Nick’s mouth is immediately on mine.


    The penthouse is quiet; the faint hum of the city almost a hundred stories below barely seeps through. All I hear is his breath, my heartbeat, and the sound of my body sliding against the silk sheets that are cool against my hot skin.


    He kisses me like he always has, like we have forever. Maybe because he knew we would.


    Nothing about it is frantic or rushed. It’s just hungry and consuming, as if he wants to carve himself into my heart. My body trembles with anticipation before he’s even touched me.


    When his weight presses me into the mattress, I greedily arch into him. My fingers tear at his clothes until they’re gone. My nails graze down his chest, over hard muscles. The shiver that runs through him is confirmation that he enjoys his time with me.


    “You undo me,” he confesses against my skin as his mouth trails lower. He bites, sucks, kisses everywhere, leaving heat in his wake.


    I gasp when his hand slides beneath my dress, fingertips teasing higher.


    My panties cling to me, and when he presses the heel of his palm against me, the moan that tears out of me echoes against the high ceiling.


    “Always so wet for me.” He groans, kissing me harder as his fingers stroke over the dampce. He peels them down my thighs, slow, and savors the view, like undressing me is part of his pleasure.


    Nick ces hot kisses up the inside of my thighs until I’m shaking. And when his tongue slides through me, I cry out, clutching the sheets. He devours me like a starved man. My thighs shake around his head as he flicks my clit with his tongue, sucking hard. His low growl vibrates against me until I’m falling apart, nearly sobbing his name.


    By the time he pulls back, my body is sweaty, my chest heaving. When he leans over me again, I feel his heavy cock brushing against my stomach.


    He drags himself through my folds, circles my clit, then ms inside me until I scream with satisfaction.


    He fists a hand in my hair, tugging gently until I’m staring straight into his golden-brown eyes. His jaw is tight, his chest rising and falling, like he’s barely holding back. He pulls out and then takes me in one deep, iming thrust.


    My back arches off the bed, every nerve ending sparking as he fills me. He stays buried to the hilt, his forehead pressed to mine, our breaths ragged and uneven.


    “You feel like home,” he whispers.


    “You do too.”


    Each thrust is slow, and he continues until I’m gasping, clutching at him. Pleasure floods through me.


    “Don’t stop,” I beg, my voice raw.


    His growl rumbles through me as he flips me onto all fours. He drives deeper, pounding against that spot inside me that makes my vision explode. The stretch is perfect, the angle brutal, and I sob his name, clinging to the sheets like I’ll fly apart without him.


    “You feel so good.” He groans, fingers digging into my hips.


    I break apart, my body spasming around him as my orgasm violently consumes me. He curses, thrusting harder. His groans turn frantic as he buries himself deep one final time and releases inside me.


    We copse, his arms locked around me like he’ll never let me go. My chest heaves, but I don’t want to move. Not yet. Maybe never.


    He strokes my ass, kisses the curve of my back.


    “I’m so d you’re mine,” I whisper, smiling against the sheets.


    “Me too,” he says, kissing my shoulder. “Me fucking too.”


    He eases out of me and pulls me into his chest, rolling us onto our sides. His hand trails down my spine like he’s memorizing every inch of me. The silence stretches on, and it’sfortable.


    “Why didn’t you tell me that you were staying in Cozy Creek?” I ask, my fingers tracing the hard line of his chiseled jaw.


    He exhales, his thumb brushing my hip. “I wanted it to be a surprise. And Asher got approval from the board moments before I went onstage.”


    My throat tightens with relief. “I’m so happy.”


    He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Me too, sweetheart.”


    Butterflies swarm me as his mouth presses against my hair.


    I close my eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat.


    When he looks at me like this, I don’t wonder if our love willst.


    I know it will.<hr>


    After a whirlwind three days in New York—jets, paparazzi, crystal ballrooms—I’m back where it all started.


    The bell above Cozy Coffee jingles as I step inside. The scent of cinnamon and espresso floats through the air. Behind the counter, Sierra fumbles with the milk steamer while Tracy shoos her aside like she’s been waiting for this learning moment.


    “Julie!” ire gasps, throwing her arms wide like she hasn’t seen me in a decade instead of a long weekend. “Our small-town queen returns from conquering the big city. Did you bring me anything? Chanel? Prada? A hot investor who’s emotionally intelligent?”


    Iugh. “Sorry. I brought you me. Nick ising. He’s outside, talking with Zane on the phone.”


    ire smirks. “You won the lottery with him.”


    “I did,” I admit.


    I nce toward the window, where Nick leans against his Range Rover. Even in jeans and a jacket, he looks like hemands the room—or in this case, the whole town.


    As he chats, his eyes keep sliding back to me through the ss, like he’d rather be in here than anywhere else. The bell jingles again, and Nick finally steps inside, shaking the chill from his messy hair. The temperatures have dropped, and we’re expected to get our first snowfall this weekend.


    Every customer in the shop seems to freeze, but then they go about their business. I think word has spread around town that Nick isn’t just visiting anymore; he’s staying. Just like Zane did.


    “Hey, sweetheart,” he says, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Did you order?”


    “Nope. I’m not sure what I’m in the mood for.”


    ire looks between us, unimpressed. “Sorry to ruin your day, but we’re out of pumpkin spicettes.”


    Nick nces at me and winks. “I don’t think I’ll ever mention wanting one again.”


    Our safe word makes me grin, and I realize I finally have what I always wanted—inside jokes with someone who’s both a lover and a best friend.


    I nce around the room, knowing this ce has always been my second home. But now, with Nick here, it feels like the beginning of something evesting.


    We order peppermint mochas and wait at the end of the counter. Three minutester, ire slides them across to me with a wink.


    “When are youing back to work?” she asks. “I miss you.”


    “Aw. Next week. There are still a few things I need to finish first.”


    “Can’t wait,” ire tells me. “Have fun today. Remember, I want a cottage in the woods!”


    “Won’t forget,” I promise as Nick’s hand finds mine again.


    Together, we step out into the cold and head toward the Range Rover.


    “Ready to check out thend?” he asks once we’re buckled in.


    “Yeah, I’m actually excited.”


    He turns onto Main and follows it until it hits Skyline Drive. “Zane told me that if, for any reason, we split, neither of us keeps the property. The resort confiscates it.”


    The words hang between us.


    I exhale. “I really don’t think we have anything to worry about.”


    “That’s exactly what I told him.” Nick reaches for my hand, his thumb stroking slow circles against my skin. “I believe in us.”


    The Range Rover’s engine hums as the town fades behind us. When I roll down the window to feel the briskte autumn breeze, I inhale the clean air.


    In the distance, the mountains rise higher. Their ridges are painted gold and brown, while some arepletely bare. The sky is endless blue. It’s something I can only find in Colorado.


    I sip my peppermint mocha, watching our reflections blur in the windshield. He’s driving one-handed, his other hand over mine on the console, as if he can’t stand not touching me, even for a minute.


    When we climb the hill near Hollow Manor, I grow excited, knowing we’ll live this close to Autumn and Zane. It makes me giddy. The thought of tying our lives together here, permanently, does something to me.


    Nick turns onto a gravel road that cuts into the mountain. Tires crunch over stone until the trees open up, and we’re met with arge stretch of meadow. Surrounding it are towering aspens. Beyond them, the mountains climb,yered in smoky blue. To the right, the slope drops into a viewpoint that overlooks Cozy Creek. I can see tiny houses, the church steeple, and even the coffee shop.


    From here, the town looks like a snow globe.


    “Ready?” he asks.


    “Hell yes,” I tell him, and we step out of the SUV.


    The cold air bites my cheeks as I breathe in pine and possibility.


    Nick slips an arm around my waist as we take it in. “Zane said he wanted thisnd to go to someone he trusted after Harper stated she didn’t want it.”


    “It’s beautiful,” I whisper. “Can we really ept this?”


    “Yes. And we will with a smile and a thank-you,” he says. “It’s selfish on Zane’s part. Trust me.”


    Wind rushes through the aspens, causing the branches to tremble.


    Nick nces over at me, wearing a soft smile. “Picture it, Jules. A house with a porch swing. A kitchen big enough for several espresso machines. And a pumpkin patch in the backyard.”


    Iugh, blinking away tears I didn’t even realize had formed. “I can imagine it.”


    “I’ve never wanted anything more,” he admits.


    Nick tilts my chin, his golden-brown eyes locking on mine. His mouth ims me, and the kiss sears through me.


    When we finally break apart, the cold rushes in, and I shiver, but I don’t stop staring over thend. I can imagine a farmhouse with pumpkins on the porch; kids with sticky fingers, chasing each other through the grass; andughter carrying through the trees.


    I see myself in that kitchen, pulling espresso shots on a machine that hisses like a dragon, Nick sneaking up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. I imagine us stringing lights on the porch every October. I can almost hear our kids begging for one more story before they go to bed. I picture Christmas mornings and birthdays, stupid arguments, and sexy make-ups. Whole seasons stitch together into a life I want to live with him. It’s not a fantasy, but a possibility.


    I see us growing old together, with gray hair and wrinkles, and still kissing because we can’t get enough.


    When our eyes meet again, I know he saw it all too.


    The dream doesn’t feel impossible.


    I smile. “Did you ever think it was only going to be a hookup situation?”


    Nick chuckles, pulling me closer. “No fucking way. You’re the only one who ever believed that.”