She wrote as fast as she could. “Food or water. Got it. No pizza. Toast recommended.”
Ian leaned his head back on the seat. “You’re lucky I love you so much.”
“I know.” She threw the notepad and pencil back in her purse and wrapped her arms around him.
He kissed her hair. “Do you realize that’s the first time you hugged me first?”
“I hugged you a lot when I thought you were dead.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“You’re welcome.”
He laughed and then clutched his stomach with a low groan.
~ ~ ~
Kate waited on Ian hand and foot for three more days, following his instructions to the letter. She knew he was feeling better when he suggested with a wink that the foot rub would work better if her hands traveled about three and a half feet higher. By New Year’s Eve, Ian had made a full recovery and they were free to ring in the New Year in style. Ian surprised her with a purple tutu.
“When did you get this?” she exclaimed.
“When you were at work last week. I was hoping the blizzard would come through and we’d have New Year’s together. Now you can be Cinderella at midnight.”
She stared at the tutu. It wasn’t exactly a ball gown. She felt a little silly.
“Put it on,” he said. “It’s part of my recovery.”
“You’re better already.”
He snagged her by the loop of her jeans and stripped the jeans off for her. She pulled the tutu on. Then he pulled off her baggy sweater. “You match,” he said.
She suddenly realized why he’d wanted her to wear her purple bra and panty set today. She normally wore plain white, but had a few different colored sets for the occasional time when she wanted to appeal to the opposite sex. He took her hand and twirled her around. The tutu spun out around her in a swishy way.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. She felt so light, almost transformed into a pretty ballerina.
He laughed. “Next time I’ll get you a tiara to go with it.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, whirling and twirling again.
“Wait, you need music.” He found the number two march from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker on his iPhone and played it. She’d never done ballet in her life, but found herself spinning and twirling like a ballerina. Ian occasionally joined in, helping her twirl and dipping her, which made her giggle madly.
“Happy New Year, Kate,” he said when the song ended.
“Happy New Year,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“To the first of many together,” he said.
“Yes.” She beamed. “I love you.”
His brown eyes got shiny, which made her throat get tight. “I love you too.”
Later, they watched the New Year ring in around the globe while she fed him grapes. Ian insisted they celebrate with champagne, which was delicious, and made her so lusty that they didn’t even make it to the bedroom before she had him under her for their own explosive New Year’s celebration. Kate had never been so happy in her life.
But the fun was over only two days later when Ian had to fly home.
~ ~ ~
Kate drove Ian to the airport, telling herself it wasn’t really goodbye. Still, after their intense two weeks together, it was hard to let go. She pulled up to the curb for departures.
Ian turned to her and stroked her cheek. “This isn’t the end, Kate.”
She blinked rapidly. “I know. We’ll have our HEA.”
“Our what?”
She rolled her eyes. “Happy ever after!”
He grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
His smile made her feel a little better. “Me too. This is more like our HFN.”
“Happy forever nice?”
She blew out a breath. “Happy for now.”
“I’m happy.” He leaned close and kissed her. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” The words came shockingly easy to her now. Maybe it just took the right person to bring them out of her. She breathed in the scent of warm Ian and his woodsy, citrusy cologne, trying to hold onto the memory of it for later.
“Call me tonight for the scheduled phone sex,” Ian said with a pointed look. It was Sunday night, not Friday night as they’d previously discussed, but she understood these were extreme circumstances.
“Already on my calendar.” She gave him a dreamy smile and added, “We’ll do it with the visual the first time. I’ll wear my babydoll and you wear nothing. That will be helpful.”
His large hand wrapped around the nape of her neck, and he kissed her again.
“You’re a ten point five,” she told him.
He smiled, his forehead touching hers. “You’re off the charts.”
“Oh, Ian. There’s no such thing. You can always expand the data range. In fact, if you want to be accurate—”
He kissed her, long and deep, and her brain shut down, short-circuiting again. Only Ian could do that to her with one kiss.
He gazed at her tenderly and pulled back. “Bye for now.”
“Bye,” she choked out.
She watched him go and then drove home in her station wagon, grateful and so happy that she found a guy who truly understood her. More than anyone ever had, even her family. She decided then and there to plan a big surprise for him. He kept surprising her, which meant he must like surprises. That’s what relationships were, a give and take, and thinking of what would make the other person happy. She hummed “Auld Lang Syne,” knowing they’d meet up again soon.
~ ~ ~
Ian and Kate’s story continues in Almost Hitched, read on for an excerpt. Sign up for my newsletter and be the first to hear about new releases, sales, and subscriber-only giveaways! kyliegilmore.com/newsletter.
You’ve just read book #4 in the Clover Park STUDS series. The books in the series are Almost in Love (Barry & Amber), Almost Married (Dave & Steph), Almost Over It (Will & Jasmine), Almost Romance (Ian & Kate), and Almost Hitched (more Ian & Kate). I hope you enjoy them all!
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Here’s an excerpt from Almost Hitched, Ian and Kate’s happy-ever-after story:
After a very satisfying long-distance relationship (following their very public relationship in Almost Romance), Kate Lewis and Ian Furnukle agree it's time to get hitched.
Except their jobs are thousands of miles apart.
And their trial run of living together didn't go so well.
And one of them has cold feet.
But that's nothing that true love (and some explosive chemistry) can't fix. If only love were a science.
Aw, yeah. Life is good. Ian Furnukle stepped out of his favorite neighborhood Boston bar late Friday night and headed back to his apartment with a bounce in his step. Everything in his life was finally coming together. He had a beautiful sexy girlfriend (long distance for now) and a new job opportunity that would give him and Kate a chance to be together in the same location. He and Kate Lewis had a history that spanned nearly five years, three states, and several detours into different relationships. They were friends first, off and on lovers, permanently tied by family ever since his older brother, Barry, married Kate's older sister Amber. He'd been Kate's first five years ago, aw, yeah, and he hoped to be her last. They'd committed to a long-distance relationship over the previous Christmas break. Now he had an opportunity that would give him roots in Boston. Looking to the future, a year from now when Kate finished her post-doc fellowship at the University of Chicago's particle physics laboratory, he hoped to convince her to find a tenure-track professor job in one of the many Boston-area universities.
It would mark the start of their life together.
Only seven more days until he could see his beautiful sexy girlfr
iend in person. He'd be flying out to Chicago for Kate's spring break. It had been nearly three months since he'd last seen her in person and they had a lot of sexy times to make up for. Though Kate had become quite adept at the Skype sex. Tonight was a Skype night. Aw, yeah, baby, touch yourself. That's right. You're making me so hot. (Cue moans and gasps. Hers.)
He smiled to himself. That was one of the things he loved about Kate. She was direct, open, and honest about everything, including sex. He never had to wonder what she wanted or if she liked something. She flat-out told him. The inner workings of the female mind had never been so clear.
He reached his brownstone apartment, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
“Surprise!”
He jumped, his heart pounding against his ribcage. “Kate! What're you doing here?” She wore a pink satin robe. Her blond hair was out of its usual half bun and fell in soft waves over her shoulders. Her legs were bare, so were her feet. Was she naked under that robe?
“I'm surprising you because I wanted to do something you really liked.” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “You did give me a key to your place. Did I get it wrong? Do you not like surprises? You surprise me so much I thought for sure…” She trailed off and wrung her hands together.
He pulled her hands apart and gave her a big hug. Her head settled against his chest. “You got it right. I love surprises.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her, but before he could take things deeper, she pulled away.
She held up a palm, her blue eyes sparkling behind large tortoise shell glasses. Then she stared at his forehead. “You cut your hair. It's not in your eyes any more.”
He'd gotten a close cropped cut to look more professional for his job interview, but he didn't want to talk about that right now. He wanted to rip that robe off her. “Yeah, I got a haircut. Take off your robe.”
She gave him an impish smile. “There's more surprise.”
“More surprise than you showing up here the week before I was supposed to show up there?”
“Yes.”
“Wait, I thought your spring break was next week.”
“I lied in order to create the element of surprise.”
“But I'm visiting you next week.”
“I have an easy week and will have plenty of time for you.”
He kicked off his shoes. “Okay, I'm ready for more surprise. Are you naked under that robe?”
She untied the belt of the robe, but kept it closed. “Do you recognize this robe?”
He studied it for a moment. “That's the robe you wore the first time we were together.”
She flashed a quick smile. “Precisely. For the deflowering.” His lips twitched on her term for losing her virginity. “And do you remember what I told you after?”
He pressed his lips together, serious now. He remembered all right. Damn near killed him. “You said you couldn't be hydrogen.” He'd been really into her after he took her virginity (as she demanded), but she'd informed him she was only twenty-one and couldn't be hydrogen. Translation: only one electron (guy) orbiting her. She wanted to sow her wild oats in grad school, never having dated before him. He'd been twenty-four and experienced enough to know when great sex meant something more. But she'd made him wait.
“Correct!” she exclaimed and flung open the robe.
Totally worth the wait.
She wasn't naked. Still the effect was stunning-white fuzzy suspenders with a white fuzzy strip of fabric across her breasts, nipple height. So much skin. She shrugged off the robe and tossed it back toward the sofa. His gaze trailed lower to what the suspenders were attached to-white bikini panties topped by a fuzzy waistband that matched the suspenders.
He reached for her, and she twirled away, laughing. “I still have more surprise!”
“That wasn't it? Because this is great.”
She beamed, and his breath caught. Kate hardly ever smiled that big, she saved it for truly joyous occasions, and the effect made her even more beautiful.
“Nope!” she exclaimed. “Bigger.”
He cocked his head. “Can I see the back of this outfit?”
She turned, giving him a view of bare beautiful back and sweet curvy ass. She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Do you like it? There's hidden double-sided tape on my breasts to hold it in place. You'll have to peel it off slowly.”
He groaned. “Get over here.”
She turned to face him and took a step back. “No touching, kissing, or groping until I give you the rest of the surprise.”
“You'd better hurry up,” he growled.
She giggled, which warmed his heart. She so rarely giggled. She was a very serious physicist. He loved that he could bring out this lighter side of her.
“Ian! I can't think when you touch me. You know there's a short circuit from my brain to my libido!”
“I love your short circuit.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I blame it on chemistry.”
“Uh-huh. Give it to me.”
She slowly ran her hands down the suspenders from her shoulders, over her breasts, to her narrow waist. He couldn't take his eyes off those hands. He'd watched her touch herself for weeks at his direction over Skype, but in person it was torture. He wanted his hands on her so badly. Her hands crossed the bar that went between her breasts, and she let out a soft moan as she stroked across her nipples. His cock pulsed with need. Her hands met in the middle of the bar before sliding back to her sides. “You watched the shape of my outfit,” she said, her voice a husky purr that showed her own arousal. “You recognize it?”
He blinked, his mind fuzzy as primal caveman instinct took over. Me no want surprise. Me want woman. “Just tell me. I can't think.”
She giggled, and his eyes snapped to hers. “The outfit is an H. I'm hydrogen.” She closed the distance between them, hips swaying, a small smile playing over her sweet pink lips. “And you're the one electron orbiting me.”
Yes, he knew all this. They were monogamous. It was why she'd gone on the pill.
“I love you in this,” he told her.
“I had it made special for you,” she said in a husky voice before dropping to her knees in front of him. Aw, yeah. His favorite. What little blood supply he had left in his brain deserted him. He was about to bust the zipper on his jeans.
“Marry me,” she said.
What!
Want to read the rest? Almost Hitched is out now!
Other Books by Kylie Gilmore
The Clover Park Series
The Opposite of Wild (Book 1)
Daisy Does It All (Book 2)
Bad Taste in Men (Book 3)
Kissing Santa (Book 4)
Restless Harmony (Book 5)
Not My Romeo (Book 6)
Rev Me Up (Book 7)
An Ambitious Engagement (Book 8)
Clutch Player (Book 9)
A Tempting Friendship (Book 10)
The Clover Park STUDS Series
Almost in Love (Book 1)
Almost Married (Book 2)
Almost Over It (Book 3)
Almost Romance (Book 4)
Almost Hitched (Book 5)
Happy Endings Book Club Series
Hidden Hollywood (Book 1)
Inviting Trouble (Book 2)
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my readers who really wanted to know what happened with Ian and Kate. It turns out a lot! Thanks, as always, to Tessa, Pauline, Mimi, Kim, Maura, and Jenn for all you do. Thanks to my readers group, the Gilmore Goddesses, for cheering me on! Join us, all reader goddesses are welcome!
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the tradema
rk owners. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Almost Romance: © 2015 by Kylie Gilmore
Excerpt from Almost Hitched © 2016 by Kylie Gilmore
Digital Edition 1.5
Cover design by Rogenna Brower
Published by: Extra Fancy Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
ISBN-10: 1942238185
ISBN-13: 978-1-942238-18-8
About the Author
Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of the Happy Endings Book Club series, the Clover Park series, and the Clover Park STUDS series. She writes quirky, tender romance with a solid dose of humor.
Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.
Click here to sign up for Kylie’s newsletter. You’ll get new release info, exclusive excerpts, and lots of subscriber-only giveaways. For more fun stuff check out Kylie’s website http://www.kyliegilmore.com.
Kylie can be found on Twitter @KylieGilmoreToo and on Facebook.com/KylieGilmoreToo. Contact Kylie at [email protected]
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