“Is your room on the first floor?” he asked as he looked up at the rambling three-story home in front of us. The paint was peeling, the steps were cracked, and the yard hadn’t been mowed in several weeks.
The house was an eyesore, but the rent was cheap. I couldn’t afford much, and I hadn’t cared that the place could use a lot of work when I’d moved in. But I hadn’t expected to have any guests who would see the sad state of where I was living. Let alone someone whose opinion mattered to me. “Nope. I’m all the way on top.”
“Then I’m sorry, angel.” He stopped at the bottom of the steps and tugged on my hand until I crashed against him. “Your plan doesn’t work for me.”
I narrowed my eyes at the smug expression he was trying hard to hide as I pressed my palms against his chest. “Why not?”
“Because my consort isn’t going to haul suitcases down two flights of stairs while I sit out here cooling my heels.” A muscle in his jaw bunched, and I had a feeling that he had more to say about the idea of not helping me but was holding back for my benefit.
I couldn’t let his consideration get to me, though. Not if I wanted to keep my dignity. “I’ve been taking care of myself for years. How do you think those suitcases made it up to my room in the first place?”
“Don’t remind me,” he growled with a murderous gleam in his bright blue eyes. “I hate how alone you’ve been all this time. You have no idea how much I wish that I’d found you sooner. I feel as though I’ve failed you so much already. Please let me help you now.”
My heart melted at his sincerity. “How am I supposed to stand firm when you’re being so darn sweet?”
“You’re not, angel.” He flashed me a sexy grin that would have gotten my panties damp if I’d been wearing any. When I’d complained about how mine had been destroyed, Thana had just mumbled something about how I should stock up on them in the future because they wouldn’t last long if Stephan was anything like his brother.
My cheeks heated as I glanced over my shoulder at the boarding house, weighing his needs against mine. “Does it really mean so much to you?”
“It does.” He cupped my face with his palms and brushed his lips against mine in a gentle kiss. “But you don’t need to be worried. There isn’t a single damn thing in there that could ever change how I feel about you, Bronwyn.”
Standing on a cracked sidewalk in front of a run-down house wasn’t the best place to have a serious discussion about feelings, but Stephan had just given me an opening I couldn’t ignore. “And how exactly do you feel about me?”
“It’s only been a day, but I’m already falling in love with you.” His hands slid down my neck and around to my lower back. With his palm directly above the curve above my butt, he pressed my body against his. “I know that might sound scary since this is all new to you, but you’re utterly perfect for me. Fate hit the nail on the head by pairing us together.”
His certainty in us as a couple gave my confidence a major boost. “You’re perfect for me, too.”
“And?” he prodded, giving me a squeeze.
“And I maybe sorta might possibly be falling in love with you, too,” I quickly blurted out.
He flashed me a blinding smile before claiming my mouth in a passionate kiss that left me breathless. I was stuck in a sensual fog when he lifted his head and tugged on my hand to lead me into the house. “Now that we both know where we stand, there’s no reason to keep me out of your former home.”
I dragged my heels a bit, but there was no slowing him down as we headed up the steps. When he held his hand out for my key, I shook my head and reached for the knob. “It isn’t locked. The owner doesn’t like to be bothered if anyone forgets their key. He’s a little”—I searched for the right word—“different.”
“He needs to be taught a lesson for leaving the damn door unlocked when you’re under his roof,” Stephan grumbled.
The upside to his anger over the lack of security at the boarding house was that he barely paid attention to our surroundings as I led him upstairs to my room. He was still muttering under his breath when we reached my room but let up a little when he saw me pull a set of keys out of my purse to undo the lock on the knob and the deadbolt I’d installed a few days after moving in. “At least I had two locks on the door for my room.”