pulling her into me.
“Oh babe, you definitely amuse me,” I wink. She slaps my chest, but it doesn’t sting in the least. Actually, her playful slaps turn me on. I pull her hips closer into mine, allowing her to feel the growth between us.
“Seriously? You’ve been avoiding me all day and you think this is going to make me forget about your asshole tendencies?” Her smile disappears, and it causes my chest to feel heavy.
I haven’t come up with an explanation, so I place my hand under her chin and lift her mouth to mine in attempt to distract her. “I’m sorry, baby,” I apologize, placing a slow and sweet kiss onto her lips. I feel her shiver as our lips connect, and I know that my touch has her brain scattered. My goal is to make her forget my ignorance, so I run my other hand up her spine and kiss her again. “Forgive me?” I ask, hoping my tactics work. She nods as our lips remain attached.
I back her against the wall as my tongue claims her mouth. She runs her hands up and down the back of my neck and pulls my face closer into hers. I reach down to pick her up, and I urge her legs around my waist. “Oh no, not in this house,” Kyles interrupts, stalking past us to the stairs. He turns back and examines us before taking a step. “I mean it. I’ll fight you, Wyatt. You do not want another piece of this,” he announces, flexing the muscles in his arms.
“For real? Those anthills? I’m done,” I tease, backing away from Allie in surrender. “That’s what I thought,” Kyle throws over his shoulder as he makes his way downstairs.
Once Kyle is out of sight, I reach my hand out for Allie. Reluctantly, she reaches out and places her hand in mine. “Don’t think that I’ve forgotten your avoiding me, Wyatt Cooper. That stunt you just pulled may have distracted me momentarily, but I still haven’t forgotten,” she reminds.
I smile, shake my head, and place a kiss on the top of her head. “You forgave me, babe. You can’t bring it back up.” She rolls her eyes and bites back her smile as the corners of her lips twitch. As I admire her beauty, her sense of humor, and her love for me, I have no idea how I’ll survive when we’re across the world from one another.
Five
Embrace The Moment
IT’S JUST PAST eight in the evening and Allie and I are just returning to her house after a three-mile jog. Damn Lucille and her badass cooking skills. Her stuffed peppers, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes have my stomach ready to bust open at any given moment. There is no wasting food in her house. If you do, there’s no dessert. And who would pass up her delicious fudge-brownie pie? Um, not me. “You think you could go for another mile?” Allie asks as we approach her doorstep.
Not really, no.
“I could, but I prefer not to,” I admit, breathless.
“Someone needs to up their cardio. You seem to have packed on a few pounds over the last couple of months,” she teases. At least, I hope she’s only teasing.
“Seriously? Did you see how much food that woman placed on my plate?” I ask, seriously.
“Oh please, one meal didn’t pack those pounds on you,” she says, rolling her eyes. She begins to turn the doorknob, but I place my hand around her wrist. I pull her hand up to rest on top of my bicep.
“You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. This is all muscle, baby,” I assure her, flexing my muscles beneath her hand.
She takes her hand and squeezes my arm. “Oh yeah? Seems like I have to go through quite a bit of fat to feel your so-called ‘muscle’, babe,” she winks. Her and that smart - ass mouth, it’s sexy. I bend down, pick her up, and throw her over my shoulder. “What the hell are you doing?” she squeals. She doesn’t bother fighting to get down; she knows it’s pointless.
I swat her ass, walk away from the house and head toward the sidewalk. “You want to run, baby? So run. You have until the count of five to high tail your ass down the road before I