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  “Later, Emmit.”

  As I pulled the phone from my ear, I said, “Same old, Chris. Always worried about everything.”

  Adaline expression was one of worry, “Is everything okay?”

  Licking my lips, I gave her a wink and said, “Everything is more than okay, pumpkin. Come on, Mom’s waiting for us.”

  Adaline pushed out a deep breath and said, “I hope she’ll be happy to see me.”

  With a quick kiss and slap on Adaline’s ass, I laughed and said, “She’s ecstatic to see you, Addie. Stop worrying.”

  I headed to the garage as Adaline followed closely behind me. As we stepped into the garage Adaline laughed. “Holy crap. Is that a . . . Ferrari?”

  Walking her over to the passenger side, I opened the door and held her hand while she got in. “You know how I like my toys.”

  Adaline shook her head as she glanced around the car. “I guess so.”

  Five minutes later I was pulling into the driveway of my mother’s house as she stood on the porch waiting for us.

  “Hold on, let me get your door,” I said as I jumped out of the car and jogged around to open Adaline’s door.

  I helped her out only to have my mother scream Adaline’s name and slam into her as she gave her a giant bear hug.

  “Oh, Adaline! I’ve missed you so much my sweet girl.”

  Adaline looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much too, Candace.”

  My mother pushed Adaline out at arm’s length and looked her over. “My goodness, you’ve become such a beautiful young woman. The flush on your cheeks is adorable. Adaline, your eyes look so happy, sweetheart.”

  A beautiful rose color moved across Adaline’s face as she peeked over to me and then back at my mother. “I guess being in love will have that effect on you.”

  My mother quickly glanced over to me and smiled bigger. “Let’s go inside; I’ve made your favorite.”

  Adaline gasped. “Chicken tacos?”

  “You’d better believe chicken tacos.”

  I’d never seen Adaline’s eyes fill with excitement over food before. “Oh my gosh, I’ve missed your chicken tacos!”

  I watched as my mother and Adaline walked arm and arm into the house. I knew in my heart what I was about to do was the right thing.

  Time wasn’t stealing anything else from me ever again.

  CANDACE AND I TALKED NON-STOP for two hours as Emmit sat by quietly and listened. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed her really until I saw her.

  After a quick tour of her house, we went to sit on the back porch with a glass of wine.

  “So, Adaline, what do you think about this new job?”

  “It’s a blessing I feel like I don’t deserve.”

  Candace laughed as she brushed me off. “Non-sense. Mr. Elliot has been talking about bringing on his own medical team for the last two years.”

  Peeking over at Emmit, I noticed he was staring out over the lake. He seemed nervous and I wasn’t really sure why.

  I turned back to Candace and grinned. “"It’s funny how you go off looking for what you thought was your dream . . . only to find out your dream was right in front of you the entire time."

  I glanced down at my hands and let out a soft chuckle as I glanced back up. Emmit was piercing me with his gray eyes as I felt my heart sink to my stomach. “Turns out my dream was racing a hundred and ninety miles an hour around a race track.”

  Emmit’s lips parted slightly as I watched his eyes begin to water. He quickly made his way over to me and lifted me up. Emmit pressed his lips to mine and kissed me amorously. I was so moved by the kiss I could feel his love rushing into my body.

  When we finally broke our kiss and Emmit set me back down, he gazed into my eyes as he asked, “Will you marry me, Addie?”

  A sob escaped my lips as I heard Candace gasp. I didn’t even need time to think about my answer. I knew what it would be since the first time Emmit kissed me.

  I quickly wiped my tears away. “Yes! Oh God, Emmit. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Emmit smiled the most stunning smile I’d ever seen. He hooted and hollered as he reached for me and spun me around. Candace began jumping and clapping her hands while tears rolled down her face. “Let me get some champagne!”

  Emmit looked back at his mother and said, “Sounds good, Mom.”

  As Candace took off back into the house, Emmit took my hand in his and led me down the dock toward the water. My heart was beating a mile a minute as I tried to wrap my thoughts around the fact that I just got engaged. Emmit came to a stop at the end of the dock and faced me. Taking both of my hands, he flashed that dimple at me and I couldn’t help but giggle.

  “You just made me the happiest man in the world, Addie.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “Emmit, you just made me the happiest woman in the world. I don’t even know what to say right now.”

  Emmit dropped my hands and reached into his pocket. He went down on one knee as I covered my mouth and began crying as Emmit opened the box in his hand. A beautiful princess-cut diamond sat in the blue velvet box as I started crying harder.

  “I’ve been holding onto this ring for three and a half years, Addie. I can’t wait to slip it onto your finger.”

  Reaching my left hand out, I started giggling when I saw how bad I was shaking. Emmit slipped the ring on my finger and then kissed the back of my hand. It fit perfectly.

  The moment Emmit stood up, I launched myself into his arms, causing him to stumble back. It didn’t take long for me to realize he was about to go right into the lake. Grabbing onto me, Emmit pulled me into the lake with him as we both started laughing.

  I wrapped my arms around Emmit’s neck as I bit down gently on his lower lip. “God, I’ve never in my life felt so happy before.”

  Emmit’s gray eyes went dark as he searched my face. “I swear if we weren’t at my mother’s place right now, I’d take you right here and now.”

  Butterflies danced in my stomach as I lifted my eyebrows. “Sex in the lake. I like the sound of that.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Emmit asked as his eyes danced with excitement. “I think I can arrange that.”

  Laughing, I pressed my lips to Emmit’s and poured as much love into the kiss as possible.

  “What in the world are you two doing in the lake?” Candace asked as Emmit and I both glanced up at her.

  “Addie wanted to go for a quick swim.”

  Splashing Emmit, I swam back over to the dock. The second I got out of the water and stood up, Candace grabbed my left hand and screamed. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Emmit’s mother looked lovingly at her son as she said, “Oh, Emmit. Darling, it’s beautiful.”

  As I looked back down at the ring, I was so thankful Emmit had bought it before he really started making money. The last thing I would want is a two and half carat diamond on my finger. “It’s perfect,” I said as I stared at the ring on my finger.

  “Come on, you two. Let’s get you inside and dried off,” Candace said as she motioned for Emmit and I to head back to the house.

  We walked hand in hand as water dripped off us both, I couldn’t think of a better way for Emmit to ask me to marry him. It felt as if I was walking on cloud nine.

  I never wanted this feeling to end.

  I let out a contented sigh as I got lost in the story I was reading. I had made Emmit a list of things we needed from the store for dinner tonight, and he insisted I stay behind and relax while he ran in to the store.

  I placed my Kindle in my lap as I stopped and listened. Was that a doorbell I just heard?

  I had been so lost in my story; I thought I heard someone at the door. With a shrug of my shoulders, I went back to reading.

  Then I heard someone walking across the kitchen floor in heels. As I jumped up, my Kindle fell to the hardwood floor.

  “Emmit? Sweetie, are you here?”

  Sweetie?

  I reached down for my Kindle and grabbed it as I quickly made my
way into the kitchen. Stephanie was standing there unpacking bags of food.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. Stephanie jumped and let out a scream. I hadn’t meant to sound like a bitch, but I had to admit, her calling Emmit sweetie took me by surprise.

  Stephanie’s hand went over her chest as she dragged in a few breaths. “Holy fucking shit, you scared the living piss out of me, Adaline.”

  Nice mouth.

  Giving her a slight smile, I said, “Sorry, I could say the same but I won’t.”

  Her face turned red as she shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Oh . . . um . . . well I knew Emmit would be back home with no race this week. I usually bring him some food. I wasn’t able to get over here until now.”

  Leaning against the counter, I held my Kindle in front of me. Stephanie glanced down and did a double take at the ring on my finger. She frowned before she quickly replaced it with a smile.

  Stephanie’s hand went over her mouth as she did this weird little jump. “Oh, my gosh! Is that what I think it is?”

  I lifted my left hand and smiled. “Yes. Emmit asked me to marry him earlier today.”

  Stephanie walked over to me and took my hand as she studied the ring. “It’s so . . . simple.”

  She did not.

  My mouth dropped open as I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “Oh no wait, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just would have thought Emmit would have put a huge rock on your finger.” Letting out a quick chuckle, she looked back down at the ring before looking at me again.

  “I think it’s perfect and it’s the same ring Emmit used to ask me to marry him a few years ago.”

  Something passed over Stephanie’s face, but before I could read it, it was gone. “Well, I’m so happy for you both. We’ll have to throw you an engagement party.”

  With a quick shake of my head, I lifted my hands. “No, no I don’t want anything like that.”

  Spinning on her five-inch heels, Stephanie lifted her hand up and waved me off. It was like my mother all over again. “Nonsense. It will be wonderful PR for Emmit. NASCAR’s most-eligible bachelor off the market . . . I can see the headlines now.”

  Her happiness seemed sincere, but there was something about Stephanie that had me on guard.

  “Um, so listen, we should probably talk about you just walking into the house.”

  Stephanie put the last of the food in the refrigerator and said, “Right. Of course. I realize now that you are back in the picture, I’ll need to be more mindful of Emmit’s privacy.”

  Back in the picture? Why did the way she said that bother me so much?

  “Were you not before?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  Stephanie’s head popped back in surprise. “Of course I was. But I mean, Emmit was a single guy living in this giant house. He would often call me to come over and keep him company.”

  A tinge of jealousy ripped through me as I looked Stephanie up and down. “I bet it did get lonely.”

  Stephanie shrugged as she said, “Yeah. I used to feel really bad for him but we had a lot of fun together so it was okay. My husband used to play Texas Hold ‘em a lot with Emmit.”

  The mention of her husband seemed to put the water on my jealousy. I instantly relaxed.

  “Well, maybe a phone call first before you pop over,” I said as I tried not to seem like I was being a bitch.

  Stephanie grabbed her purse and smiled. “Of course. Do me a favor, when you see Emmit let him know I have that date and time set up with the family from Dallas. I sent it over in an email. He also has an interview tomorrow morning, I’ll get with him later about that.”

  I pushed off the counter and followed Stephanie to the door. Emmit walked in and almost ran into Stephanie.

  “Hey, Steph. What are you doing here?” Emmit asked as he walked by her and straight into the kitchen.

  “Afternoon, Emmit. I just dropped off some things for you. I wasn’t aware Ms. Morgan was here. I need to run, but I’ll call you later about your interview tomorrow.”

  Emmit stopped and turned to Stephanie. He looked confused for a second before he said, “Cancel the interview.”

  Stephanie stopped walking and slowly turned around. “Excuse me?”

  The bags of groceries were set down on the counter as Emmit looked back at Stephanie. “Cancel it. Or if they want to do a Skype interview, we can do that.”

  I’d never seen someone wear such a deer in the headlight look before like Stephanie was. “May I ask why you’re changing it, Emmit?”

  Emmit glanced over to me and gave me a wink. “I’m flying to Texas tomorrow with my fiancé. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

  “Texas?” Stephanie and I both said at the same time.

  “Yep. Texas. Oh, and if you need anything else for the rest of the day, just text, Steph. I don’t want any calls unless it’s an emergency.”

  The look that passed over Stephanie’s face was one of pure shock. I’m guessing she was used to twenty-four-seven access to Emmit, and this no calling rule put her off.

  “Emmit, I mean, we need to talk about a few things.”

  Walking toward Stephanie, he took her elbow and guided her toward the front door. “We can talk tomorrow. Today I want my own time. Also, I think it’s best if you give me your key to the house. With Addie moving in and all, I think it’s for the best.”

  Stephanie’s mouth dropped open as she searched for her voice. “W-what? You want your key back? Are you sure, Emmit, what if there’s an emergency or something?”

  I wanted so badly not to be feeling so gleeful, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to jump and do a fist pump. “My mom’s got a key,” Emmit said in a chipper voice.

  Stephanie stood a little taller as she flashed a smile and said, “Of course.” Taking Emmit’s house key off her ring, she handed it to him and looked between us. “You two enjoy your day. Oh, my gosh, I didn’t even congratulate you, Emmit.”

  Stephanie gave Emmit an awkward hug as she took a step back. “Okay, well I’ll let the two of you be.”

  Emmit opened the front door as Stephanie walked outside. “Bye, Steph.”

  Closing the door, Emmit headed back into the kitchen as I followed him. “I think I got everything on your list. I’m starving right now, though.”

  I peeked through the bags as I pulled food out and set it on the counter. “I can make you something now if you want.”

  Emmit cleared his throat, causing me to turn around. “Oh my,” I said as my eyes traveled across Emmit’s naked body.

  “We’ve been making a lot of love the last two days, Addie.”

  I nodded my head while I felt that familiar pull in my lower stomach. “Yeah . . . we have.”

  “Do you know what I want to do right now?”

  Capturing my lip between my teeth, I mumbled a response even I didn’t understand.

  Emmit’s eyes burned with desire. “I want to fuck you fast and hard.”

  Something about Emmit talking to me like that had me so horny, I could feel the wetness between my legs. The counter seemed far away as I reached out to hold myself up. My body tingled as I began breathing heavier.

  Before I knew it, Emmit was standing before me. His hands moved to my skirt, where he reached under it and pushed my panties to the side. Giving me a full-blown sex-on-a-stick smile, he pushed his fingers inside of me as I hissed and dropped my head back. “Yes, Emmit.”

  With a relentless pursuit of his fingers, Emmit worked me quickly into an orgasm. I grabbed onto his shoulders as I pumped my hips into his hand and called out his name.

  “How do you want it, baby?” Emmit spoke softly against the sensitive skin under my ear lobe.

  “Oh God. I can’t think straight.”

  Emmit chuckled as he picked me up and carried me over to the other side of the kitchen. Pressing me against the wall, hard. He lifted my hands and held them over my head as he kissed me frantically. Our teeth hit against one another as we devoured each ot
her.

  It was raw.

  Powerful.

  And sexual as hell.

  My body was ignited as Emmit fueled my desire more and more with his actions and his words.

  “Tell me what you want, Addie.”

  I dropped my head back against the wall and dragged air into my lungs as I panted out, “Fuck. Me. Fuck me hard.”

  With a grin and eyes that looked almost black, Emmit pushed into me as I cried out his name.

  The faster and harder he went, the more my body wanted more.

  “Fuck!” I screamed out as Emmit moaned.

  More. I need more. I had to have more of him.

  “Emmit, more. Harder!”

  With a look of seduction, Emmit spoke quickly. “Wrap your legs around me tighter and hold onto me.”

  I did what he said as Emmit walked to the living room. Letting me down, he turned me around and bent me over the sofa. Pushing into me, I cried out as he went deeper inside of me this way.

  Grabbing onto me, Emmit began to do just want I asked him to do. He fucked me fast and hard. The sound of our bodies hitting turned me on even more, which I honestly didn’t think I could be any more turned on.

  “Jesus, Addie. This feels so fucking good.”

  Pushing back into him with each thrust he gave me, I felt my build-up. “Emmit! I’m going to come!” I called out as Emmit came at the same time. I could feel his dick pulsing inside me as I squeezed around him with each pulse of my body.

  When Emmit finally came to a stop, he fell over my back and kissed me lightly.

  Our breathing was erratic, but sexy sounding. Smiling, I let out a giggle as I said, “We’ve had hot sex before, but that . . . that was hot as hell.”

  Emmit pulled out and turned me to face him.

  “I’ve never come so hard in my entire life.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed him. My body felt amazing as I let this memory settle in.

  “Now I’m really hungry.”

  Rubbing his nose against mine, Emmit chortled. “I should probably get dressed before we cook.”

  My eyes wandered over his body as I tilted my head and said, “I’m totally okay with this arrangement.”