Chapter 8
EIGHT
Kian
Waking up with Larsen tangled in my arms is easily the best fucking part of my day. Maybe my life.
She’s warm and soft against my chest, her hair a tangled mess across her pillow, her lips slightly swollen from everything we did last night.
And Jesus Christ, I could happily spend the rest of my damn life waking up like this.
I lean forward, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead because I can’t seem to keep my hands or lips off of this girl.
Larsen stirs, letting out the sleepiest little sigh, and my chest tightens in that strange, unfamiliar way that keeps happening whenever I look at her.
Mine.
That word still hits me like a freight train.
My hand slides slowly along her back, tracing lazy circles.
Larsen hums softly before blinking up at me. “Morning,” she mumbles.
I grin. “Best one I’ve had in a while.”
Her cheeks turn pink instantly. Fuck, she’s cute.
I lean down and kiss her slowly and softly, nothing like last night’s frantic heat. This one is warm, lazy, indulgent. The kind of kiss that makes you want to stay in bed forever.
“What time is it?” Larsen asks.
I turn to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. “Almost seven thirty.”
She groans as she sits up in bed. “I’ve got to get ready for work.”
“I’ll make us some breakfast.”
She nods as she hurries into the shower.
I gather my clothes from last night and get dressed. Then I head into the kitchen and make us breakfast burritos. I hear the water turn on in the bathroom and smile at how domestic this all feels.
I never thought I’d have a life like this. I never thought I’d want it. I was happy traveling and being alone. Now, I can’t imagine going a day without seeing and talking to Larsen.
I brew us some coffee as the shower turns off, and a few minutes later, Larsen appears in black pants and an emerald green sweater, with slightly damp hair.
“Smells good!” she says as I pass her a cup of coffee.
“I don’t know about that.” I pass her a breakfast burrito. “I tried my best. Usually, I can make eggs.”
“It looks great.” She smiles as she takes a bite of the burrito. Nodding with approval, she takes another bite.
I smile proudly as I watch her. I like that I can provide for her and take care of her.
“Ready to go?” she asks me once she’s finished her breakfast.
“Ready when you are.”
Larsen tugs on her boots and coat, and we leave the house. She still looks half asleep and ridiculously pretty as I drive her into town.
I can’t stop smiling as I reach over and take her hand in mine.
“You’re way too cheerful this morning,” she says, squinting at me.
“I always look like this.”
“No,” she says dryly. “You look… happy. Usually, you’re grumpy and stoic.”
I smirk as I glance at her. She’s still flushed, still glowing, still very clearly affected by last night, and my blood heats instantly.
Dangerous woman.
“You sore?” I ask casually.
Her head whips toward me. “Kian!”
I laugh. God, I love making her blush.
I pull up outside the bank building and cut the engine. Before she can escape, I grab her face and kiss her again.
Because I can.
Because I want to.
Because I’m already addicted.
Larsen melts into me, her fingers curling into my jacket.
I groan softly before forcing myself to pull back. “Lunch. I’ll pick something up for us.”
She smiles. “Lunch,” she agrees. “See you then.”
Then she’s gone.
And my day officially becomes torture.
Work is unbearable, not because of the cars, but because of the woman currently walking around town existing without me touching her.
It doesn’t help that we’re slow today with only an oil change in the morning.
I spend a bit of time cleaning up and organizing, but after about an hour of pretending to give a shit about anything happening inside the shop, I give up.
I grab my keys.
“Where are you going?” Foster asks me.
“Important business.”
He smiles as I head out and hop into my truck.
My head is spinning as I drive around. I slow as I pass the dealership in town, then turn into the lot. An idea forms in my head as I park and exit the truck. A salesperson greets me, but I ignore him for the most part as I walk around, looking at my choices.
I know exactly what she needs. Something safe, something reliable, something that won’t fall apart on her. Something worthy of my girl.
An hour and a half later, I’m staring at it like a proud idiot.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
I sign the paperwork without hesitation because there is no universe in which Larsen is driving a car that is anything but safe.
I call Foster to ask him to drive it back to the shop. I plan to go over the car with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything is perfect. I’ll show it off to Larsen in a few days. Right now, I need to get lunch and meet my girl.
“Thanks, man!” I call to Foster, who waves as he drives out of the lot.
I can barely contain my excitement as I turn and head the other way because, holy shit, she’s going to lose her mind. I have zero self-control when it comes to this woman.
After hitting up Salsa Supreme for lunch, I drive to the bank. I text Larsen, and she comes bouncing out a minute later, making a beeline for my truck. I go to answer the door for her, and she stops, kissing me quickly before she gets into the truck.
I climb in next to her and pass her some food.
“How’s work?” she asks.
I smile. “Slow.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Nah, it’s good to have a bit of a break,” I say, biting into one of my tacos. “How about you?”
She sighs. “Well, we’re still doing the training.”
I smile as she tells me about her day so far.
I could do this every day for the rest of my life and die happy.
That’s when I realize where I’m going next.
“My friends want to meet you,” she says as she finishes her food. “They’re talking about setting up a dinner. A group thing.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“You’ll go?” she asks, looking excited.
“Of course, if you want to go. Do you want me to meet your friends?”
“Yes. Blair is talking about setting up a double date. She’s been throwing out ideas for things we could do all morning.”
“Okay, set it up.”
“She’s going to be so excited!” Larsen laughs, and I smile.
I smile. “What about you?”
She blinks at me. “What?”
“Are you excited to do those things? Cause that’s why I’m doing them.
If you don’t want to double date or go to dinner or whatever, I’m okay with you using me as an excuse not to do those things.
I’ll be the bad guy. But if it’s something you want to do, all you have to do is set it up, and I’ll be there. ”
Larsen’s eyes soften, and she leans over to press her lips against mine in a sweet kiss. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you. It’s been a while since I felt like I had someone, you know?”
“Since your dad?” I ask.
She nods. “I have friends, but they have boyfriends and spouses. They have families. Now I have you, and it’s just… nice.”
“It is,” I agree.
She smiles and leans in for another kiss. I want to deepen it, but I know we’re outside her work and she might not want to full-on make out in the parking lot.
“Thanks for lunch,” she says as she gathers her things.
“Anytime.”
“See you after work!” Larsen calls as she hops out of the truck.
I watch her go, grinning as she stops at the front door and turns back to wave at me. I wave back, then pull out and drive down the block to the jewelry store.
This might seem fast to some people, but I know Larsen is it for me. I want her. I need her. If I don’t have her, nothing else matters.
I enter the store and walk straight to the engagement ring section.
The man behind the counter looks down his nose at me, taking in my dirty coveralls.
No doubt he assumes I can’t afford anything in his fancy store.
What he doesn’t know is that I’ve saved almost every dollar I’ve ever made since I was a kid.
I never liked things. I got by with my old truck and was happy. Now I have someone to spend it all on.
I’m going to spoil the shit out of Larsen, I think with a smile as I point to the ring I want.
The salesman suddenly becomes a lot friendlier when I get the engagement ring with the matching bands. I tap my card, and half an hour later, I’m walking back into the shop.
“Whew! Expensive day,” Foster comments when he sees the bag in my hand.
“Great day,” I correct.
“Congratulations, man.” He grins, clapping me on the back.
I chuckle. “Thanks, but I haven’t asked her yet.”
“She’ll say yes.”
“She better,” I grumble.
“She will. It’s Wolf Valley,” he says knowingly as he wanders off.
I tuck the ring box into my jeans pocket and get back to work. But in my head, I’m counting down the seconds until I see Larsen again and figuring out the right time to ask her to marry me.
I hope I find the perfect time soon because I don’t think I can wait much longer to see Larsen wearing my ring.