Living with Her One-Night Stand (The Loft, #1) Read online

  “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I know my family is… a lot to take.”

  “I like them. And they seem so happy to see you. They must have missed you a lot.”

  “I missed them too,” he admitted.

  She didn’t say anything else, but it seemed like she was staring at him in the dark.

  He hoped things hadn’t moved too fast for her. If she was scared away from a relationship with him, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. He asked, “Are you sure you’re all right, baby?”

  “I’m…” She gave a little laugh. “I’m more than fine. I’m… happy.”

  He groaned in relief and pulled her against him, wrapping both arms around her. He buried his face in her hair.

  “What about you?” she asked, her voice muffled by his bare chest.

  “I’m tired,” he told her. “And relieved. And embarrassingly emotional. And… kind of nervous. I don’t have any idea what’s going to happen now, but I care again. I care about it again. It’s… an adjustment.”

  “Yeah. I guess it would be.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “But beneath all that, I’m happy too. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever be this happy again.”

  Her arms tightened around him, and her hand moved along his back until it was tracing the line of his scar.

  It felt so intimate it was almost uncomfortable. Lucas muttered softly, “You don’t need to pet the thing.”

  She knew exactly what he was talking about. Exactly what he felt and why he felt it. “Yes, I do.”

  “I’m always going to hate the thing.”

  “I’m not.”

  That surprised him, so he pulled back enough to see her face. His vision had adjusted, so he could see her expression now. Her eyes were huge, and her mouth was trembling a little. “Why not?”

  “Because you wouldn’t be you without it.”

  For a moment his heart was so full he couldn’t process it, couldn’t contain it. When he was able speak, he said, “You know I love you, don’t you?” he asked. “You know that’s what all this means.”

  “I…” She giggled softly. “I’d hoped so.”

  A swell of joy was breaking now in his heart, overwhelming everything else. “Well, I do. I love you. I want to be your forever man, if you think… if you want me for that long.”

  She fell into half laughter, half sob as she grabbed for him and pulled him close again. “I do. Want you. Forever. You’ve always been my forever man. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted.”

  Lucas held her for a long time, clutching her in a hard grip that seemed to embody his deepest need. She was small and soft and warm and real, and she wasn’t going to go away.

  She made him vulnerable. She made him weak.

  But she also made him strong.

  And it was worth it. For however long he was allowed to have her, to love her, to hold her like this, it was worth it.

  Maybe one day she’d get taken away from him, but it would never be by his choice. And he was going to hold on to her for as long as he could.

  Eventually his body started to react to her closeness, and they made love in soft, urgent silence under the covers. He kissed her the whole time, and she wrapped her legs around him. He gave her everything he had, everything he had in him to give, and she took it, accepted it, wanted it, gave it back to him.

  When he woke up the next morning, it felt like he’d been made new. He was excited about what the day would bring.

  And maybe it wouldn’t just be what happened to him.

  Maybe he could start making things happen again.

  A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER, Chloe came over on Friday evening, and they ate pizza and played Steve’s silly party game again.

  Jill couldn’t remember ever having such a good time—her pleasure untainted by uncertainty or confusion.

  She loved Lucas, and Lucas loved her, and they were starting to make a life together. Here in Blacksburg. In their loft apartment.

  Maybe eventually they’d want to have a house of their own, but they weren’t there yet. They both really liked it here, and they wanted to stay.

  She and Lucas had been on a team together, against the other three. The score was neck and neck, and it was her and Lucas’s turn to answer the final question.

  She was standing on the couch for some reason—she had no idea why she’d gotten up—and she was leaning against Lucas’s back, her arms wrapped around his neck.

  She got the answer to the question right, and she was shouting in triumph as Lucas turned around, picked her up, and whirled her around. The others were moaning in exaggerated defeat, but eventually they all fell into laughter.

  When the game was over, Jill got up to start picking up, and Lucas helped her by collecting bottles. He dumped them into recycling and then cornered her against the kitchen counter so he could kiss her for a few minutes.

  She had no objections to that.

  “Hey,” Chloe called out from the living area. “I thought one of the rules of this apartment was that sex stayed in the bedroom.”

  “No one is having sex,” Jill called back. Lucas’s body was pressed up against hers, and he certainly had sex on his mind, if the bulge in the front of his pants was any indication.

  “Are you sure? Because you know we can see you over here, right?”

  Jill giggled and pushed Lucas away, murmuring to him, “We’ll have to save that for later.”

  “Count on it,” he said against her ear.

  Chloe left a few minutes later, and Jill and Lucas finished cleaning up.

  Michelle came back from the front door, where she’d been saying good night to Chloe, and she caught Jill near the refrigerator.

  Michelle had appeared to have had a good time this evening, but there was something poignant in her eyes now. She whispered to Jill, “I’ve got to break up with him.”

  Jill froze, her heart dropping into her gut.

  She was so happy, so settled, so at home. And she’d hoped it would last a little longer.

  But change would always catch up with her, and no attempt to keep things safe and cozy would ever hold it back.

  She reached out to squeeze Michelle’s arm. “You’re sure?”

  Michelle nodded. “I have to.”

  Jill nodded, seeing the emotion her friend was trying to contain. Then she reached out to pull Michelle into a hug. “I’m here for you. No matter what.”

  Steve was on the couch, looking at his phone, looking like he had no idea what was about to happen to him. Jill could see him over Michelle’s shoulder, and she ached for him.

  Her eyes moved to Lucas. He was watching her, his expression sober, as if he realized that something was wrong.

  He loved her, and he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Her world might change, but his place in it wouldn’t.

  He was hers now. For the long run.

  The night she’d first met him, she’d thought he would be the perfect guy for a one-night stand.

  But life never happened the way she thought it would, and it turned out he was the perfect guy for forever.

  Epilogue

  A MONTH LATER, JILL came home to Michelle and Steve fighting. Again.

  She’d hoped that their breaking up would bring an end to the fights, but it hadn’t.

  The problem was they were still living together.

  It was early spring, a terrible time for apartment hunting in Blacksburg. So they’d agreed that Steve could stay in the loft for a few more months so he could have the chance to look for another place to live in the summer, when there were more places available.

  Lucas had moved into Jill’s room, so Steve had been able to take Lucas’s. It was workable as a temporary solution but definitely not ideal.

  Jill wasn’t excited about Steve moving out. She would miss him a lot. But she definitely wouldn’t complain when these fights finally came to an end.

  She did a quick scan o
f the common room to discover that Lucas wasn’t around. He’d texted her that he had a job this afternoon and wasn’t sure when he’d be back. She headed to the bedroom after a quick wave at Michelle and saw that Lucas wasn’t there either.

  She closed the bedroom door and groaned softly as she flopped onto the bed, too tired to even take off her boots.

  Work had been stressful lately with another big project on a tight timeline, and she really didn’t need to hear this fight on coming home today.

  Occasionally she thought about maybe getting a new place. One just with Lucas. There was a lot she liked about that idea.

  But she still loved living here. She loved the loft apartment, and she loved Michelle and Steve. Plus she and Lucas had only been seriously dating for six weeks.

  She wasn’t going to jump the gun.

  Her phone chimed, and she picked it up, wondering if it was Lucas.

  It wasn’t. It was Laura, sending a couple of pictures of the kids.

  Smiling, Jill texted back a response.

  Laura and the rest of Lucas’s family were treating her like she was part of the family now, and Jill didn’t mind.

  She didn’t mind at all.

  She was thinking about that and still lying on the bed twenty minutes later when the bedroom door opened. Lucas came in, closing the door behind him.

  He wore khakis and gray T-shirt, and he had shaved that morning. He was handsome and masculine and familiar and giving her a look of close scrutiny.

  “You okay?” he asked, approaching the bed.

  “Yeah.” She gave him a tired smile. “Just tired. They were fighting when I got home.”

  His face relaxed, and he lowered himself to the bed beside her. Unlike her, he toed his shoes off before he did. “They must have retreated to their separate corners now since neither of them were around.”

  She turned her head to look at him. “Good.”

  He reached over to take her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Tired. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I’m glad I’m here too.” He was still caressing her hand, and it was generating all kinds of pleasant sensations. Not just in her hand but running through her whole body.

  “How was your job?”

  “Good. Just tax prep. Nothing too complicated. What about you? Is Patrick being obnoxious again?”

  “No. He’s trying to be good. It’s just a lot to do.” She let out a sigh and turned on her side to face Lucas. “I shouldn’t complain. I love my job.”

  “I know you do. But you can complain to me about anything you want.”

  She smiled at him, scooting over to kiss him gently on the mouth.

  To her surprise, he took her head in his hands and deepened the kiss.

  She was feeling affectionate rather than sexy, but she didn’t mind his urgency, even when he rolled her over onto her back and moved on top of her.

  “I guess working on taxes makes you hot,” she murmured against his lips when she felt hard evidence of his arousal rubbing against her hip.

  “Definitely.” He straightened up and reached down to unzip one of her boots.

  She smiled with warm leisure as he pulled both of them off.

  His eyes were hot as he gazed down at her body, and she felt the deepest combination of responses to his look—feeling both desired and loved.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  His eyes moved to her face, and his expression softened as he met her eyes. “I love you too. So much.”

  “So much.” She reached for him to pull him down into another kiss.

  After he’d kissed her, he lifted his head a few inches, still so close she could feel his breath. “I was thinking…”

  “What were you thinking about?”

  “I don’t want to leave Michelle in a lurch or anything.”

  Her breath hitched as she started to follow this line of thought.

  Lucas continued, “But it might be nice to live just with you.”

  A warm wave of joy washed over her. “That would be nice. Not right away though. It’s already hard enough for Michelle with the breakup. But maybe Chloe could move back in here in a few months, now that she’s finally found a better job.”

  He nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Maybe at the end of the summer, when there are a lot of places on the market.”

  “Yes,” she breathed. “I’d love that. We can still hang out with the others a lot.”

  “Definitely.” He kissed her again. “And maybe we could think about some other things.”

  It was too much—too close to what she’d been secretly dreaming about. Her eyes widened. “What things?” she rasped.

  “Other things.” He was smiling as he kissed her again. “I can wait. I don’t want to push too much or go too fast. I know we haven’t been together for very long. But I’m serious about being your forever man, and I’d kind of like it to be official.”

  His voice was almost sheepish, and a quick look at his face revealed that he was slightly nervous and trying to hide it.

  He was nervous. Which meant he was serious.

  He was serious.

  The joy swept over her, warming her cheeks, tightening in her throat. She managed to say, “I’m not in a hurry either, but whenever you’re ready, I’ll be ready too.”

  She saw the acknowledgment of her words pass over his face. She saw the quick flash of something deeper than joy, something bigger than happiness. But all he said was, “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

  He kissed her again, and she kissed him back, and they made love right there on top of the covers, without even taking off their clothes. It was deep and full and eager to the point of clumsiness.

  It was what Jill had always wanted. Love. Roots. The beginnings of a family. It hadn’t happened the way she’d thought it would. It was harder and slower and messier—built on need and tears as much as desire and laughter.

  But she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  THE LOFT SERIES WILL continue with Living with Her Ex-Boyfriend (about Michelle and Steve), which will release on July 3rd. My next book is Part-Time Husband, the first book in a new series, which will come out on May 29th. You can find an excerpt from Part-Time Husband on the following pages.

  For news on my sales and releases, as well as updates to the serial novel I’m writing, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

  Excerpt from Part-Time Husband

  I’VE BEEN READING FOR an hour in bed when Trevor comes in. I try not to stare at him as he goes into the closet, comes in, and then walks to the bathroom.

  He closes the door and a few minutes later I hear the shower come on.

  I time his shower (because that’s what I do). He’s in there for nine and a half minutes. When he comes out a few minutes later, he’s not wearing a shirt.

  I definitely notice this detail.

  His chest… well, it’s nothing to sneer at. He definitely uses that exercise equipment in his spare room because his abs and arms have some very fine definition. He’s got hair on his chest—nothing too thick or gross, but there’s no man-scaping going on in his grooming routine. And he’s got more hair—this sexy dark trail—starting low on his belly and leading down beneath the waistband of the dark blue pajama pants.

  All this observation of his body takes the length of time of his walking around the bed to his side. He catches me staring. How could he not? I haven’t been particularly subtle.

  He gives me his smug look as he gets into bed. “I usually sleep in my underwear, you know. I’m wearing pants out of courtesy to you. But if it gets too hot in the room, these things are coming off.”

  I try not to gulp. “I don’t care if you sleep in your underwear.” I’m not being entirely truthful. I’ll be much more comfortable if he keeps the pants on.

  He’s arranging two pillows on top of each other. The covers are down around his belly button, leaving far too much masculine chest exposed to my v
iew.

  Is it entirely necessary for every part of the man’s body to be so appealing? The universe seems intent on torturing me with Trevor’s unrelenting sexiness.

  I stare down at my e-reader, trying to focus on the words on the screen rather than Trevor’s body in bed beside me. There’s at least a foot between us, but he’s way too close and way too shirtless.

  “Is it a good book?” he asks.

  “Oh. Yeah. Sure. It’s okay.”

  “Just okay?”

  “It’s good enough. There’s a lot of it I have to skim.”

  “What parts do you skim?”

  I look up, and he’s giving me only a very faint lift of that eyebrow, proof that he’s mostly in earnest. The higher the eyebrow goes, the more ironic his attitude. “There are all these pages of introspection and background and every detail the author researched about the main character’s job. I don’t need to waste my time with all that wordage. Just give me the good stuff.”

  He gave a brief, soft chuckle. “What’s the good stuff to you?”

  “Dialogue and action. I don’t like to be bogged down with all that non-essential stuff.”

  “That sounds about right for you. Dialogue and action. No wasting your time with non-essentials.”

  I check his face, but he doesn’t appear to be mocking me. He does look like he’s laughing at me, but not in a mean way. “I would have thought you’d approve of that approach.”

  “I do. Dialogue is one of my favorite things. And speaking of action…”

  I frown. Call me clueless or naïve, but I honestly have no idea what he’s about to say.

  No idea at all.

  What he says is, “You want to have sex?”

  Just like that. As bland as can be. He asks me if I want to have sex.

  I gape at him, trying to wrap my mind around what just came out of his mouth.

  I can’t get my vocal cords to work.

  Did I mention he just asked me if I want to have sex?

  “What?” he says, cocking his head slightly.

  “Did you just ask me if I want to have sex?”

  “I think you heard me, since your mouth is hanging open.”

  “Are you insane?”

  “Not last I checked.”

  “You just asked me if I want to have sex!”