The next morning I’m fighting waking up. I want to stay here, naked in my bed wrapped around his perfect naked body, for the entire day. I could technically do it—since I’m unemployed. Ugh.

I feel him shift, but I refuse to open my eyes even as he untangles himself from me. I feel his lips on my forehead and I make a little mewing sound. “Sweet Dixie…I have to get to practice.”

“Right now?” I murmur in protest more into the pillow than to him.

“In an hour, which is why I’m waking you up now,” he replies in a husky voice. He gently kisses both of my closed eyelids. My eyes flutter open as his fingertips trace a path south, across my ribs and over the curve of my hip and down between my legs. I turn onto my back to give him the access he needs. I arch my back as his fingers move and reach back to grab a condom off the nightstand.

He leans forward, captures my lips in a sweet kiss, and then grins. “You’re in a rush to get to the point.”

“It’s a really great point,” I reply with a smile.

His hands move to my hips. “Turn around.”

I start to slowly move, but he basically grabs me and flips me onto my stomach. God, I love how controlling he can get. It’s the biggest turn-on ever. I bend my knees and get on all fours. I hear him tear the condom wrapper and arch my back in anticipation. One of his hands smacks my ass, not too hard but enough that it leaves a sting that turns into a tingle I feel all the way to my clit. His other hand slips around my hip, down my belly and right to my clit. He starts teasing it—relentlessly. I’m cresting toward an orgasm almost immediately. His chest hair tickles my back as teeth gently sink into my shoulder. Then he moves to my neck, sucking the skin just below my ear.

“I’m going to come soon,” I warn him in a pant.

“That’s the idea,” he whispers back in his gravelly voice.

It’s coming, closer and closer and…just before it hits he leaves me teetering on the brink as his fingers disappear and he grabs my hips and pushes into me. It’s fast, hard and deep. A pleasure-filled groan escapes his lips and mingles with the moan escaping mine. He keeps a hard but slow pace, and his hand moves back to my clit, but again when I’m close his hand disappears. I groan in frustration—delicious, crazy frustration.

He bends forward again. I feel the scrape of his short beard against my shoulder as he smiles at my irritation. “Relax. I’ll get you there. I promise.”

But he doesn’t. He gets me close again—so blindingly close—and then he stops. “Elijah Casco, I am going to scream.”

“Yes, you are,” he agrees, and when I try to move my own hand to my clit to finish what he started, repeatedly, he won’t let me. He pushes me down onto my forearms, which changes the angle of my hips and his angle inside me. He’s deeper and I hear him groan again. Then his fingers are on my clit again and I fight against the pleasure because he’s going to take it away anyway. Only this time he doesn’t, he lets me fall and it’s one hell of a fall. My orgasm is deep, long and intense. His must be the same, judging by the noises he makes as he comes with me.

I collapse onto the bed, and he collapses onto me. As we come back to earth, I hear him laughing. “It’s egotistical but I fucking love that you say my name when you come. Or in this case, scream it.”

“I screamed? Your name?” I ask because, honestly, I don’t have a clue. That orgasm was blackout good.

“Yeah. You know, we should probably videotape us,” he suggests, and I squirm and fight until he gets off of me, then I sit up and glare at him.

“No way in hell,” I say flatly.

He’s grinning, so I know he’s just teasing. “But that’s clearly the only way you’re going to know what you say when you come. And also, how fucking hot you are when you do it.”

“No video. I need a job, and employers Google people nowadays,” I explain and crawl off the bed. “If that ends up on the internet my life is over.”

He laughs as I try to walk confidently to the bathroom but my legs are wobbly. “Your orgasm legs are adorable.”

“Shut up and shower with me,” I reply as I bite back a smile.

Twenty minutes later we’re both getting dressed and I’ve just finished sending my resume to my contact at the ALS Foundation. He gives my shoulders a supportive squeeze, and as I close my laptop he grows serious. “What are your plans for the day?”

“I was going to swing by my parents’ and have lunch with them. Then I have to go to the arena at some point and collect my personal belongings. I’m dreading that. They’ll probably make the security guard escort me and Trish will have a superior little smirk on her face and…ugh.”

“Let me grab your stuff,” he volunteers. Before I can argue he says, “So you don’t have to deal with any drama.”

“I created the drama. I should face it,” I argue back softly as I pull an oversize gray sweater on over my black-and-white splatter-print leggings. “But I honestly don’t want to.”

He nods. “Then don’t. I’ll do it for you.”

He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side. “The ALS Foundation will hire you. You’re incredible, and it’s a great fit for you and them.”

“I hope so.”

We get to the corner where the trolley stop is, and he cups my face and kisses me good-bye, only it’s a hell of a lot more passionate than an average good-bye kiss. “Whoa,” I whisper when he finally lets me go.

“We can finally kiss in public,” he reminds me. “I am not going to take that for granted by giving you some pansy peck.”

I laugh as he winks at me and walks away.

I head to my parents’ place, and as I use my key and open the door, I’m greeted by the sound of laughter and yelling. Not angry yelling, just typical boisterous Braddock banter. God, I hope Eli can handle us, I worry as I follow the noise through the kitchen into the dining area. Eli’s family, from everything he says, is prim and proper, which is definitely not my family.

Everyone is seated around the long oak table. Dad is in his wheelchair at one end. Mom is to his left, Jude is at the other end with Zoey to his right, and Winnie and Sadie are in the middle. There’s an empty seat on Jude’s left, but there’s a plate of eggs and bacon in front of it. He notices me first because the others are listening to Sadie and Winnie talk over each other as they tell a story.

“I told you she’d be here,” Jude calls out, pulling everyone’s attention. He kicks out the empty chair.

I smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be at practice?”

“It’s optional. I opted out,” Jude explains. He points to the plate in front of the empty chair. “We made a plate for you, freeloader.”

“Slacker,” I quip, and take the seat next to him, pulling the plate of food closer and reaching for the fork.

“She’s an unemployed freeloader now,” Sadie reminds everyone.

“That’s okay. She can live on love,” Winnie pipes up and laughs at her own joke.

“Leave Little D alone,” my dad says. “We’re very proud of her for following her principles. And her heart. Life is too short not to.”

That last sentiment silences the table for a moment. My mom clears her throat, not wanting to let everyone start to get sad thinking about my dad’s short life, and looks over at me. “We’d like Eli to come over for dinner. Jude said they don’t have a game tonight or tomorrow, so can you ask him to join us one of those nights?”

I nod. I knew this was coming. “Just don’t embarrass me, okay?”

“Please. That’s our job, honey,” my dad replies and winks as he sips his coffee.

“Speaking of jobs…” Jude interrupts. “Do you need anything? Like a reference or cash until you get a new position somewhere? Let me know.”

I nod. “I’m okay. I can take care of myself. Besides, soon you’ll have your own little girl to take care of, so you better save your money for that.”

“It’s a boy!” Jude argues back instantly, and Zoey laughs.

“I don’t care what it is, as long as you let me babysit a lot,” Mom says with an excited smile.

I spend three hours hanging out with my family and then decide to head home and start the job search. As I get off the trolley the phone rings. I have the number saved in my phone as “Kelsey ALS.” She must be calling about the social media campaign.

“Dixie! How are you? Do you have a moment to talk?” she says. Her voice is friendly and upbeat, which fills me with hope.

“I’m good, and yes, I’m free to chat. How are you?”

“I’m good, but I’ll be great if you take a job with us,” she says. “We got your email and we’re sending you an offer to be our social media director as we speak.”

“Seriously?”

She laughs. “Yes. Normally there might be an in-person interview, but we know you, and the work you’ve already done for us has been exceptional. We’re confident in making the offer.”

“Thank you so much, Kelsey!”

We talk for a minute more and she tells me to review the offer and send it back with an electronic signature to make it official. The email comes as soon as we hang up and I look it over. The salary is a little less, but the benefits are better and I get more time off. My start date is a week from today. I squeal and do a little dance on the sidewalk. Then I immediately call Eli and tell him the news.

“I’m on my way to your place right now, and I’m taking you out to celebrate!” he announces.

I can’t stop smiling, and when he knocks on the door twenty minutes later I’ve already signed the offer and sent it back. He’s carrying a box with my stuff in it from the office. He carefully puts it down near the kitchen and then picks me up in a hug and spins me around. “Congrats, Dixie!”

“I knew it would work out. I just didn’t know it would be so quickly.”

He lets me go and heads back over to the box and grabs a small frame out of it. I had a motivational motto in that frame. It said INHALE CONFIDENCE, EXHALE DOUBT. He smiles deviously as he hands it to me. “I replaced it with my new favorite pickup line, so you can put it up here and it’ll remind you of me when I’m on road trips.”

He’s replaced my motto with something he must have printed on a printer. It’s white paper with thick, large black print. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST THING IS IN MY LIFE? IT’S THE FIRST WORD IN THAT SENTENCE.

I look up at him and his goofy grin and I feel deadly serious suddenly. “I don’t need reminders. I don’t intend to forget you,” I admit with nervous butterflies. “Because I love you.”

His smile drops and a new, warm, sweet one blooms across his rugged features. He steps into me again, circling my waist with his arms and pulling me into him. “I love you too.”

He kisses me again, and when he pulls back he’s got a cocky smile on his face. “See? Sometimes flying by the seat of your pants works out, Little Miss Plans and Rules.”

“Sometimes.” I laugh. This relationship tested me in so many ways and catapulted me out of my comfort zone, but as he kisses me again, I know I’d risk everything all over again if I had to. He’s worth it.