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She wanted nothing to distract him during that time.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “I’ll be marking my calendar when you tell me. We’ll have to watch it together. At least the first episode.”

“I’d love that,” she said.

There was no reason to stress about anything six months from now.

A lot could change.

But for once, she was hoping it didn’t.

18

MORE BEHIND HER WORDS

“I’ve got a few surprises for you,” Emma said the minute she opened the door for him on July Fourth.

Warren wrapped a long arm around her, his mouth slanting across hers, her body all but melting against him.

“I hope it’s more than one of what I’ve got in mind,” he said, leaning down to kiss her again.

It’d been two weeks since he’d seen her. He’d like them to have more time together, but things were picking up for him.

What he wanted to do was pick her up, toss her over his shoulder, and bring her to her room.

A month ago, they’d spent three nights and four days together and barely left her house. He thought for sure they’d get on each other’s nerves but didn’t.

Two weeks ago, he’d only come over for two days and one night. She was writing her next book, and because she accepted his idea, he was thrilled to spend time discussing it with her and offering suggestions.

“Oh, we’ll get to that,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “Not right away. We’ve got to get to my parents for the party.”

He’d be here two nights and three days again.

He couldn’t figure out her reason for not going to see him, but since he’d offered to come here, she took him up on it.

It probably had to do with her cat, but he had a surprise for her.

“Bummer,” he said.

“Bummer?” she asked, laughing. “It’s not a word I’d thought would come out of your mouth.”

He picked her up with one arm and smacked his lips to hers. “I’ve got a lot of words I’d like to say to you when we’re naked. How is that?”

“Much better,” she said. “Leave your stuff there. I need to show you the first surprise.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the stairs of her lower level that walked out toward the beach.

He did a lot of his working out in the sand for added balance and resistance. He’d even pulled Emma out there at one point to join him.

They got to the lower level where she had a large family room with furniture now pushed against the wall. She said she never used this space other than to go to the beach.

Now it held a treadmill and a massive weight set and arsenal.

“Shit,” he said. “Did you do this for me?”

She had to have spent close to ten thousand dollars here. The treadmill was a top-of-the-line commercial one and the Force All-In-One trainer looked like a monster space capsule in the center of the room.

He’d spent two to three hours working out daily while he visited before, and breaking it up in his day since he had nothing to use in her house and had to rely on old school calisthenics.