“I have two questions,” she announced.
Len wanted to protest—his body wanted to protest like crazy—but he reined it in because forever was worth a little discomfort. “Shoot.”
She trailed her hands down his chest, tracing designs with her fingernails and making his skin come alive. “Why did you give me the deed to the house?”
No hesitation this time. “Because if you want, it’s your house, only this time with me. Together. But if you don’t want this place, we’ll find another. I probably should do something awesome to make up for being such an idiot the last time—”
She took her hands from his body to hold her palms up towards him. “Whoa. You know, you really need to stop being such a chatterbox.”
A snort escaped him. He was back to smiling every time she said something. Kind of the way he’d spent most of his life when she was around.
The way he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
“Second question?”
Her smile turned to sheer sexual mischief. “Do you have any condoms?”
For one panicked second he couldn’t remember where they were.
His expression flew past confusion to near terror. And Janey laughed as she rolled off him, reached for her pants and pulled a condom from the front pocket. She waved it at him before opening the package and resuming her position over his thighs. “I’m glad one of us is prepared.”
Everything was coming together perfectly, and in spite of any lingering doubts, Janey chose to take with both hands.
Including right now, and the two hands involved a certain bit of Len’s anatomy that had risen between them, thick and long. She couldn’t resist tormenting him, leaning over to lick the tip. Loving the groan of pleasure that escaped his lips. The silence that fell when she closed her mouth around him, slipping her tongue along the underside of his cock.
He remained partially sitting, his beautifully defined stomach muscles right there to tease with her fingers as she got him wetter. The taste of him in her mouth was good.
There were so many things she wanted to do. Maybe not for the first time anymore, but going back to perfect their skills. To really know what he liked. Not just in the bedroom, but out of it.
She worked briefly, sucking hard, pumping with her hand as he stiffened to rock-solid under her touch. And while she’d love to take this all the way, she needed him in her body even more. Needed to put aside the pain in her heart and accept their future.
She rolled on the condom quickly before getting back into position. Reaching between her legs to angle the head of his cock.
Len pressed one hand to her lower back, the other buried in the hair at the back of her neck. His fingers closed, and he tugged slightly until their gazes met, his dark eyes eating her up hungrily.
Their bodies pressed together, torsos tight as he guided her hips down, and she slowly surrounded him. His cock stretched her as he rolled his hips and buried himself completely.
The entire time he stared at her, holding her captive with eyes burning with love.
Len wasn’t full of words—he’d probably spoken his quota for the next three months, but right then Janey didn’t mind one bit.
He was speaking volumes with that expression. With the way he held her, tightly with one hand, the other bringing their bodies into intimate contact again and again as he thrust up.
There could’ve been a speaker mounted in the corner of the room, but what he was saying as he made love with her would still have been louder than any announcement blaring out at maximum volume.
And she listened. Soaked his love in like a refreshing spring rain bringing new hope.
She curled her hands around his neck and let him take charge of their bodies, staring back into his love-filled eyes. Pouring out her own emotions as best she could.
When he slipped a hand between them, teasing her clit and bringing her body closer to the peak, she gave it all to him.
“I love you,” she confessed. “I’ve always loved you.”
The words were a mere whisper. Quieter than the sound of their bodies connecting, his thighs slapping into hers.
But he heard her. Oh, how he heard. If she’d witnessed the emotion on his face before, now it was tripled. As if everything that had held him back was washed away and she was flooded with all the things he’d held on to for years.
She was the center of all his adoration as he kissed her. Continuing to make love to her as he rolled her under him.
She didn’t care if she came or not—her world was pretty much as perfect as life could be right then—but in the midst of her joy, pleasure broke. Her body accepted him with delight and held on tight.
A hard gasp stole from his lips as he stopped, deeply connected. Her body squeezing tight around his cock as he came. His hips pulsing against her as if he were trying to get even deeper.
He cradled her like she was precious. He pressed a million kisses over her cheeks and eyes, over her open lips as she couldn’t stop laughter from bubbling up.
They lay together afterward, candlelight flickering against the walls, his heartbeat slowing under her ear as she rested her head on his chest. His arms held her tight, and she didn’t mind one bit.
There was nowhere she would rather be.
Epilogue
“I love it.”
Janey twirled to face Len, damn near bouncing on the spot as she stared into his pleased face.
He shrugged. “It’s only a bookcase.”
“But you built it.” She stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips before settling against his body with a contented sigh. “And you painted it candy-apple red. I can’t believe you did that.”
His big hands rested on her hips, and he shifted her gently against him. “If it makes you happy, I’ll paint everything in the house red.”
It was so easy to smile. To let the joy inside her bubble up and come out and paint everything she did.
This wasn’t her old house anymore. Not only because the renovations she’d done changed the place from where she’d spent time as a child and youth, but now he was there as well. Len. His things mixed with hers all around the familiar setting, turning everything into something brand-new as well.
The home was theirs.
“Everyone will be here soon,” he warned as she snuck her hands underneath his T-shirt to explore.
It was tempting to pout, but then she had so much to look forward today. “And then you’ll tell me the secret? I can’t believe you’ve kept it from me this entire time.”
Len grinned. And placed his finger against his lips.
She pulled out of his embrace with a laugh, reaching to straighten the furniture they’d moved to put the shelf he’d made into position. “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re the man of mystery.”
“I think you’ll like it.” That’s all he would share.
Janey didn’t bother teasing any further though. She would know soon enough what he’d been concocting for the past month.
After that night when he told her everything, their world had changed. She could tell there were still moments he was afraid, but now he didn’t close himself off from her. Those were the times that he’d sneak up behind her, and she’d find herself wrapped in an enormous bear hug. His arms protecting her as he held her tight and reassured himself all over that she belonged to him.
They were making memories. More mementos had been added to the scrapbook, some of them things she had saved over the years.
Her parents were a little perturbed her move to Calgary had been permanently called off, but they’d made plans to come out for a visit at Thanksgiving, and somewhere in all of it, Janey felt as if she had succeeded in making her point. She was successful. She was happy.
“Hello,” a deep voice called. “You want us to bring everything in, or are we picnicking on the deck?”
“Come inside, Dad,” Len ordered.
Keith Thompson kicked off his shoes and left them at the entranceway before walking forward and holding out an enormous bouquet of flowers to Janey. “Something pretty for my pretty girl.”
Len bumped shoulders with his dad on the way past to hold the door for Katy and Gage. “Stop flirting with my woman,” he demanded.
“It’s your fault for picking one who’s just my type,” his dad protested. “Pretty and smart. The best combination.”
Katy handed in the car seat, and little Tanner stared up at his Uncle Len with big eyes, his mouth twisted into a round O.
Thirty minutes later Janey leaned on the wall between the kitchen and the living room and watched as the people she loved the most filled their home with their noise and conversation. With their laughter and teasing.
Anna and Mitch were curled up on the couch together talking quietly, Anna still wearing her RCMP uniform. Gage now held the baby and was patting Tanner on the back as he discussed some kind of sporting event with an exuberant Troy.
“It’s bedlam in here,” Clay complained as he walked in the back door and dropped a couple of bags of chips on the table.
“Then you’ll fit right in, won’t you?” Katy teased her older brother.
Up at the front of the room, Len cleared his throat, conversation rumbling to a halt as everyone turned to face him.
He looked so uncomfortable that Janey wanted to go and rescue him, but then he caught her gaze. Staring straight at her as he spoke to his family.
“When I came to you and asked for help, every one of you did your damnedest to get me back on the right track. This is my way of saying thank you, because what you shared gave me the best thing I ever could’ve gotten—Janey.”