Andie gasped. “Okay, I’m on it,” she said, leaning over and pecking his lips a few times in quick succession, causing him to laugh again.
“You’re very exuberant tonight,” he said as Andie hopped off the couch and practically skipped into her bedroom to get her laptop.
“Am I not usually?” she asked, reappearing and plopping down on the couch next to him as she powered up the computer.
“No, you are. But tonight, you’re exceptionally exuberant.”
She laughed; exuberant didn’t even come close to describing how she felt. She was exhilarated. Part of it was being next to Chase, which always made her happy, and then of course there was the secret she had planned, the excitement of his upcoming surprise. Not to mention seeing Colin earlier.
She grinned over at Chase, feeling the elation flow steadily through her.
“You just have that effect on me.”
Chase winked at her before he said, “Okay, quiet down now. Homework time.” He picked up the book and began flipping through the pages, his expression studious, and she laughed as she pulled up the website for the Feller Agency and began reading.
About a half hour later, when Andie was finishing up her query letter, Chase shifted on the couch beside her, sitting up to play with her hair.
“So,” he crooned, “are you gonna tell me where my stuff is?”
Andie’s fingers stopped on the keyboard for a second before she regained her composure, attempting to look innocent. “Your stuff?” she asked, her brows lifted and her eyes on the screen.
“Mm-hm,” he hummed, grazing the tip of his nose below her ear, causing her to shiver. “I’m assuming you’ve done something with my stuff. If not, we have a very persistent robber on our hands.”
“A persistent robber?” Andie said, trying to concentrate on the words on the screen instead of his breath on her neck. “That could be a problem.”
“Maybe not. He’s pretty conservative. And quite considerate, actually. He only seems to take a few things at a time.”
The corners of Andie’s lips twitched as she glanced over at him. When he pressed his lips together, fighting his own smile, Andie exhaled heavily as her shoulders dropped in defeat.
“How long have you known?” she pouted.
“That you’ve been making off with my stuff? A couple of days,” he said, sitting up and brushing her hair behind her ear. “I figured you were trying to stealthily move me into your apartment, but I don’t see any of it here. Have you been selling it on eBay?”
Andie clicked send on her email before she closed her laptop and turned to him in feigned offense. “Stealthily move you in?”
“Well yeah, I mean, you’d have to trick me into it. Why would I ever want to leave the luxury and convenience of an apartment that has the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen, and the bathroom all in one room?”
Andie pressed her lips together as he added, “I mean, there’d have to be something pretty significant here to lure me away.”
Andie kept her eyes on him, innocently straightening her expression as she brought her hands to the hem of her tank top. In one deft movement, she pulled it up and over her head before casually tossing it to the floor.
His eyes dropped immediately, taking in the curves of her breasts swelling out of her pink lace bra. When he lifted his eyes back to hers, the look in them sent a thrill through her.
He moved then, pressing her back onto the couch as he kissed her, and her legs parted as he settled between them. He brought his elbows to the couch on either side of her as he broke the kiss, supporting his weight as he looked down at her and cradled her face in his hands.
“That was devious,” he said softly. “Well played.”
“I guess I’m a better seductress than I am a robber.”
“Clearly,” he whispered before he kissed her again. “I’m sorry I ruined the surprise.”
“You didn’t,” she said, reaching up and playing with the neckline of his shirt. “You only know that there is a surprise, not what it is.”
“That’s true,” he said, leaning down and brushing his bottom lip over her top one. “When do I get to know what it actually is?”
“Tomorrow,” Andie said, clasping her hands behind his neck. “I’m taking you somewhere for your birthday. You’re already packed. And that’s all you’re getting for tonight.”
“Really?” he asked softly, running the tips of his fingers down the side of her neck as he ground his hips into her gently. “That’s all I’m getting tonight?”
Her eyes fluttered closed. “Okay, maybe that’s not all you get,” she breathed, and he chuckled throatily before he brought his mouth to hers.
“Is that everything?” Andie asked as Chase came down the stairs with a few more bags.
“Yeah, this is the last of it,” he said as he approached her car, and Andie moved the bags that were already in the trunk to make room for the last two.
“You have too much shit,” he said, using his full body weight to cram the last one in.
She laughed as she opened the car door, and as Chase walked around to the passenger side, he stopped suddenly, peering into the backseat.
“My camera equipment?” he asked, his expression surprised as he looked at her over the top of the car.
Andie smiled at him before she slipped into the driver’s seat, and as he got in the car, he shifted to face her. “You’re a better thief than I thought,” he said, but there was tenderness in his voice, and she looked over to see him marveling at her. “You’re incredible. And I don’t even know what we’re doing yet.”
“We’re going on a road trip.”
She watched as a slow smile spread over his face. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. I have the next three weeks off. And you can work if you want,” she said, gesturing toward the equipment in the backseat. “Or you can relax. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do. You want to finally get down to Crystal River to see the world’s largest population of manatees? Let’s do it.”
His grin was stunning as he leaned over to kiss her, and then he pulled back slightly, just enough to look in her eyes. “Tybee Island?”
“Anything you want,” she whispered, her heart rate increasing slightly, and she loved that he could still incite that reaction in her with a simple look.
“I love you,” he murmured, kissing her softly before he sat back in his seat and buckled his seat belt.
“Of course you do. You’d be a fool not to,” she said, and she heard him laugh as she started the car.
“I gotta say, I’m impressed. We’re really doing this with no plan? No itinerary?”
“No plan. No itinerary. Just you and me.”
“And that’s it?” he asked, still amused.
She looked at him then, and when she spoke, it was with absolutely certainty.
“That’s everything.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my father, for continuing to be one of my biggest supporters even though you’re far away. Shh, no jinxing it!
To my husband and my three beautiful munchkins, who are not only my most enthusiastic cheerleaders, but also my inspiration—thank you for being so cooperative when Mommy is working…most of the time.
To my amazing friends, who are always willing to read my work and who love me enough to tell me when it stinks—Therese, Amanda, Daniella, Rachel, Millie, Joanne, Beth, and Brett, I love you all!
To Gus R., thank you for helping me with the Greek translation—I would have been lost without you!
To Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations—you are the goddess of cover designs, and I continue to be amazed by your work. Thank you for a seamless process and a beautiful cover.
To the lovely Katja Millay, author of The Sea of Tranquility—thank you for listening to my rants and being so amazingly supportive, encouraging, and hilarious. One day we’re going to meet up for that drink—with Slade, of course.
To Mollie Harper, for being my fir
st “official” beta and for helping me find The Boom. You have been an endless source of support, comic relief, and good advice, and I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. I’m patiently waiting to return the favor!
To Aestas, thank you for always supporting my writing and for making the most beautiful banners in the blink of an eye. You are so unbelievably sweet and talented, and I am honored to call you a friend.
And to the incredible bloggers I’ve been lucky enough to befriend through this process: Julie from A Tale of Many Reviews, Judith from I Love YA Fiction, Natasha from Natasha is a Book Junkie, Michelle from Literati Literature Lovers, Elizabeth from Swept Away by Romance, Madison from Madison Says, Megan from The Book Asylum, and many, many others—you guys are absolutely amazing, and I don’t know where I’d be without your endless promoting and encouragement. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU ALL.
COMING THIS FALL, 2013
Coming Home: A Novel by
Emancipating Andie Page 26