Chapter 37
Thirty-Seven
HAZEL
“Where are we going?” I look out over the water while we cross the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Stone asked me to drop something off at his townhouse for him.” Dan says from the front seat. “Shouldn’t take too long.”
“That’s fine. I always wondered if he had a house here in the city or was strictly a west coast guy.”
“I think he prefers his home outside Seattle, but the townhome is really nice. He stays here somewhat regularly.”
I wonder if he’ll want to stay here more often now that we’re dating, although that word doesn’t really feel right. It feels like more than that. Our knowledge of each other is deep, so intimate that it almost feels as though it defies a label.
The SUV pulls to a stop in front of a classic brick townhome.
Planter boxes sit outside the windows on the first level, and there are potted mums lining both sides of the stairs.
It’s cozy looking. I definitely wouldn’t imagine a rock star living here if I were just passing on the tree-lined street.
Dan gets out and opens my door, holding out a hand for me to take. I look around, taking in more details of the home as he closes my door behind me. It’s not until I hear his door close that I turn to see him waving as the car drives off.
What the fuck?
“Fancy finding you here, little Archer.” Tyler leans against the door jam, a pair of dark wash jeans sitting low on his hips and a soft navy blue t-shirt straining against his muscles. He’s barefoot and smirking down at me.
“Tyler.” Tears prick my eyes as I run up the stairs and into his waiting and open arms.
He lifts me off the ground and swings us into the house, kicking the door closed with his heel.
My back hits the wall just as his lips close over mine.
I moan into his mouth as his tongue glides across mine.
My fingers dive into the soft strands of hair on the back of his head.
I could rip his clothes off right now and fuck right in his fancy foyer, street traffic be damned.
“I missed you, baby,” he says against my skin as he blazes a trail of kisses down my neck. “I don’t want to be separated from you for more than eight hours ever again.”
“Same.”
“I love you.” He stops and pulls back. “I love you so much, and I’m so fucking proud of everything you are.
When I saw that clip from Dan, I’ve never been more full of pride in my life.
You do deserve to be loved loudly. I will forever sing your praises, not just because you are mine, but because you are exceptional.
You’re smart, you’re talented, an incredible author, and you're fucking stunning. I want the whole world to know.”
“I love you, too.”
His eyes fall shut, and he rests his forehead against mine. “Tell me again,” he whispers.
“I love you, Tyler Stone. And I love you, Stone Tyler. Every version of you is perfect for me, from the quiet poet to cocky rock star. You’re mine.”
He presses his lips to mine again in a long, deep kiss. The kind that feels like a suspension of gravity. The rest of the world might as well cease to exist in this moment.
He pulls his lips from mine but stays twined around me. “So you’re telling me I went to all the trouble of doing this for you when it wasn’t necessary?”
He spins me around and walks me into a living room covered in paper roses.
They cover every surface of the room from the mantle to coffee and end tables.
There are even little clusters spread around the built-in bookshelves.
They cover the baby grand piano in the corner.
I reach down and pick one up, finding that they’re made out of sheet music.
Then I pick up another and do a double take, realizing that it’s made from one of my books.
“Your words, my music,” Tyler says.
“How did you do this?” I turn to him, so overwhelmed by the gesture that tears prick my eyes.
“I hired someone weeks ago to make you roses since they always make you happy when people give them to you at signings. Then I had the thought that it would be cool to add my music in as well.”
“I love it so much.” I gaze around us. “How many did you have made?”
“Ten thousand.”
“Ten thousand? Paper roses?”
“Yeah. I figure we can use them for decor at our wedding someday.”
“Did I miss a proposal?”
“No.” He gives me a sly grin. “It’ll be unmistakable when it happens. For now, I want to get you upstairs, so I can spend the next two hours and forty-seven minutes worshipping your body.”
“What happens in two hours and forty-eight minutes?” I follow him upstairs.
“I have to fly back to Portland for the last show before our break.”
“You flew across the country just for this?”
“Yes.” He tugs me down a hallway.
“That’s really sweet, but a huge waste of resources. You’re going to need to do something to offset your carbon footprint.”
He chuckles and pushes me down onto his bed. “I’ll sponsor a rainforest or something.” He reaches behind his neck and pulls his shirt off. “Now stop talking before I fill your mouth with my cock.”
I reach for his waistband. “That doesn’t sound bad at all.”