Wicked Brat

Before they could reply, she was stomping out into the rain, and I was hot on her heels.

“Get back here,” I growled as soon as I was close enough for her to hear me. I pulled her back into my chest, forcing her to pause and keep her gaze on mine. Tears and rain sliced down her cheeks, and her beautiful dark waves were wet and wild and just perfect for my fingers. “Don’t run away from me like that again.” I nuzzled into her neck, feeling the shivers that coursed through her body with my touch. “Especially not after you make romantic declarations like you just did back there.”

She barked a laugh, wiping at her cheeks. “That’s not exactly my idea of romance.”

Our foreheads touched, and I whispered against her lips, “You said you choose me.”

Her smile turned sheepish, crimson coloring her cheeks in the sweetest way. I wiped the streaming raindrops from her cheeks and forehead, cherishing every inch of her and eager for more. “I guess I did say that.” Her eyes flicked away from my hungry ones. “In the heat of the moment.”

My grin tipped. “I like you all hot and bothered and singing declarations of love.”

“Love?” Her eyes shot back to mine. “That might be a stretch—”

“Oh, it’s not a stretch at all, Ms. Everett.” I planted a tender kiss on her damp lips. “I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about it. My heart chose yours all those years ago. I refuse to hide my love for you a second longer.”

“Wait…” She shook her head. “I’m still stuck on this love word you keep using.”

“Didn’t you feel my love earlier in the wine cellar?” I rocked my hips into hers softly, reminding her of all the places we’d just been together.

“I felt something, that’s for sure.” She was teasing me now, body relaxing against my touch as the world fell away and we were back to just being us again.

“Maybe you need a reminder.”

“I might need a few reminders,” she whispered in my ear sweetly.

My cock jumped and throbbed in my pants at her promising words.

“I’m all about daily reminders, baby.”

We stood there quietly, no more words left to say as I did my best to shield her from the rain, keep her warm, and show her how damn much she’d come to mean to me—not just in the span of overnight but over the years. I just hadn’t let myself believe it before now.

“Turns out I needed the reminder of how deeply you sank yourself inside my soul the night we first met.” I held her cheeks in my palms, dotting kisses along her hairline and over her eyelids until I caressed her mouth.

Her arms went around my waist, fingertips ducking under the hemline of my shirt as pleasure spiked my veins when the pads of her silky fingers made contact with my skin. Everything about us was so in sync. I’d never found that kind of connection with anyone in my forty-one years.

“Move in with me,” I said the second the thought popped into my mind.

“What?” She laughed and then paused, realizing I meant every word.

“You can finish school. Hell… Living off campus with me will even be cheaper for the old man back there.” I meant my brother, who I knew was still hovering somewhere near the doorway, eyes on us.

“I’m wild and crazy and chaotic. My organizational skills are nonexistent. Asher, trust me, you pretty much just invited a hurricane into the house.”

I laughed, pulling her a little closer. “Bring me your beautiful, wild chaos, baby. I’m all-in. Besides, with you there, it will be more than a house. It will be a home.”

She shook her head, grin tipping before she finally just nodded.

“Is that a yes, baby girl?”

She nodded again, pushing away what looked like a few happy tears. “Yes.”

That one tiny word cracked my heart wide.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “You could have walked out on this in there. You could have kept running through the rain and never looked back.” My voice lowered an octave. “The easiest thing was to avoid us, but it took me until seeing you again to know that I’m not interested in easy at all.”

I kissed her softly, tenderly, with quiet reverence. “I’m only interested in doing what it takes to have you.”

“Asher…”

“I mean every word, and I plan on reminding you every day just how much I mean it. I love you, Leigh.”

“But what about them?” She was peeking over my shoulder, sending a small wave to who I assumed was her mother.

“What about them? This is about us. We’ve waited long enough. They’ll just need to accept it.”

Leigh smiled, resting her head on my shoulder with a sigh. “I think they’ll get over it with some time.”

“They have to, because I’ll never give you up…”