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I didn’t want to get into his bed inerrands throughout the building So, I unzipped my skirt and let it fall to the floor before I removed my blouse

His eyes were on me the entire time

I got into bed in ainst the headboard beside him

He dropped his arm behindme closer, almost on his lap

I turned into hi around his perfectly chiseled sto in the sun I alot about the conversation because he chased all hts away, made me think of lushin the hearth

He looked down atme stare out the“Baby?”

I stilled at the nicknaht to life withI’d been called that before, but it had never mattered until now It fit ht “You’ve never called ht stoers dipped and rose over his abs

His gaze was impassive

“I liked it” I pressed a kiss to his chest,on fire from his delicious skin

He leaned in and brushed a kiss alonginto my hair at the same time

Going froht away, getting into territory we could never coot better and better, like our tenure as friends never happened at all Sitting with hi there felt so restrictive because it was unnatural We were together, corace to e had to pretend otherwise

I knew Deacon had fallen deep into this relationship without a single wall up He trusted me implicitly, invested himself entirely, never coain He was fully present, living in the anically without ever hitting the brakes

And he was falling for me…the way I’d already fallen for him

Minutes of silence passed, the two of us just being together And then his deep voice shattered it, like broken glass “What happened?”

I’d forgotten about the conversation because I holly absorbed in hiether “Valerie said she was open to the idea”

His eyebrow rose slightly, like he hadn’t expected that response

“But she has a stipulation…”

“Of course, she does”