Page 115 of Whisper Sweet Nothings
I truly felt that way.
I was crazy about this man in every way. And I adored his little girl.
“Okay, Emilia is texting and wondering where everyone is,” Eloise said. “I’m going to go meet her for coffee downtown so she doesn’t get suspicious.”
Emerson’s phone vibrated, and she quickly typed out a message. “Ohhh… she wants to see Cutler, too. I told her we were helping Mom out in the garden, and we’d meet her at the coffee shop in ten minutes.”
“Okay, you drive separate, so it doesn’t look suspicious.” Eloise leaned down and kissed my cheek. “This is going to look so good. Love you, Win.”
All of our phones were vibrating with texts from Emilia, and we each came up with an excuse as to why we couldn’t meet, hoping she wouldn’t find it odd.
But we had more work to do here, and I couldn’t wait to get this all set up for her next weekend.
Melody had gone to sleep about forty minutes ago, and I was folding up the backdrop, which I’d left out for a few hours so the letters we glued on could set. “Hey,” Archer said as I placed the backdrop in the office just in case Emilia happened to stop by this week. “I ran you a bath. You need to relax.”
Archer and I had a routine now where I’d sleep in his bed and we’d set the alarm for an hour before Melody woke up, and I’d sneak back into my room. We wanted to make sure we handled our relationship right where she was concerned.
“You ran me a bath?” I walked into his arms and hugged him. He was always doing thoughtful things. Putting gas in my car. Leaving treats on my desk when I had big word-count days. Sending sweet texts to encourage me.
“Yeah. Your back must be killing you,” he said. “You’ve been working on that banner all day.” He took my hand and led me to his room, closing the door behind him.
“I’m fine. But do you know what I’d love?”
“A glass of wine?” he asked as he reached for the hem of my sweater and tugged it over my head.
“Nope. I’d love if you took a bath with me.”
His hand slipped behind my back, and he unsnapped my bra before tossing it on the counter. The comfort I felt with this man was unparalleled.
“You want me to take a bath with you, beautiful?”
“I do. I just want to be close to you right now.”
“Done.” He leaned down and kissed me.
I tied my hair in a bun on top of my head, and we both finished getting undressed. The bathroom smelled like lavender from the bubble bath he’d poured into the water.
He turned off the faucet and stepped in before dropping down and offering me a hand. I settled between his thighs, my back resting against his chest.
His arms came around me and his nose nuzzled my ear.
“How do you always smell so good?” he asked.
I chuckled. “I guess I take a lot of baths.”
He nipped at my ear. “You do. Wait till it warms up, and you can just take a dip in the river, right in the backyard.”
A fluttery feeling moved in my stomach at his words. He’d been speaking about the future lately. I liked that he saw me in his future. That he wasn’t putting an expiration date on this thing between us.
Because I felt it, too.
I felt it in every inch of my body.
And I didn’t want to hold back anymore.
I rolled onto my stomach, which made him bark out a laugh.
“Hey,” I whispered.
