“This city is much bigger than I imagined.” I watch the flash of lights and the tall buildings as we drive by. Dusk is approaching, and the night is starting to look alive against the backdrop of a darkening sky.

“Yeah.” Slater smiles over at me as he navigates the interstate system. “While Willow’s Gap will always be where I was born and raised, there’s something about this city that makes me feel at home. It’s big, but not too big, still has a hometown feel if you know where to look.”

As he takes the exit and I see the part of town we’re in, I have to comment. “Something tells me I won’t be looking at a hometown feel when we get to your condo.”

He laughs, throwing his head back, as he slows down and signals before turning into what looks like a shopping center. Before I can ask, he continues to the back, where there’s a parking garage, he flashes a card, and we’re allowed to enter.

“I know what you’re thinking, but this building is split in two. The front houses retail, the back side and top houses apartments and condos. I own the top floor.”

For a second I let what he’s said go through my head, and then it hits me. “Wait, what? You own the top floor?”

“The penthouse,” he confirms as he parks his car in a designated parking spot, deeming it to be for his penthouse. “There are two other parking spots that come with this place, so if you decide you do want to visit, hang out, whatever, you’ll have a safe place to park,” he tells me as he puts the car in park and turns it off.

“You’re really rich, aren’t you?”

I don’t know why, but in Willow’s Gap it never occurred to me, even when we were spending time in his pool and he was showing me all his sponsor commitments. It never sunk in, just how much he’s changed, how much he’s worth.

“There are a lot of people in the world with more money than me.” He blows off my question as he goes around to the back of the car and pulls out our suitcases.

“You’re not answering.”

He turns to face me. “Because I’m not comfortable with it. I make a lot of money doing something I love. I make even more money putting my name on certain products and making scheduled posts about them. Do I like the money? Yes, but it makes it hard for me to know who is here for me, and who is here for it. It’s become increasingly uncomfortable for me to talk about.”

“You have to know that it doesn’t matter to me either way, but I want you to be comfortable to discuss anything at all with me.”

“I’m working on it.” He cups my neck in his palm. “And it has nothing to do with what happened to us in the past. It’s just me and how I’ve become programmed. I promise, sweetness.”

If anyone were to ask me if I believe him, the answer is yes, with everything that I have. But I still wish he’d trust me one hundred percent and totally let his walls down with me. If he had, I’d already know about the penthouse.

Riding up in the elevator is nerve-racking; we had to have a code to be able to get to his floor. “You realize this is like billionaire book-boyfriend shit, right?” I’m amused as I watch us climb the floors.

“I don’t even know what that means.” He shakes his head, a grin toying with the edges of his mouth.

“Trust me when I say it’s hot as fuck.”

He grabs my hand in his. “Then I think you’re absolutely going to love the view from the top.”

“On top of you?” I tease, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the neck.

“Me, the world, my kitchen counter. We can do it all, sweetness. We can do it all.”

I don’t have a chance to answer before the elevator stops and opens.

“Welcome home,” Slater whispers as he walks inside.

“Are you shitting me? We walk right into your house from the elevator? This really is book boyfriend shit.”

He laughs again. “Go ahead, check it out.”

Slowly, I walk through the hallway into an open concept floorplan with a living room, kitchen, and dining room all together. Ceiling-to-floor windows allow for the most beautiful view of downtown Birmingham all lit up on this late summer night. I can see the ballpark, within walking distance, and other buildings. I don’t know what they are, but I have a feeling Slater will tell me eventually.

“How do you handle the glass?” I turn around, asking him the one question that’s in the forefront of my mind. “Do you worry about people looking at you? People taking pictures?”

“No.” He shakes his head as he comes over to wrap both his arms around me. “It’s mirrored. I can see out, but no one can see in, and I’ve got blinds that cover the whole thing.” He pulls his cell out of his pocket, pressing a button. The blinds come down, covering the gorgeous view.

“There are three total bedrooms, an office, and a rooftop pool and outdoor area that’s completely mine,” he talks softly in my ear.

“This may take some getting used to, Slater.”

“It took me a while,” he admits. “To realize I didn’t have to be on a budget all the time, that I could buy a few things if I wanted to. Finally I realized I had to have a place that I could be safe in, after I came home three times to weird women who’d found my apartment and gotten in.”

“Oh shit, Slater,” I giggle. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. Then a friend on the team told me about this cook he uses to make sure he stays within his macros. It was something I struggled to do on my own, so I looked at it as an investment in myself. Eventually I got a housekeeper too, and then when I started investing, I got a business manager. It’s not like I meant to be one of those people that got a staff, but when you’re making close to ten million a year with your contract and endorsements, you need help. Usually the demands on my time are outrageous, but I’m thankful we’ve gotten this uninterrupted time to spend together, even if it is because I got hurt.”

I’m taking it all in, not sure if I belong here, not sure if I really know this man anymore. He’s so different from the one I used to know, and the one I’ve been getting to know in Willow’s Gap. But I know his arms, I know how I feel with them wrapped around me. “I only have one more question.”

“Mmmm, what’s that?”

“Where’s the bedroom?”

My girl, she knows exactly what she wants, which is why I have no problem showing her to the one place I’ve wanted her to see. “Check this out.”

Setting her down on the bed, I grab my phone out of my pocket, press a button, and let the blinds raise. We’re greeted with an unobstructed view of the city, including the ballpark.

“And you thought I was lying when I told you this was book boyfriend shit. Slade, I hate to break this to you, but this is totally book boyfriend shit,” she laughs as she looks out. “Can people see in here?”

“No,” I shake my head. “It’s mirrored glass, just like in the living room.”

“So no one can watch me as I do this?”

She stands up, beginning to strip off the dress she wears. And right there, with the city of Birmingham as the backdrop, she gives me the best strip show I’ve ever had. Which turns into the blowjob of my life, even better than the first one she gave me in the field house all those years ago. Later on when we’re catching our breath, I realize that she’s already imprinted herself onto my space, and if I have to come back without her at the beginning of the year, I don’t know how in the hell I’m going to make it.

Operation Make Malone Fall In Love With The Life I Lead Now is in full effect.