“So, I told Sara that you can’t have a USO themed dance without live music and everyone else agreed.” Jovie points her own thumbs at her face. “With me.”

I take a sip from my soda. “Really?”

Jovie chews on a fry from her plate across the table from me. “You should have seen the look on her face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more annoyed with me before and that’s saying something.”

“Well, this won’t backfire on me at all,” I joke, glancing around the crowded diner.

If we’d been this public a week ago, every silent eye would be staring at us. Now, I notice only the occasional passing glance toward our booth. Maybe Clover is finally starting to get used to us again.

“Anyway,” Jovie wipes her mouth with her napkin, “Natalie and I went online and found a few swing bands in Kansas City and we’re setting up some auditions for this weekend. It’s gonna be awesome.”

“Cutting it a little close, aren’t you? The dance is on Tuesday.”

She winces. “Yeah, but it’ll be okay. Musicians are usually really flexible people. I am confident that we’ll find one in time.”

I stare quietly at her until she realizes I am.

“What?” she finally asks.

“Do you realize that you’ve been talking about the party planning committee for the last twenty minutes and you haven’t rolled your eyes once?”

She scoffs. “I have, too.”

“No, you haven’t.” I smirk. “You’ve spent the last week and a half on this committee, smiling and nodding along with them only to come home every night to me and poke fun.”

“So?”

“So… the last few days haven’t been as mean-spirited as usual.”

She frowns. “What are you getting at, Will?”

I slide forward to snatch a fry off her plate. “You’re having fun,” I say as I bite it in half.

Jovie sits a little taller as her face creases. “I am not.”

“Yes, you are. You’re giving back to the town of Clover and you’re actually enjoying yourself.”

“No, I’m blending in. That’s the whole point of a coup.”

“I don’t think you’re couping anymore, Jove,” I say, stealing another fry off her plate. “I think you’re one step closer to becoming—”

“Don’t.” She points a stiff finger at me. “Don’t you dare say it.”

“A productive member of society.”

Her jaw drops. “Take. That. Back.”

“Soon, you’ll be giving presentations at town meetings.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“And voting in local elections.”

“Knock it off.”

I reach for another fry but she slaps my hand away. “Ow,” I wince.

“Take it back.”

“Jovie.” I laugh as I wipe the crumbs off my fingers. “Come on. It’s not a big deal. So, you’re making new friends and you’re burying old hatchets. It’s good for you. It’s healthy. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted to happen anyway?”

“No, I wanted to make them eat crow!” she says. “I wanted them to stop treating me like a damn leper. Like I don’t belong here. I was born in the same hospital two blocks away as they were. I went to the same schools, drank the same Kool-Aid, and I have every right to be here. I’m from Clover, Kansas and I’m—”

She shuts her mouth to stop herself from saying it.

I lean forward. “Proud?”

Her eyes disappear behind a deep squint. “Okay, I see your point. Can we go back to your place and fuck this bad taste out of my mouth, please?”

I smile. “Whatever you want, my darling.”

“Thank you.”

She slides out of the booth and beelines toward the nearest exit across the diner. I stand up to follow her, but not before snatching a few more abandoned fries off her plate.

* * *

I run a finger along Jovie’s naked hip, riding the curve up and down on the bed beside me.

She flinches and smiles, her eyes tired and closed. “That tickles,” she says.

I don’t stop. I keep my hands on her, feeling her smooth skin until she finally opens her eyes.

“I said, that tickles.”

“That’s not our safe word.”

She shifts up onto her elbow in amusement. “Stop tickling me before I break your fingers,” she says.

“There it is.” I withdraw my hand but lean in close to kiss her shoulder instead.

“What?” she asks me.

“Nothing.”

“No…” She leans back. “There’s something on your mind. What is it?”

I shake my head. “Just you.”

“Just me?”

“Yeah.”

“What about me?”

I eye the ring on her finger. She hasn’t taken it off since I gave it to her. At least, I haven’t noticed if she has, but we spend every free moment we have together. Making up for lost time, I suppose.

“I like having you here,” I say.

She smiles. “I like being here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I slide my arm around her to pull her a little closer. “Then, move in.”

“Uh…” She slowly rises a few inches. “What?”

“Move in here with me,” I say again, feeling the logic fall into place. “You spend almost every night here anyway.”

“Okay, yeah. I do, but…”

“And you don’t need to be wasting seventy-five bucks a week on Hank,” I point out. “You don’t make much and he’s ripping you off out of spite, if you want my opinion. I have the space and you need to get out of there.”

She blinks. “You’re serious about this.”

I nod. “I am.”

“Have you been thinking about this already?”

“Not really, no, but it makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Epiphany crosses her eyes. “You do have that spare bedroom...”

“It’s all yours,” I offer. “I’ll clear out the weights and the treadmill and stick them in the garage. Then, you’ll have plenty of room for your stuff.”

“I don’t have much. You don’t have to move anything…”

“You deserve your own space.”

“Then, I should pay you rent. I don’t want to freeload.”

“I’m not charging you rent, Jove,” I say, shaking my head.

“Okay, we’ll split utilities,” she argues. “That’s fair, right?”

I smile. There’s no sense fighting against it. Even if I said no, she’d slip the money into my wallet when I wasn’t looking anyway. “Yes,” I say. “That’s fair.”

She leans back, comfortably smirking. “We’re moving in together.”

“Yes, we are.”

“I like the sound of it.”

“It does have a nice ring to it.”

“And you know an awesome perk to living with somebody is?” she asks.

“What?”

“On-demand sex.”

“That’s not why I asked you,” I chuckle, “but yes, that is awesome.”

She laughs as I lean over her again. Our legs entwine and she reaches around me, her fingers sliding along my shoulder blades, igniting the blood in my groin as I kiss her.

“Jovie…” I whisper her name and her lips curl.

“Yeah?” she asks, kissing me back.

“So, about Valentine’s Day…”

She heaves a breath and her hands drop to her sides. “I knew it.”

I push up onto my arms. “Hold on, now. It’s not serious.”

“You buttered me up.”

“No, I didn’t,” I lie.

“Yes, you did. You made me all smiley and euphoric with talk of on-demand sex and spare bedrooms only to yank the rug out. Can’t we just pretend it doesn’t exist this year?” she whines. “Things are going so well. We’re moving in together! Didn’t you hear that part? That part was nice.”

“We’re also newly engaged, or at least, the town thinks we are,” I say. “If we don’t make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day then they’ll get suspicious.”

She grunts in defeat. “Fine. What’s your plan?”

“Go to the dance with me.”

“That’s it?”

I nod. “That’s it.”

Her brow furrows in hesitation. “Do I have to?”

“Jovie...” I stare her down. “You’re a member of the party planning committee and you had no intention of even showing up?”

“Hell no.”

“Why not?”

“Because I hate dancing.”

“Old Jovie hated dancing,” I say. “New Jovie loves it.”

“No, she doesn’t.” She fidgets beneath me. “I’m pretty sure that’s the one thing old and new Jovie are in full agreement on. No dancing. I’ll hang a few balloons and hire a band but my involvement ends there.”

“Please.”

Her eyes study me and she squints. “You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“Why?”

“Because…” I shift onto my side, “I don’t want us to batten down the hatches every February. I want us to forget about what it used to mean to us and redefine it into something we look forward to all year round just like every other normal couple. Now, do you think you can handle that?”

“Maybe,” she says out of the corner of her mouth.

“Can you try?”

She nods with a smile. “Yeah, I can try.”

“And…” I shrug, “I guess if it explodes in our faces, we can always go back to pretending it doesn’t exist next year.”

Her brow bounces. “Assuming we even make it out of this one alive.”

“Naturally.” I nod.

“Okay,” she says, her voice a little more confident. “We can do the Valentine’s dance this year… but no gifts. I’m too broke.”

“Small gifts,” I counter.

“No gifts,” she repeats.

I pinch two fingers together. “Just a little one?”

“You already got something, didn’t you?”

“Kind of.”

She sighs. “Fine. What is it?”

“I’m not telling.” I kiss her neck and she tilts away from it.

“No, no. Tell me. I want to know.”

“Nope.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her back. “Not until the fourteenth.”

“Oh, come on,” she begs. “If you don’t tell me now, I’ll just tear this place apart while you’re at work until I find it.”

“Sure, you could,” I say, sliding my lips along her collarbone, “but it’s not even here so you’ll be looking for a very… long… time.”

“Where is it?”

I laugh as I kiss between her breasts. “I’m not telling.”

“Well, could you at least tell me a price range so I know what to get you?”

“You don’t have to get me anything.”

She scoffs. “Oh, that’s not fair.”

“I don’t want anything,” I say, pushing back up to her lips. “This year, my gift is you.”

“That’s just code for extra blowjobs.”

“That’s perfect.” I kiss her. “Thank you, baby. I love it.”

She slaps my forehead. “Shut the fuck up.”

I fall back to her waist as she spreads her legs. “Yes, ma’am.”

Jovie moans softly the moment my tongue touches her inner thigh. I lower to my stomach, easing into place between them while I lick my lips. Her scent fills my nose and I yield to being nothing more than a slave to her pleasures until she sees fit to dismiss me.

“Will…”

I glance up as her breasts heave and her back arches. This view. It’s always been my favorite with her squirming hips and her pink cheeks. The way her belly tightens and her thighs tremble against my shoulders. I don’t stop. I penetrate her to moisten my tongue before attacking her clit, tracing firm and fast circles around it the way I know she likes it.

She whimpers, quickly nearing climax. I retreat my tongue back, sliding it down to her inner folds, and wait for that disappointing twitch in her eyes. She bites her lip and squints right on schedule as she takes a calming breath away from the edge. I slowly count to three in my head, giving the wave enough time to settle down before creeping back up to her tender bud again.

A sweat breaks along her brow. Every breath rattles her body from the inside out. She wants to come so badly but I won’t let her do it. Not until she begs me for it.

Jovie Ross. My Jovie.

And she knows it.

“Will,” she moans my name again. “Make me come.”

I reach up her body to feel her breasts and she grips my hands. Our fingers entwine even tighter with every purposeful move of my tongue. It hurts in all the right ways, fueling my desire until she lets out one final cry and releases me.

She falls away with closed eyes but her body still reacts to every touch and caress of my hands, whether she wills it or not. Goosebumps ravage her skin. Moans echo from her throat. Moisture drips from between her thighs.

I pull a condom from the drawer and fit it on, moving as fast as I can in desperate need to feel her tightness again. I rub the tip along her sensitive clit, drawing another breathy moan as she opens her eyes and smiles for me.

My knees always turned to jelly over that smile before. Now is no different.

I slide inside of her and her eyes close again while her lips part. Pleasure courses through her body as her pussy clenches around me. Warm blood pumps through my loins, fueling my desire to fuck her. I lean over her, letting my hips work her in until I can’t go any deeper and we grind our bodies together. She caresses my chest and arms and back, her touch still weak but just as loving.

“Don’t stop, Will,” she says, biting her lip.

I smirk. “You mean like this?”

I halt my thrust and drop my lips to her neck, teasing her as a laugh shakes her chest.

“Oh, not cool…” She whines. “That felt so good.”

I slide out of her and sit back on my knees. “Not as good as this will…”

She yelps in surprise as I take hold of her and flip her onto her belly. I kiss the small of her back and lick along the edge of her spine all the way upward, pausing to leave a kiss here and there when the tickling causes her too much grief.

She twists her head around to kiss me and I reach beneath her to clasp one hand on her neck. Just a gentle squeeze, though I know Jovie could take much more. I feel her pulse thumping against my fingers, along with the moan just begging to be released from behind her limp tongue.

I align my cock with her slit and slide forward, letting her cheeks hug my shaft for a few playful outer strokes, reminding myself how tight and perfect her ass was before. She sighs, teased to the breaking point, while I clench my teeth in anticipation. I guide myself lower, aiming for the warmth between her thighs and I squeeze her neck a little more when I feel that tight cavern open for me.

I take her with a few shallow, firm thrusts, relishing in the way her body submits to me; the way Jovie’s always submitted to me. I feel her tension sway and her trust swell. I can’t betray it and I never will.

I loosen my grip on her and she settles onto the bed, once again turning her head to meet my kiss. She massages her tongue along mine as her lower half shifts upward to meet my thrusts, sending my cock just a little bit deeper each time. I grunt with pleasure as she does. I take her hand to hold on to something steady and safe and she squeezes my fingers to do the same.

She comes first, her body shaking wildly as she whimpers and moans for me. I take her in my arms, enjoying the sudden deluge in her wetness until it’s too much for me handle.

I come with her. Every muscle I have flexes while all of my blood flows to my groin. I choke on my breath, feeling as dizzy as I always do when coming for Jovie Ross.

I fall onto my back and Jovie wastes no time curling up with me beneath my arm. She lays her head on my chest and closes her eyes, breathing softly as I hold her against me. Warm and safe. Watched and protected for another night.

I’d be lying if I claimed that asking her to move in with me wasn’t a little selfish. If she’s here with me, then I know where she is. I know what she’s doing. I may not always know what she’s thinking but knowing the rest of it at least helps me sleep at night.

Valentine’s Day is a few days away, after all.

I’ll sleep better once it’s over.