“I love you, Ellis.”
Ellis didn’t wait for more than half a second before saying, “I love you back.”
The smile that bloomed on Cherry’s beautiful, sexy face was one she’d never forget. And then she dipped her head and her tongue touched her center and every coherent thought flew right out of Ellis’s head.
They slept that night like two vines that had grown entwined with each other. Limbs twisted and tangled until Ellis didn’t know where she ended and Cherry began. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was that she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
She’d never felt that way before. Ever. Not once in her entire life.
* * *
Cherry woke up slowly, which was unusual for her. But she’d put her body through the wringer the night before—or rather, Ellis had put her body through the wringer the night before—and her muscles were like wet dishrags. In the best of ways.
Eyes still closed, she reached to her left but felt only empty bed, and she sighed. Then she felt tiny feet walking up her thigh, her stomach, and then a weight set down directly on her chest. She openedher eyes slowly to find big feline ones staring at her. Nugget blinked slowly, as if completely unimpressed. She dug her fingers into his soft fur, and his motor started up, gently vibrating through her ribs.
“Good morning to you, too,” she said just before her nose was grabbed by the wonderful mix of smells coming from the apartment. “Oh my God, Nugs, are there any better morning smells in the world than coffee and bacon?”
“Good morning,” came Ellis’s voice from the doorway.
“How is it you look that gorgeous right out of bed?” It was a legitimate question, as Ellis’s hair was tousled and still stupidly sexy. She wore plaid sleep shorts in red and black and the same white T-shirt Cherry had borrowed her first night here. The one that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, Ellis’s nipples clearly visible and doing things to Cherry’s body without her permission.
“You should talk.” Ellis crossed the room, cup of steaming coffee in hand.
“Coffee in bed?” Cherry pushed herself to a sitting position, working hard not to dislodge Nugget from his cuddly position. “I may never leave.”
Ellis handed the mug over and said, “I’m okay with that.” Then she bent and kissed her on the mouth. “Hungry?”
“Mm, yes.” Cherry deepened the kiss. Several luxurious moments later, she pulled back, grinned, and said, “Oh, you meant for food.”
“I did, but this is better.” Ellis kissed her again. “Much, much better.”
“I agree.”
They were still kissing when Cherry’s stomach rumbled. Loudly.
Ellis laughed. “Okay. Breakfast it is.”
A few minutes later, they were sitting at Ellis’s small, two-person table, eating eggs and bacon and sipping coffee and glancing at each other and grinning just like two people who’d had mind-blowing sex the night before. Cherry couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed in her own skin.
Finally.
“It’s Saturday,” Ellis said. “You have plans?”
Cherry shook her head and bit into a strip of bacon. “I do not. Zero plans. I am planless.”
“I’d like to take you someplace.”
Those blue eyes sparkled, Cherry would swear to God. She’d never seen eyes sparkle until she looked into Ellis’s baby blues. “I’d go anywhere with you, you know.” And she’d never uttered a truer sentence in her whole life.
Ellis simply smiled back at her.
* * *
Ellis was nervous, and she was pretty sure Cherry picked up on it. Neither of them had said much on the drive, but once Ellis took a right and pulled into the parking lot of Hearts and Hands, Cherry understood exactly what was happening. She let out a small gasp and her head snapped around so she gaped at Ellis. At first, Ellis took it as fear, thought she was afraid. But then Cherry spoke.
“You’re sure?” Cherry’s voice was quiet in the interior of the car, and it was clear that she knew what a big deal this was to her.
“Positive. You’re okay with this?”
