I nodded as he spoke, sure that if I opened my mouth, I might say something I’d regret. I wanted to tell him that I missed him, that I was so glad I was here, but instead I stayed quiet.

When we arrived at his new place, he gave me the grand tour. It was a large one-bedroom apartment with walls of windows overlooking twinkling city lights. Inside, it was furnished with classy yet simple furniture—a tan leather sectional, long oak dining table flanked by two benches, and a bedroom with a four-poster bed and a two round side tables. It was nice.

After the tour, we stopped in the kitchen where Cannon poured us each a glass of wine. I couldn’t help but notice the bottle—it was the same brand I always bought at home.

“That last night we were together . . .” he started, then stopped to clear his throat. He didn’t have to clarify which night he was referring to. The night he came to me drunk in the middle of the night and told me he loved me.

My chest tightened at the memory. Taking a sip of my wine, I nodded again.

Cannon took my wineglass and set it on the counter with his. “I don’t know what this is that’s happening between us; I only know that I like it. And I don’t want it to stop.”

“You told me you loved me that night.” Relieved that I’d been brave enough to finally get that off my chest, I inhaled deeply, waiting for his shock to come. Only it didn’t.

“I know. And you didn’t say anything in return. And then that morning when Allie found us, you rushed off without a backward glance.”

Wait, what?

“You knew all along that you said it?”

He nodded.

“I figured it was a drunken mistake.”

“Paige,” he said, stroking my hand. “Nothing about us was a mistake.”

I licked my lips, gathering my thoughts. I couldn’t find the words just then to tell him that I loved him too.

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” I admitted. Not a clue—with my life, with his beautiful younger man who should have been out of my league, not with any of it. I hadn’t been in a real relationship in a long time.

His fingertips pressed against my lips. “It’s my first time too.”

He offered me a small smile, and relief flooded my chest.

“Come with me.” Cannon took my hand and led me into the living room.

We sat together on the couch, my head on his shoulder and his hand in my hair. I’d missed the physical closeness of him so much that I wanted to soak in every moment—although I knew our conversation was far from over.

Lifting my hand to his mouth, Cannon placed a chaste kiss against my palm. “I thought I should have been able to get over this, to move past it. That in time, my memories of you would fade. I thought I’d move on and do just like I’d been doing my entire life . . .

“Making lemonade,” I said, finishing the sentence for him.

He took my hands in his. “Yes. Only that didn’t happen. I missed you, Paige. More with each passing day.”

“I missed you too.” Summoning my courage, I met his eyes. “I’m in love with you, Cannon.”

“God, I’ve been waiting to hear those words for so long, princess.” He brought his mouth to mine, pressing a sweet kiss to my lips.

“Then why did you let me go so easily?” I asked, leaning into his touch.

“I didn’t want you to compromise your friendship with Allie for me. And you’re a grown woman, Paige. I figured you could decide what you wanted.”

I nodded. His answer made sense. “And what is it that you want?”

“You want to know what I want, princess?”

I gulped, nodding.

Suddenly he had me pinned beneath him on the couch, our wineglasses forgotten on the coffee table, the hard length of his body pressing into mine. I released a strangled groan when I felt the hard bulge of his manhood between my legs.

“I want you like this, every day for the rest of my life.”

His words were so brutally honest that I could only choke out a shaky breath before pressing my lips to his.

Claiming my mouth with a searing kiss, Cannon rocked into me, both of us breathing raggedly. “Christ, you’re so perfect for me, Paige. Say yes to this. To us.”

Pulling back just a fraction, I met his soulful gaze. I saw all the love, devotion, and commitment I’d ever dreamed about.

“What’s in it for me?” I asked playfully.

Cannon’s gaze turned sinful and he leaned in to kiss me, showing me exactly what was in it for me.

He had me naked and writhing beneath him in about three seconds flat, but from there, he took his time loving me—on the couch, the kitchen counter, and then in the bed until I was a boneless heap.

Falling in love didn’t feel like I thought it would—like I was losing a piece of myself to a man. No, it felt like I was gaining something else instead. Something bigger than just me. But I knew this something was so big and unpredictable that it had the power to completely destroy me if it went sideways.

For now, it seemed we had overcome our first hurdle. I just didn’t know what would happen next.

Epilogue

Paige

As I shampooed and lathered and shaved and exfoliated, I thought of nothing but Cannon. Mindlessly going through the motions, I scrubbed every inch of skin under the hot spray of water until I was pink and boneless.

He’d spent a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, and I was missing him like crazy. Today marked my two-week anniversary of moving to Denver. I would start my new job on Monday, and while I was a little scared, I was also ready to stop mooching off of Cannon. I’d always worked, and so this felt foreign to me. I’d spent two weeks almost bouncing off the walls, ready to be productive. Cannon told me to relax and enjoy my time off, but I’d struggled with that concept and was glad it was almost over. I also missed Enchilada something fierce, but he was living with Susanne, and I knew she needed him and his sweet companionship more than I did.