Quit Bein' Ugly Vale, Lynn (popular books of all time .txt) 📖

was, he just wasn’t up for anything strenuous, and him being this tired proved that.

I latched on to Croft’s hand, gave him a slight squeeze, and started to make my way out the door.

At some point during the night we’d migrated back to his house because of Lion, and now it was time for me to go home.

Which sucked because I really wanted to stay.

But I wasn’t going to just invite myself, even though I really wanted to.

“Where you goin’?” he asked as I moved.

I opened my mouth into a surprised O. “I was going to go back to my place.”

“You’re staying with me,” he ordered. “I need help.”

“Okay then,” Raleigh aqgreed as she all but skipped down the walkway. “Make sure you use a fresh condom for each sexual encounter.”

With that, she dove into Ezra’s truck, then promptly banged her knee on the open door as she got inside.

Croft laughed and threw the door closed, leaving him and me in the hallway.

“She won’t be going anywhere once she’s found. They can hold her with theft, withholding evidence and probably being an accomplice,” he said as he slowly put his hands on my hips and skimmed them upwards lightly “Now, I’m tired, and I really, really want you, and both of those things involve my bed. I’m going to let Lion outside. You go into my bedroom and get the shower warmed up,” he ordered, letting me go.

I licked my lips. “You just took a shower.”

“That was a quick one,” he admitted. “Now we’re going to take a really slow one.”

My insides heated.

“Are you up for that?” I asked, not wanting him to say no, but needing to ask anyway.

His eyes changed from lazy to amused. “Yes. I am.”

With that he twisted away from me, whistled for Lion, and headed for the back of the house.

I chose to follow directions for once in my life and headed for the bedroom, then further to his shower.

I’d just cranked the hot water on when I heard him enter the bedroom.

Or, more importantly, I heard Lion enter the bedroom.

I’d just stripped my shirt off and looked over my shoulder when I saw him leaning against the doorjamb watching me.

“What?” I asked curiously.

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just watching.”

“Well how about you get naked since this shower was your idea,” I suggested saucily as I shimmied my shorts down my hips, kicking them out of the way.

The bra and panties were the next to go, and seconds later I was stepping into the shower while waiting for him to follow.

Only, he didn’t.

He continued to stare at me, his lips slightly parted, and a suspicious looking bulge in his pants that was growing by the second.

“I’m going to be done if you don’t hurry,” I insisted as I turned my back on him and reached for his man shampoo. “And if I’m going to continue to do this, you’re going to have to get girly shampoo. I don’t mind smelling like you, but my hair is needy. It needs the good stuff or it doesn’t act right.”

He chuckled from directly behind me, and I felt my entire body break out in shivers.

Then I felt the prod of his erection in my backside as he entered the shower.

He ignored it, so I did, too.

Mostly.

As much as anyone could ignore something that large pressing against them.

“How about you just move in?” he rumbled, brushing his lips against my throat.

I froze. Then whirled in his arms.

I would’ve gone down completely had he not caught me up around the waist.

“What?” I asked, gasping in deep breaths.

“I suggested you just move in,” he said. “Or, don’t. I don’t care. Just know that we’re going to be spending a lot of time together from now on. And I want you here with me, in my bed, every night. We’re both really busy people, and that means that we have to get the time where we can.”

He had a point but…

“We’ve only been dating for less than a week,” I said.

“We’ve known each other for years,” he countered. “And the reason we’ve only been dating for less than a week is because I’m a moron. I’m sorry.”

I wilted slightly at his words.

“It’s okay,” I admitted. “I could’ve probably tried harder on my end, too.”

“So, is that a yes to moving in?” he asked hopefully.

I tilted my head back so I could stare deeply into his eyes.

“Ask me again when we’ve been dating a month, and I’ll say yes,” I promised as I stepped out of the shower.

His eyes sparkled with amusement as he followed me out, turned off the water, and then snatched his towel that just so happened to be behind me. He leaned in and kissed me.

When he pulled back it was to say, “So if it’s too early to ask you to move in with me, is it too early to say I love you?”

My knees literally went weak.

“Croft,” I whispered.

He grinned and left the room, leaving me to follow him.

He caught me around the waist in the middle of the bedroom, both of us still slightly damp from our shower.

“Because I do.” He spoke, his hands smoothing my hair until it was slicked backward. “I’ve loved you since I started coming to that gym. I may not have admitted my feelings for you, but I’ve definitely felt them.”

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his sternum, then hastily did the world’s fastest scrub down.

He followed shortly after, much slower than me, and sloppily dried himself off before coming at me.

“I love you, too, you know,” I admitted. “I’ve loved you since you walked past me and flippantly critiqued my snatch.”

He burst out laughing and pulled me in closer, rocking his hips against me suggestively.

“Hey, what about my hair?” I teased. “I need to dry it. And I’m all clean…”

The last teasing statement had his eyes lighting up with an inner fire. “It’s okay,” he drawled. “I have a really good shower and plenty of soap for when