“Courtney? Courtney, honey, are you upstairs? The front door was unlocked, so I just came in.”
Courtney’s eyes got so wide, and the face she was making caused me to start laughing. She hit me in the stomach and quickly started looking for clothes to put on.
“Oh. My. God! It’s Mimi,” Courtney said in the midst of running around.
“Mimi? What is she doing here? Why was the front door unlocked? Did she let out the dogs?” I asked, standing there like an idiot.
Courtney stopped and looked at me. She shook her head. “Um…she wanted to bring Layton and Whit their wedding gift before they got home. I think I forgot to lock the front door yesterday morning after I checked the mail.”
“Man, we suck at this house-sitting thing,” I said.
I slowly smiled as I pulled her to me and kissed the shit out of her. She let out a small moan and ran her hands through my hair. When I pulled away quickly, she was trying to catch her breath.
“Wow. What was that for?” she whispered.
“No reason. I just love you so damn much. How we didn’t see this long ago is beyond me,” I said in a low voice.
She wrinkled up her nose and asked, “See what?”
“How we are made for each other. We fit together so perfectly, Courtney. I love you so much.”
She let out a sigh and lifted the left corner of her mouth. She quickly gave me a kiss and said against my lips, “That was Nick swoon-worthy.”
She turned and began putting on a pair of my sweatpants and one of my T-shirts. She grabbed her hair, twisted it somehow, and piled it on top of her head. “Come, Lulu, let’s go say good morning to Mimi.”
“Wait…that was Nick swoon-worthy?” I called after her, confused.
She stopped right outside the door and smiled. “Oh yeah, Mr. Moore.” She winked and bolted down the stairs.
I stood there, more confused than ever.
I sat down on the bed and said, “So, the horseback riding in the moonlight was not swoon-worthy, but telling her we fit together was Nick swoon-worthy?” I rubbed the back of my neck and shook my head. “Fuck, I need to read more. Clearly, I’m missing something.”
I sat at the kitchen island, smiling, as Mimi told me all about this book she’d discovered and how she hadn’t been able to put it down all night.
“I’m telling you, it was amazing, Courtney. You should really read it.”
I nodded my head and took a sip of tea. All I could really think about was how Reed had just made the most amazing love to me. It had been so slow and romantic. It was like he hadn’t wanted it to end any more than I had.
“What’s the name of the book?” I asked.
“Oh, darn…I can’t remember. What is the name of that book? Oh, it was so funny. Crap.”
I started thinking about last night and this morning—Reed falling in the field, Reed naked, Reed and me in the pool, Reed and me in the shower, Reed and me horseback riding, Reed telling me we were made for each other. I touched my lips gently and felt the ache growing between my legs.
“Courtney? Courtney, are you even listening to me?” Mimi asked.
I snapped my head up and looked at her. “What? Of course I’m listening to you.”
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Really? What did I just say then?”
“Um…you were trying to remember the name of this really good book you read,” I said with a small smile.
“Wrong answer. I was telling you that you looked lost in thought, and then I asked what in the world you were thinking about because the blush on your cheeks was a beautiful red.”
I instantly put my hands on my face. “What?”
Just then, Reed walked in, and the room felt like it was filled with electricity. I even found myself catching my breath.