfriend-on-stage Johanna.

Her hair is rumpled. She’s wearing half as much as she was earlier. I lean in a little. Is she in her bra or is that a costume? And why is Laney trying to force water down her throat?

Blake gently lifts my chin. His tender eyes beg me to listen before he ever says a word. “She attacked me in the restroom. She’s drunk out of her mind.” He winces. “She shoved her chest in my face. I swear”—he holds up his hands as if to prove a point, but he doesn’t have to, the disbelief in his eyes says it all—“I had nothing to do with it.”

Johanna gesticulates something to Laney, and a glass of water goes flying.

I’m not surprised by her behavior. I pull both Bryson and Holt to the side. She’s smashed. I believe Blake. Didn’t you see what he did tonight? He cares about me just like I care about him.

And we care about you. Holt burns through me with hellfire in his eyes. Annie, this guy sleeps with girls by the dozens. Girls are throwing themselves at him. You saw that yourself tonight. He’s probably slept with that girl before. Doesn’t his track record worry you?

No, he’s changed. He’s a one-woman man, and I happen to be that woman. I widen my stance as if I’m about to take them on in a brawl. When we were little my brothers used to let me wrestle with them and pretend that I had them beat just to make me feel good. Right now I’m thinking I won’t need the ego boost. I’ve got enough rage to propel me through a good beat down with the two of them. I don’t know what I have to do to prove that I’m not a little girl anymore! I’m leaving. And don’t you even think of following me. I’ll see you both tomorrow at Mom’s. I’ll find my own way there.

Blake heads over, and I wrap my arms around his waist as we head out the door. One of these days my brothers are going to have to let me live my own life. They’re going to have to realize I’m not a kid anymore. Big surprise for them because that day is today.

---

When Blake asked where to, I said his place. It takes twenty minutes before we get to the carriage house. I watch with a slight nostalgic sadness as we drive under the tall, bronze banner that reads Golden Oakes Ranch.

Blake taps me on the knee and gazes into my eyes with a curve of his lips that sets my nerves jumping in a celebratory romp. I might be heartbroken over how I left things with my brothers, but I’m still giddy with excitement at the prospect of what the night might hold.

“I have a surprise for you.” He mouths it slow and steady, and I may have sighed while memorizing his lips. He holds a finger up while jotting something down on his phone. I had planned on asking you to come back to the carriage house tonight—but only if you wanted. And if you said no I would have given you this tomorrow. “Come on.” He nods out the door, and we race up the stairs.

Blake scoops me up in his arms, and I feel a giggle escape me. My fingers reflexively cover my mouth.

“I like you happy.”

You make me happy, I sign and give a shy smile at what I’m about to do next. I call him over with my finger, and I touch my lips to his ear whispering the sentiment as best I can.

He pulls back and closes his eyes through a pained smile. “Annie.”

Blake unlocks the door and swings us inside. He turns the light over the kitchen table and dims it until the inside of the tiny cottage glows a soft shade of pumpkin.

He whisks me over to the sink where two giant bouquets of red roses sit in water like dozens of beautiful frilly girls ready and willing to paint the town. My mother always said roses were sexy. That they were the sex-goddess of the botanical kingdom, ready to unleash their passionate glory on star-crossed lovers that held their petals between them. I pluck one out and inhale its intoxicating scent, sugar and honey, and sex gods named Blake, all rolled into one.

“Blake,” I whisper as he gently sets me down.

He plucks one out and hands it to me sweetly. “They’re all for you.”

I pull out my phone. Thank you. They’re beautiful. This entire night has been magical. Dancing with you at the bar—the words you said in front of everyone there. It meant a lot to me.

“I want the whole world to know how much you mean to me. I love you, Annie. I want you right here next to me.” His hand firms over my back and draws me to him in one quick swoop. “I want you in my life forever. It hurt like hell when Benji died, but somehow you’ve made everything better.”

You make everything better for me, too. I pull my phone back a moment. Except one thing…

“What’s that?” Blake looks distraught at the thought that he might be doing something wrong.

You haven’t shared your body with me yet. Rumor has it you haven’t always been this stingy. I bite my lip, withholding my budding elation. I’m ready Blake. And I’m hoping you are, too.

A devilish grin blooms over his face, slow and deliberate as if this were the exact mischief—the exact kind of physical altercation he wanted to get into tonight. He leans in, and the spice of his cologne surprises me. His dark hair gleams with shades of blue in this dull light. His lids grow heavy and serious, and I can’t believe this beautiful man is mine. Blake takes off his T-shirt and sends it sailing to the other side of the kitchen. He scoops me into his arms again, and I cradle a single rose between us as he carries me off to his bedroom. It’s dark inside, cooler with the moonlight spraying its white shadow across the floor. Blake swipes the comforter off the bed and gently lands me over the cool, crisp sheets. The bed holds his subtle scent, a heady mixture of wood and citrus, lime, and spice.

Blake looms over me like a shadow, his broad chest striped with dark lines as I trace out his abs. He straddles me and unbuttons his jeans, opening them in the front. This is it. It’s finally happening, and I have to resist the urge to send a text to Kaya and give her a play by play. All those daydreams, those nighttime fantasies are about to come true with Blake Daniels, the love of my life, inside of me where I’ve secretly wanted him all along.

Blake lies over me and crashes his mouth to mine. He dives into me with hot, hungry kisses that taste like sunshine and mint. Blake rides his hands up my shirt and cups my breasts in his hands, kneading them softly, making my entire body buck into his to pronounce the pleasure. A moan tries to roll from my throat, but I won’t let it. I lean up and evict the sweater from me, right along with my bra. Blake catches my gaze in the dark with his chest panting, his eyes alive and smiling. He’s on his hands and knees, and something about seeing him on all fours arouses me far more than I could ever imagine. I reach down and yank the jeans off his body, his boxers roll right off with them. Blake peels my skintight leggings off in one quick move, and I lie back completely bared to him for the very first time.

Blake rides his heated gaze over my body, and a tingle strums through me right down to my toes.

He touches his finger to his mouth, and I struggle to see his lips. “You are so beautiful.” I like the way his chest vibrates with the words, the way it forces his breath to dance off my skin.

I toss my head back and give a soft giggle. My hand glides over his shoulders as I gently roll him over until he’s lying on his back.

Blake is all man. His chest spans wide, and I take my time smoothing my hand from one end to the other. I trace down to his abs, then my eyes dip because I can’t contain myself a second more, and there he is. He’s long and hard, pointing toward the ceiling with a spear of flesh I’ve ached to see. I touch the tip then collapse my hand over him and stroke all the long way down. He’s big. He’s huge. Not that I have anything to juxtapose with, but seeing is believing. My vagina is asking not so subtly for me to run the other way.

“You are perfect,” I whisper. “Your body is gorgeous.” I try to steady the words, even and breathless.

Blake pulls me up to him, his entire face beaming as he presses his lips to mine. He rolls me over until I’m lying on the mattress and tucks his leg between my thighs. His hand slips down my hip then between my legs, and a heavy breath escapes me. He pulls back one more time and touches his lips.

“Hit me if I hurt you,” he mouths. Blake mock slaps his face and nods. It dawns on me that he’s probably asked girls that question a hundred times by whispering it in their ear. This is different for him. In a way, he’s navigating uncharted waters just like me.

I pull his ear to my lips. “I’ll make sure it hurts.”

A laugh strums through him as he relaxes over me. My lips find his, and I lash out inside his mouth begging him to love me and not hold back. Blake’s hand cups that heated part of me that’s been working itself into a frenzy ever since we landed on this bed, and I move my hips into him encouraging Blake to have me any way he likes. Something in him loosens as he pins me beneath him with the weight of his body, spreading my limbs out over the cool sheets like a victory. His hard-on grazes my thigh, and I fight the urge to shift and land him inside me without any pomp or circumstance, or condom for that matter. His fingers glide over my wet folds, and I groan. Blake bites down over my lower lip and nibbles on my mouth as if starting in on dessert. Slowly he inserts a finger deep inside me, and I wrap my legs around his arm, fighting the urge to spasm into him. He presses in deeper still, moving in and out as I press my head into the pillow. My lashes flutter just enough to catch him watching me. Blake dots a kiss over each of my eyes as he leans to the dresser and comes back with a condom. He holds it up a moment for me to inspect before tearing the package open. He lands the tiny phlegm-like disc over himself and smooths it on. Blake reaches for my hand and places it over the soft skin just under his hard-on, and a groan vibrates through him. Blake Daniels’ balls are a handful, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing and panting all at the same time. I’m delirious right now, filled with every emotion, so much so that my voice begs to be invited to the party. I’m so wet I’ve already soaked the bed. Blake’s kisses grow more fervent. His hand lovingly rides up and down over that heated pool of wanting until I’m ready to jump out of my skin. My heart thumps so hard, it ricochets throughout my body with a fury, and I wonder if this intense pleasure has the power to kill me. I believe it does. I believe Blake holds my heart in his hands, and, if he’s not careful with it, like my brothers swear he won’t be, he just might cause my beating heart to stop. Blake pulls my thighs apart, landing my knees high up by my chest, exposing me wide. The cool night air brushes over me, and I can’t stop looking right into Blake’s reassuring eyes. He guides himself to me, and I can feel him there. My mouth opens as he navigates himself inside. He inserts the tip and nods, looking for approval. His eyes heavy and drugged with a mix of wanting permission and simply riding out a formality. I press my hand to his lower back and carefully invite him in. A slow burn rips through me, popping and stinging as if I were impaling myself with a lit sparkler from the Fourth of July. Kaya told me all about her first time in detail, and what I remember most is the fact she said it burned real good. If she hadn’t said that—if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have thought Blake was tearing right through me. But that wouldn’t have stopped me. Blake and I have dived into deep waters, and we need to cling to one another until we hit the surface again.

Blake plunges in until his body is pushed as far as it can go into mine. This, right here, is a beautiful moment. His chest hovers inches over my face, and I lean up to run my tongue along his heated flesh, kissing it before pressing him in even deeper. Blake rides in and out slowly at first then picking up speed, slamming into me until it feels as if I might break, and I want to. I want to shatter into a million pieces and float across the room. Blake has me reduced to molecules, reduced to primal urges that demand to be satisfied. I want this night to stretch out forever. I never want to leave his bed. Whitney Briggs, his garage—they can all find someone else to fill their voids. This is all Blake and I need to survive. At the least we should hole up in his bedroom for the next three weeks. A honeymoon adventure minus the wedding rings. Every part of me regrets making plans to go to my mother’s of all places tomorrow. I want this all night—right through the weekend—until I’m forced to stare reality in the face. His movements quicken. Blake slips his hand between my legs and touches me there until I’m shaking in his palm. A cry begs to rip from my throat, but I swallow it down. Blake has the room spinning. Flashes of light explode in my mind’s eye as I almost hit my peak. Blake moves his hand away, pumping himself harder and faster into my body before clutching onto me for dear life. I feel his violent panting as he shakes and trembles into me. He lands heavy over my body, heaving, his skin iced with perspiration. We lay like that a good few minutes just trying to catch our breath. His heart drums over mine, rivaling any song that’s ever vibrated through my bones. This, right here, is the sweetest rhythm—the most beautiful music I can hear with my soul.

Blake pours heated wet kisses all over my face. His panting persists as he pulls back and examines me in this anemic light.

“You okay?”

I nod. “You didn’t break me. I loved it,” I whisper. “And I love you.”

“Annie.” He picks up my hand and lands it far above my head just loving me with the joy in his eyes as he watches me breathe. “Was that good for you?”

“Yes,” I mouth. God, yes. Yes, yes, yes.

“Did you come?”

Did he just ask that?

I open my mouth uncertain how to answer.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

A sly smile glides up his cheek because I think he’s about to rectify the situation.