“Izzy.” My voice was soft and soothing. “Izzy, wake up.” I pulled the sheets down just enough to slip my hand beneath them, letting my fingertips caress over the soft swell of her hip, across her lower abdomen.

“Izzy…” I say again, this time in a more taunting tone. She’s laying on her side, away from me. My fingers find their mark, moving through the soft hair at the apex of her thighs. The heat I can feel emanating from her is enough to make my cock twitch suggestively against her back.

Being naked with Izzy in her bed is something I never thought I’d experience again. Needless to say, every chance I get—hell, every chance we both get—we’re hidden away inside this decrepit old house Izzy rents, sharing more private, sensual touches and whispers than I have any right to deserve.

Pride, on both our parts, almost destroyed us indefinitely. We have a lot of time to make up for.

I roll my hips forward, pressing my erection into her back as I dip one finger between her soft folds. A soft gasp comes from Izzy’s lips, and I watch as her eyes flutter.

“Jace…” It’s the faintest sound, but it’s coupled with her legs opening slightly, giving me more access.

I stifle a gutteral groan of my own as the sight of her sleepy form and the sensation of her damp warmth on my fingers consumes me. I slide my finger over her clit, finding my way inside. Jesus, she’s so wet, yet barely awake.

“Oh, Izzy…” I breathe against her skin. It’s so fucking hard to control myself around her. My mouth is on her shoulder without conscious thought, kissing and sucking and licking a trail up to her throat, where I can feel her pulse speeding up.

She moans again, eyes still closed. Her hips rock slightly against my hand, easing my finger further inside her. I begin to move within her, in and out, slowly at first. I can see Izzy’s hand slide under the cover to the edge of the bed. The realization that she’s gripping it only encourages me.

I withdraw my finger, painstakingly slow, relishing in the soft whimpers Izzy emits. Her clit has my attention now, and she arches her back against my cock. Another groan falls from my lips, sounding more like a growl, a sign of weakness.

“You’re so wet,” I whisper against her ear. “I want you to come for me.” I tease her relentlessly, flicking and rubbing with the pad of my finger until I see Izzy’s eyes clamp shut.

“Not...yet,” she pleads.

I know what she wants, and my mouth quirks up at the sound of her begging me for it. She wants my cock buried deep within her, pounding her until she screams my name in desperation as her body shatters beneath me.

Hell, I want that, too. She’s insatiable. And fucking gorgeous. But I like having a little control over her, giving her what she needs on my own terms. And, right now, all I want is to make her come hard from my touch.

I swing one leg over hers to hold her in place. “I said I want you to come for me.” My breath is hot and damp against the side of her face, and the sheets are bunched up where her hand is clutching the side of the mattress. “Come, Izzy,” I command her. “Come hard.”

My finger is rubbing wildly against her now, and only labored, desperate panting is coming from Izzy’s mouth. That’s fine, because I don’t need her words. Her body is telling me everything I need to know. I can feel the muscles in her legs and back tightening as she tries desperately to ward off her impending climax.

“I want you…” she pleads on a sigh.

“Not...until...you come.” I suddenly stop my sensual assault on her clit, making Izzy’s eyes snap open and a gasp pass her lips. Her slick wetness makes it easy to plunge two fingers inside her, and Izzy cries out at the intense sensation.

“This is what you want?” I growl against the side of her face, thrusting my fingers in and out furiously. “You want me to fill you, baby? Push you over the edge?”

“Yes,” she gasps desperately. “Oh, god, yes.”

I can feel how tightly she’s clenched around my fingers. Izzy is close. I hold her in place, and I’m relentless as I stroke her, in and out, hard, fast. Every fiber of her being is taut and on the verge of losing control.

“You feel amazing, Izzy,” I encourage. “Give in, baby.”

“Oh, god, Jace—”

Every muscle of her body, inside and out, constricts violently, her walls tightening around my fingers as she explodes beneath my touch. I don’t halt my movements until I’ve milked every last shudder and convulsion from her body.

She’s breathing heavily, her body now limp and exhausted as I slide my fingers out slowly and gently, tugging her close to me. My arms envelop her, and I nuzzle my nose into her neck, grinning as she squeaks in response. I know her too well; every nerve ending in her sexy little body is still on high alert, and the slightest caress or tender touch still feels intense and erotic to her.

“Good morning,” I whisper against her skin.

“Good morning, yourself.” She lets out a dramatic sigh, sinking against my chest. “That’s quite the way to wake me up, you know.”

“That doesn’t sound like a complaint,” I chuckle, planting soft kisses just below her ear.

“Believe me, it’s not.” She wriggles slightly, purposely pressing her back against my evident hardness. “What about you? I’ve got a few ideas—”

She’s already rolling over with mischievous intent in her eyes, but I grope for her wrists, holding her in place. “Not so fast,” I chuckle. “There’s time for that later.”

“You always say that,” she whines. But she’s grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“Izzy, there is rarely a time I’ve ever stopped you from putting your hands on me,” I remind her.

“That’s not what I mean.” She rolls her eyes dramatically, like I’m the one misunderstanding this predicament. “I just mean that you always say that. That we have more time. Like you know for certain.”

“That’s because I do.” I lean over, tackling her to playfully pin her underneath me. “I won’t ever lose you again. Time is on our side now.” I kiss her, hard, then mentally chastise myself for getting sucked in to another potential sexual escapade with her. “Damn it, Izzy, I can’t keep my hands off you.” I roll off her like the heat of her skin is scalding me, theatrically holding my hands up in the air as I stand. I’m naked before her, and very, very hard.

Izzy’s got a lopsided grin on her face as she sits up, holding the sheets up to cover her chest. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is. Right now, anyway.” I turn my attention to the floor, looking for my jeans. “Especially since I have a surprise for you.”

“I’ll give you a surprise, if you’ll come back to bed.”

That’s enough to make my head snap up, and Izzy’s staring at me like I’m something she wants to devour. Shit, she’s incredible. I point a finger at her. “Stop it,” I smirk. “You’re killing me over here. Now, get out of bed. I’ve got something I want to show you. You can put your hands anywhere you want after that.”

“Promise?”

She looks so innocent when she asks, but I know better. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it, Izzy. Now, get up. I’ll meet you in the truck in fifteen minutes.”

* * *

Normally, Izzy resembles a zombie in the mornings, using only a series of grunts and head movements to convey what she needs until the coffee kicks in. But whether it’s the excitement of not knowing where I’m taking her, or the sexy, impromptu way I woke her up this morning, she seems wide awake and alert. I’ll have to keep that in mind for future reference.

A travel mug of coffee is cupped in her hands, her hair still damp from the quick shower she took before getting dressed and climbing into the truck like I’d instructed her to. No makeup, no fussy hairstyle.

She looks breathtaking, and I keep stealing glances at her from the driver’s seat. She might be excited, but I’m a nervous wreck on the inside. My nerves are shot, and they have been for days. Either I’ve done a bang-up job of hiding it, or Izzy just hasn’t noticed. Maybe she just has and hasn’t said anything.

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Not a chance.” I reach across the console, pulling one of her hands away from the travel mug to entwine it with mine. The warmth from the mug has seeped into her palm. “We’re almost there.”

It’s only a few-minute drive, and we’re barely on the outer limits of town, but it seems like it takes me forever to drive there. I’ve driven on this road for years, since I was old enough to drive. Hell, Izzy and I used to burn up the gas in the old Ford Ranger I used to drive, spraying gravel and squealing tires out here where no one would complain. There are only a handful of houses, but the houses are newer, more modern. And more pricey, since they’re considered the “new part” of Brooksville.

I pull the truck over to the side of the road and kill the engine. This section of the road only has trees lining it on both sides, and the foliage is thick and full, blocking out the sun and creating kaleidoscopic patterns of shadows and light across the gravel.

“What are we doing out here?” Izzy looks around. “It’s not really secluded enough to have sex in your truck, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I burst out laughing, shaking my head. “Christ, Izzy, you’re relentless. But, I do like the way you think. C’mon, walk with me.”

We climb out of the truck, and I wait in front of it for her, taking her hand in mine before crunching across the gravel and scattered fallen leaves. “Must you always think about sex?” I ask her with a wry grin.

“Oh, you’re a fine one to talk.” She takes a sip from the mug she brought with her to hide her amusement.

“Good point.” I can’t deny it. If I’m not buried inside Izzy, kissing her, touching her, then I’m thinking about it. I’ve never tried to hide that fact. “Can you do me a favor and think about something else with me for a few minutes?”

She turns to me but doesn’t stop walking. Her brows arch high on her forehead. “What else do you want me to think about?” she asks coyly.

“Our future.” I give her hand a tight squeeze. “What you want. Where you want to be.”

“With you,” she says simply, no hesitation. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

A wave of intense heat rolls through me. This woman can set my emotions on fire with only a few words. “I was hoping you’d say that.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles tenderly. I stop walking, which forces her to as well. “What about Brooksville?”

She’s watching my lips graze the back of her hand like the sight is somehow intoxicating. “If you’re in Brooksville, that’s where I want to be.”

“I was hoping you’d say that, too.”

“Why?” she chuckles. “Why all the questions?”

“Because I love you, Isabelle.” I place one hand gently on her back and guide her to turn her gaze to the house that’s behind her. “And because I bought that.”

Izzy turns around to face the house I’m referring to, a large split-level rancher with an attached two-car garage. White brick exterior, a lush yard, and a white fence outlining the perimeter of the property.

“You...bought Sheriff Atkin’s house?” She sounds incredulous. “But it wasn’t for sale.”

Sheriff Atkin has been retired for almost twenty years, but there’s no one in Brooksville that doesn’t refer to him as the sheriff. “He’s moving closer to his daughter in Kansas, Izzy. I bought the place privately from him. Signed the paperwork yesterday morning when I said I was running over to Mom and Dad’s house.”

She stares at the house as though seeing it for the first time. “You bought Sheriff Atkin’s place,” she repeats, her gaze never wavering from it. “But...why?”

“Years ago, you told me that house was the kind of house you wanted to have someday. And, years after that, I told you I would build you the life you deserve, Izzy. Just because you didn’t get that text, and just because it took me longer than I thought it would, that doesn’t make it any less true. I meant it, Izzy. I want this to be our place. Our own piece of Brooksville.”

“You want me to live there—” She points to the house. “With you.”

Her dumbfounded expression and repetitiveness is stirring up fear within me. I’m wondering if I misread the signals. “I’d love nothing more,” I tell her. I breathe out heavily. “Jesus, Izzy, please tell me what you’re thinking.”

She stares at the house for a few beats longer, then slowly turns to face me. Her eyes are bright. “It’s perfect,” she says finally, her voice thick with emotion. “You’re perfect,” she adds, laughing as a stray tear splashes onto her cheek.

“Oh, Izzy, don’t cry.” I hug her close to me, forehead to forehead, reaching up to wipe the tear away. “Is it really what you want? I’m beginning to wonder if I overstepped.”

She laughs again, a choked sound. “It’s amazing, Jace. I mean that. It’s more than I’ve ever wanted, more than I’ve dreamed of. You know damn well I’ve fawned over that house since we were kids. It was perfect then, and it’s perfect now. I’m just getting all emotional and insane.” She chuckles again, a sound mixed with more tears that have started to fall. “You didn’t overstep, I swear.”

“So, you still love me, and you want to do this crazy thing called life with me from here on in?”

Despite the lackluster way I’ve phrased it, I can tell she hears the seriousness in what I’m asking, and it brings her up short. “What? Of course, baby. You know I do.”

I wipe another tear from her cheek before reaching into the pocket of my jeans and pulling out a navy velvet box. I pop it open with my thumb and hold it out to her. “Have I overstepped now?”

Everything stops. There’s no more tears, no more choked laughter, no more sound at all save for the beating of my own heart in my ears. Izzy’s eyes are wide, and her mouth is slightly agape.

I use the silence to my advantage, speaking before I lose my nerve. “Izzy, we’ve been through more than any couple should have to endure. It’s been one hell of a rough ride, but one hell of a beautiful one, too. Life led us apart, only to toss us back together when we least expected it. We’ve made it this far, baby. So, let’s go all the way. Isabelle, you’re already the love of my life. Do me the honor of being my wife, too.”

My voice was already wavering under the weight of my own emotion, so I understood completely when Izzy’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Instead, she nodded her head furiously, then broke into a full-fledged crying fit as she flung her arms around me. Tears stung my eyes, but she was in my arms and nodding was a good sign, so I gave her the time she needed to compose herself.

Frankly, I needed it, too.

“Yes,” she sniffed when she finally pulled back and she’d calmed a bit. “So much, yes. I want nothing more than to be your wife.”

I kissed her mouth hard, an unspoken promise of what was to come. “You make me happy, Izzy. So damn happy.”

“You make me happy, too.” She shakes her head as I slip the three-stone diamond ring on her finger.

Past, present, and future. For me, Izzy is all of those things.

“I still can’t believe we’re here,” she breathes out. “Doing this. Being us.”

“We were always us, Izzy.” I give her a soft smile. “Miles and years couldn’t change that. That’s why I came back. To make sure it wasn’t just me that felt the pull of...us. I told myself I needed closure. But what I really needed was you.”

Izzy sighed audibly as I touched her face, leaning into my hand. “I needed you, too. Even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I think my heart always knew, though.”

I lean in, running my lips across her jaw. “Wine after whisky,” I whisper against her skin.

She smiles, as that phrase has become an inside joke between us. Something that so accurately describes the fire between us, an intense burning unmatched by the touch of anyone else. “I’ve never been a fan of wine, anyway,” she whispers. “Take me home, Jace.”

I smile down into her pretty brown eyes. “We are home, Izzy,” I remind her. “We’re together.”