She’s at my place when I get home, but she doesn’t look happy.

“How was your business meeting?” she asks me coolly, her gaze drifting up from her glass of wine to me.

I toss my jacket onto the couch and go into the kitchen to get my own glass of wine.

It was supposed to be time for me to celebrate turning down Joshua’s offer and tell Julie that I wanted to look at home with her this weekend, but now, with her upset, it’ll be a glass of wine to commiserate.

“It was a good meeting. Great, in fact. Joshua offered me this big gig. Six months managing a fund for a small set of investors.” I pull down one of my wine glasses and walk over to the couch, where Julie has a bottle of white already out.

“I thought you were done with all that crap,” she says. There are thorns in her voice, and I can’t tell what’s wrong.

“I am done with it. That’s why I turned him down,” I explain, pouring a glass for myself. “Baby, tell me what’s wrong. How was work today?”

“It was fine,” she sighs. “The city is too much for me, though. I mean, I like it, but I guess I miss really knowing people. Here, it’s hard to know people. Too many of them.”

“I get what you mean,” I say, taking a sip and pulling her against me, taking her legs and swinging them over my lap. “Come here, babe.”

“You turned down the job?” she asks, looking at me sweetly with wide eyes. “But you get offers like this all the time, don’t you? And it’s what you really want, isn’t it?”

“Woah,” I say, stroking her smooth calves. “Where’s all this coming from?”

She swings her legs off me and stands up.

Fuck, she’s cute. She looks great in my PJs. Would look better without them, but I’ll let her wear them. They are the softest thing I’ve ever had against my skin.

Except her.

Now she’s pacing, swinging her arm out. She’s liable to spill some of that wine on my hardwood floors.

“I guess I’m just wondering what all of this means, Dan.”

Oh, shit.

“Am I in trouble, sweetheart? Did I do something wrong?” I ask, keeping a light smile on my face. I’m struggling not to grin, because I know I can get her to come around and see my point of view with three seconds between her legs. But I should let her get this off her chest first.

“No,” she says. “You didn’t. You didn’t do anything wrong. I guess I just feel crazy for falling for all of this.”

This has gone on long enough. I need to sooth her. Calm her down.

I get up, cross the living room, and take her shoulders in my hands.

“Relax,” I say. “What’s go you all worked up, sweetheart? Not enough sex for you?”

“That’s the thing. It’s just right. It’s perfect. You’re perfect. The house. Everything. But what about me?”

“What about you, baby?” I squeeze her shoulders and bring her in close. “You’re the part of this whole crazy thing that’s really pure perfection. It’s you.”

“I’m just afraid,” she says, pulling away from me and sitting down on the corner of the couch. She’s hiding her face and looking down at her hands like the first time I had her up here at my house in the sky. My tower between the clouds. And her, my angel floating up here.

But it’s not where she belongs. She belongs on solid ground, with me, and with a home. Not an apartment. Something with more bedrooms. More space. Windows that open and neighbors who can pop by.

“Afraid of what, my love?” I ask, bringing her hands between mine. She’s cold, and I rub her hands to warm them up.

“Afraid of this ending. Not ending well. I don’t know. I guess…I guess I’m afraid I’m not good enough for you.”

I embrace her in my arms and pull her in, wrapping myself tight around her.

“I know it’s been fast and crazy and insane, but baby, it hasn’t been fast enough for me. You’re beautiful, and sweet, and I’ve spent every second since I met you trying to prove to you that I’m good enough for you.”

I stand up and she wraps her legs around my waist. She’s light as a feather, and I feel that I could walk a million miles like this. She’s giving me energy and life, and just when I thought there wasn’t a girl out there for me, she walked into my bank on a rainy morning, and just like that, everything changed for good.

Bringing her into my room, I lay her down on the bed and kiss her deeply and slowly. Our mouths dance, and she lifts my shirt over my head, tracing her fingertips along my chest.

“It’s like you’re from a different planet,” she says. “Are you real? Could there be a more perfect guy out there?”

“No,” I say, moving myself between her legs and slipping a hand down her thigh to her panties. “Not for you, there isn’t. Tell me if I’ve done anything wrong, and I’ll spend my life making it up to you.”

“No, no,” she moans, kissing me tenderly on the mouth. “You haven’t done anything wrong. It was my fault. I got nervous there for a second. But I’m okay now.”

“I told you we can’t have you feeling any pain. It’s an injustice,” I say, kissing her chest, unbuttoning her shirt slowly and painstakingly, making her feel every moment.

“Just take it off, please, Dan,” she moans. “I can’t wait any longer.”

“Now you are acting like the boss,” I say as my cock expands against the inside of my jeans. “I really fucking like that, boss. I really love you.”

I slide my hands down her gorgeous, small breasts, pinching each nipple between my fingers. “I hope that didn’t hurt,” I say. “And if it did, I hope the pleasure cancels out the pain.”

“I like that,” she moans. “I like it.”

I brush the outsides of her breasts gently with my fingernails before swooping around to their centers, stroking long circles around her nipples. She’s soaked, and I can smell her desire for me.

I leave her untouched for just a few seconds to undo my pants before sliding into her, forcing her knees apart wide and filling her up.

“You’re just as much of a fucking beauty as you were the first day I saw you,” I say, looking into her eyes. She smiles up at me as I continue to move inside her, not breaking my concentration. “And I thought we could go pumpkin picking this weekend. Choose some nice ones to make a jack-o-lantern. Pick a nice house to move into.”

“What?” she gasps, her soft pussy tight around me. “For a second I thought you said pumpkin picking and then implied house shopping.”

“I didn’t imply it,” I say, her body moving in time with mine. “Now come with me, baby. Please.”

Her eyes squeeze closed tightly as she throws her mouth open in a light, whimpering moan of pleasure. I reach down to stroke her clit as I ride her, emptying myself into her, filling her up like she needs. Like her body begs. Like it was made for.