by Elle Chance
“Hey, hey, hey,” Josh said with a laugh. “This is just a first date. You still have to impress me here. Wine and dine me, open up.”
“I don’t think I can open up any farther. I may fall apart. This is as impressive as I get.” I gestured to my whole ensemble with my free hand. Powder blue sweater, jeans that were almost getting comfortable with wear.
“You look remarkably accessible. Like you could go for a hike.”
And what a stupid thing for handsome Josh to say and go making me blush. “Thank you. I love to impress you. So, you got an article about the Lodge with a quote from me. Do you still want to write about my dad?”
“Oh yeah, I was thinking of waiting to see how things are going with him. We didn’t talk a ton this week, but he was telling me old business stories that are interesting.” Josh shrugged. “I might not even need a quote from his daughter at this rate.”
“That means you won all our bets so far. Maybe you’re just psychic. Do you have any more bets in mind?”
Josh let out a thoughtful hm. “I bet that I end up making Thanksgiving this year. And I bet it’ll taste bad.”
“Wow, that’s heavy for a first date,” I reminded him. “Who said I was going to your family Thanksgiving?”
“Good point. If you avoid them, you may never have to learn how to shoot a gun from my father.”
“I guess that’s a small price to pay,” I said, finishing my drink.
“My prices aren’t that small anymore,” Josh told me. Suddenly he became more serious.
“Oh, yeah? What this cost me?” I asked him.
“I think you have to fall hopelessly in love with me,” Josh said. I could practically see an audible gulp before he continued. “Because I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“Hopelessly?” I asked, standing and coming around to join him on his side of the booth.
And without waiting for an answer, I kissed him the way I’d needed to for the past week. I kissed him to tell him he was my favorite person, that I was sorry, that I was thankful he’d spent time with my father. And I kissed him because that’s all I wanted to do, to be the woman known for making out with Joshua Chase in the Homesburg Lodge. Maybe someday we’d be nothing but ghosts that little kids would peak at for Halloween.
And so we got into a long round of kissing that made me feel like I had dumped my whole body in champagne, light and bubbly. “I am in love with you,” I told Josh when we stopped.
“I love you, too,” Josh said.
It was impossible to imagine anything better than this.
JOSH
“I CAN’T BELIEVE how often you make me wear suits,” I called out to Sofie.
She was somewhere else in her New York condo, flitting around in a silvery dress and trying to find a lipstick she misplaced.
“I can’t believe you’re surprised! And hurry, I have to go on stage in an hour.”
I continued to fight with the silk tie she’d bought me for the occasion, scowling in the mirror. “Sure, I’m the one making us late.”
I jumped when Sofie spoke from right beside me.
“You are, I already found my lipstick,” Sofie said, walking around me to apply it in the wide mirror. That was one of the many benefits of dating a rich girl. She smiled at me in the mirror before coming to re-straighten my tie for me. “Besides, you look good in suits. And it’s not like we’ll stay at dinner forever.”
“Just long enough for you to make your speech and impress everyone,” I told her. I took my chance to grab Sofie and pull her against my body. Her dress was practically demure, with a high collar and its long skirt. There was no reason to be so into her right now. But I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her for a few long minutes.
Sofie melted against me and took her time before pushing me away. “This is why I said we can’t be late.” Her silver eyes took in my face and she laughed. “You could leave the lipstick. It looks good on you.” She reapplied as I got rid of her lipstick. Then she started hustling me towards the door. “All right, we have to be on time this time.”
“This is only the second time we’re going somewhere. People care that much if we’re late?” I asked. I put on the expensive coat and shoes she’d bought for these fundraising dinners, then helped Sofie into hers.
“Thank you!” she said as she stepped back into my arms and pulled on the coat. I could smell her sweet lemony perfume and remembered that we were late last time because I’d seduced Sofie back into bed. She escaped me and laughed her way to the door. “They don’t care. But I don’t want to make a habit of ending up in bed with you when I should host benefit dinners. And this is the first one where I’ll mention that father’s sick.”
“And Tom and Lou will be there,” I finished her thought.
“Yes, and they’re already board members, so I don’t want to give them any reason to question how we spend my father’s fortune someday.” Sofie took a deep breath in the elevator, preparing herself for the night. “I know you think I care about this more than I should.”
I slipped an arm around her. “Nah, I think it’s sweet how much you care. And I like that this is important to you.”
I pressed a kiss to the forehead, and she nuzzled into me. We looked cute on our way to the official dinner. She smiled at me in the elevator reflection, warm and happy like she had been.
And then the door was opening. Patty rushed to Sofie with last-minute updates on cancellations and pledges and thanks to include in her speech. She and Rocco were in similar formal wear to ours, though Patty’s was a bright red instead of Sofie’s silver.
We all piled into a limousine which Sofie had assured was both a pleasure and expected for someone in her role.
“So we’re definitely passing our expectations for fundraising,” Patty concluded happily. She tucked her phone into a little beaded bag. “I vote we bring out the bubbly!”
“We couldn’t. I’m nervous enough as it is.”
“Oh, please. You’re giving a short speech you’ve given one hundred times. And then you three are back to the boonies for the holiday early. It’s the perfect time to celebrate.”
Patty rustled up some bubbly from the back of the limo, which only Rocco refused.
“To the year!” Patty said, raising her glass.
“To good work!” Sofie added, which made both Patty and I object. “All right, to us!”
“I’ll cheer to that,” I said, clinking glasses with both women and winking at Sofie before we downed our first glass of champagne. Hopefully, it would make the event a little less boring.
“Maybe we should have a drink every time before one of these events,” Sofie said as we got back in the limo.
Rocco had taken a cab so he could get his stuff to meet us back at the condo. It was just Sofie and me in the back of a limousine. And as I watched her take her heels off, I thought she was the best thing I’d ever seen.
“What?” Sofie asked when she saw me looking at her fondly.
I just smiled. “I really love you. You gave a wonderful speech.”
I brought Sofie close to me, still amazed that I got to spend time with this wonderful, beautiful woman who did so much good. Sofie tilted her mouth up to me. Kissing her was coming home. Even getting decked out in formalwear and politely shaking hands with other wealthy folks every other week was worth it for the time I got to spend with her. She could be anxious and short-tempered and overly work focused, sure. But that was all part of what made her my favorite person to wake up next to everyday.
We finally got back to her condo and stopped necking like teens. We headed back up the elevator to her top floor condo, hands linked.
“I love you too,” Sofie told me, standing on tiptoe to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “I wish we didn’t have to go upstairs and pack to go back to Homesburg tonight.” She kissed me again, more warmly.
“You’ll be the death of me if you get me going right before a two-hour car ride,” I growled to her, lifting her in my arms to pin her a
gainst the side of the elevator and kiss her more hotly.
“Maybe I just want you ready for when we get back to the Lodge.” Sofie’s eyes that hot liquid silver I loved that meant she was just as excited as I was to get into bed. “We have tomorrow off until dinner.”
“Yeah, I don’t think we can leave Corey alone with a turkey and expect it to go well,” I told her. I reluctantly let her down when we reached the condo.
We headed to the bedroom, for packing not for sexy times. The bed looked at me tauntingly.
And then, suddenly, so was Sofie. “You do make a good point that we have to be up early tomorrow,” Sofie said thoughtfully. She sat down on the bed and leaned back on it invitingly. “Maybe we should take advantage of tonight.”
I groaned. “Are you always going to give me whiplash changing your mind like this?” I still headed to the bed eagerly because no matter how nuts she drove me, I couldn’t resist climbing back into bed with her.
Sofie sat up and turned so I could undo the zipper on her gown, revealing inch after tantalizing inch of her creamy skin. “Yes, I probably will.”
“You’re lucky I love you.” I leaned forward to kiss my way down her back, delighting in the delicious sounds she made and the shivers they elicited from her.
“I know I am,” Sofie said, turning and helping me get her hips out of her gown. She looked at me with the hesitation that meant she had something sweet and emotional to say. “I hope I stay lucky with you forever.” She bit her lip after saying it and trailed her hand down my face gently, suddenly sweet and shy.
She’d been attempting to tell me how she was feeling. I appreciated that it still was new to her. Her vulnerability as much as her words warmed my whole chest and filled me with warmth.
“Oh, yeah? You want to keep showing me off at your fundraising dinners?” We spent a moment smiling at each other. Which was insane considering just how much I wanted to run my hands over her skin and sink into her. I felt tamed by Sofie, happy to be with her however she needed.
“And holidays, and hospital trips,” Sofie said, her voice light but getting husky with emotion.
I couldn’t resist running my hands along her soft thighs, skimming her broad hips as I put both hands on her face to kiss her with everything I had. Our kiss was hot electricity on my skin, heating up my blood. And yet also the warmth of knowing that I wanted all those things too. And more. Kids and houses and vacations and making Sofie laugh while she’s still mad at me. “I’d like all that, too. And more.”
Sofie’s eyes were warm and sparkled with emotion and maybe a sheen of happy tears. And there was nothing for us to say, nothing else to do but lay down together and be one. There could be deadlines and holiday meals later and tomorrow. But these moments with Sofie were their own little celebrations, the small homecomings I was looking forward to for the rest of my life.
PREORDER!
GET THE NEXT book in the Homesburg romances. This time we follow Cory Chase as he falls back in love with Alice Harcourt, whose family owns the Homesburg Lodge…
Fall in love with them both in Bring Love Home, out December 21st!
Bring Love Home
Cory Chase
I fell in love with the Homesburg Lodge at the same time I fell in love with Alice Harcourt.
But the Lodge isn't going to run off to Seattle and ruin my dreams for the future.
Now that I've renovated the building and am taking over management, guess who comes running home?
Alice Harcourt
It's embarassing enough to come crawling home to my hometown after failing to make it on the West Coast.
And worse, it turns out my high school boyfriend is now running my family's business.
Now, I need to keep my cool around Cory, who is just as handsome as he was when we dated.
This is going to be tough.
This is story has a happily ever after and gets steamy! This story can be read as a standalone and is the first in the Homesburg series.
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ABOUT ELLA CHANCE
ELLE CHANCE LOVES reading and writing romance where people take the right chance on love. She's been an avid romance reader since she read her first cowboy trilogy when she was thirteen. Enjoy her sweet, steamy romances!
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