She stared at me, mouth hanging open and eyes blinking rapidly.

“You want us to live together?” she repeated, leaning even closer and higher when she rolled up on her toes to stress, “For real?”

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered. “We’re together every night, Syd. Practically live together already, babe. I’m just making it so we’re living together someplace that’s ours.”

She fell back on her heels. Her eyes were watering fast and her lip started quivering.

Syd cried every time I did something for her. No matter what it was.

The first night I made the hot chocolate she liked and surprised her with it while she was waiting for me in bed, it took an hour for her to calm enough to actually drink it.

She couldn’t believe I remembered. I made her suck my dick for thinking I’d forget.

And by “made,” I mean she liked it so much her first orgasm hit with my cock down her throat and her fingers between her legs.

I had to reheat her drink twice that night.

Grabbing my face, Syd declared through a trembling voice, “You are way too sweet, Brian Savage.” She tipped her chin up. “Way too sweet.”

“Only to you,” I replied, looking at the house then back at her, asking, “You gonna go check it out or do you hate it?”

“I’m gonna go check it out.”

Fighting a smile, I bent to take her mouth, murmuring, “Good.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, smashed her tits against my ribs, and took the kiss harder, sucking on my tongue and moaning a little before pulling away breathless, steadying herself then spinning around and taking off toward the house in a sprint.

I moved closer to the grass so Sir could do his business, watching my girl climb the stairs and step up onto the porch.

She walked the length of it slowly, taking everything in while running her hand along the railing, made it to the end, and stopped in front of the white wooden glider the previous owners had left behind and I kept there knowing Syd would like having a place to sit. She studied it like she was studying a piece of art in a museum, taking her time to appreciate it. After several minutes she turned her head to look at me and gave me a smile I felt all the way in my fucking gut.

Then she blew me a kiss and spun around, walked the length again and stopping at the front door, slid the key into the lock, opened it, and stepped inside, giving me one last look and a cute wave before she disappeared.

I breathed deep and turned to Sir.

“Think she’ll like the rest of it?” I asked.

He found a blade of grass he liked and took a piss on it.

I kept Sir in the yard for close to ten minutes then led him to the house, pushed the door open, and moved inside, letting him off the leash so he could roam around now that he’d done his business and I trusted he’d be good to go for a while.

He took off down the hallway, slid into a wall, shook it off, then disappeared into one of the three bedrooms.

“Syd?” I called out, dropping the leash by the door. After not getting a response, I moved through the empty house in the direction of the kitchen.

The house was a rancher-style home with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and two bathrooms all on one level. The basement was unfinished with a roughed-in powder room.

It wasn’t much compared to what I owned with Jamie or even Tori’s place. You could probably fit five of these houses in the one I was moving out of, but it had a porch, a fenced-in yard for Sir that was decent sized, enough bedrooms for expanding, and it was close to both of our jobs.

I could live here and be really fucking happy with Syd. I could live in a gutter and be happy with her, but if she didn’t like it, I’d find someplace else.

Whatever she wanted.

The slider was open when I walked around the corner and entered the kitchen. I stepped outside onto the small deck and saw Syd standing at the railing, looking out at the yard.

She turned when she heard my footsteps, leaned back against the railing with her hands stretched out and gripping onto it behind her, bent her knee, and planted her foot on a spindle all while staring at me, eyes hard and mouth pulled into a frown.

Fuck.

I halted a few feet away and scrubbed at my face with both hands.

“Fuck. You don’t like it,” I guessed, letting my arms drop and clenching my jaw through a tight inhale.

I thought this was it. I thought for sure I knew what she’d want.

“What don’t you like?” I asked, stepping closer. “Is it shit I can fix? Or is it everything? The layout? Location? Would you rather have …”

My voice trailed off when Syd blinded me with a smile, pushed off from the railing, and charged at me like she was always doing lately, leaping into the air when she was close enough and I could catch her, hands on her hips then sliding to her ass, pulling her higher and nearer as she wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

“I love it!” she squealed, pressing kisses all over my face.

“Yeah?” I asked in a tight voice.

I needed to be sure.

“Yes! Everything about it. God …everything, Brian! Especially the bedrooms and the yard and the porch. And the kitchen and the cute little living room. Oh, and the basement. I don’t even care that it’s not finished. It has so much potential, Trouble. We could turn it into a big game room or another TV area. My creative juices are flowing like crazy. I can’t wait to decorate! And did you see the size of the master bath? It’s huge!”

It wasn’t. It was a standard-size master bath, but Syd was excited.

I breathed a sigh of relief and kissed the corner of her mouth.

“Glad to know you approve. And thanks a fucking lot for making me worry.” I nipped at her bottom lip. “Think I need my dick sucked for that.”

She perked up, straightened her spine, and lifted an intrigued brow.

“Feel like christening the place? I could blow you in every room for good juju and then let you fuck me in our giant bathroom so you can watch my tits in the mirror.”

My groin tightened.

Christ, her fucking mouth.

Syd must’ve felt my reaction ’cause she rotated her hips and bared down on me.

“That feels like a yes,” she teased, her voice dripping sex. “Wanna get started?”

“In a minute.”

“In a minute?” She felt my forehead and examined me closely. “Are you feeling okay? Do we need to go back to the hospital?”

I shook her hand off.

She moved it back to my neck and squeezed me there.

“Brian Savage doesn’t want sex, I’m shocked.”

“Want it,” I said, pulling her hips closer until she felt my proof pressing hard between her legs.

She moaned and tried coming in for a kiss.

I had shit to clarify first and she was feeling greedy so I didn’t stall.

“Know where this is going, don’t you?” I asked, dipping to avoid her mouth and pressing my lips to her jaw so she could speak.

“Where what’s going?” she questioned back.

“Wouldn’t be buying us a house if I didn’t plan on giving you my last name, babe.”

I felt her pulse jump against my lips as I moved down her neck and sucked there.

“I …” She swallowed thickly and started breathing heavier. “We have to wait a year,” she said, sounding quiet and sad, tilting her head back and offering me her throat. “I won’t be legally divorced until it’s been a year.”