Chapter 24
ALEX
"No way. Absolutely not."
I stare at Paige, my jaw slack with disbelief. She can't be serious. There's no way she actually thinks...
"Oh come on, Alex. It's perfect!"
I shake my head vehemently, crossing my arms over my chest. "Paige, love of my life, light of my soul...there is no universe in which 'Lovers and Logarithms' is a good name for our company."
She pouts, her lower lip jutting out in that way that makes me want to bite it. "But it's clever! It's a play on words, see? Because we're lovers, and we use algorithms to match people..."
I pinch the bridge of my nose, fighting back a smile. "Babe. No. Just...no."
She huffs, flopping back against the couch cushions. "Fine. What's your brilliant idea then, Mr. Marketing Genius?"
I grin, scooting closer to her on the couch. "I'm so glad you asked. Picture this...CupidCode Industries. Sleek, modern, to the point. It tells you exactly what we do, without any of the...fluff."
Paige wrinkles her nose, looking unconvinced. "CupidCode Industries? That sounds so...corporate. Boring."
I gasp, clutching my chest in mock-offense. "Boring? Moi? Never!"
She rolls her eyes, but I can see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Alex..."
I lean in, nuzzling my nose against hers. "Okay, okay. How about...Byte Me Matchmaking? You know, because of your cat, and the double entendre..."
She snorts, shoving at my shoulder. "You're ridiculous."
I grin, unrepentant. "Yeah, but you love me."
Her expression softens, her hand coming up to cup my cheek. "I really do. Even if you have terrible taste in company names."
I turn my head, pressing a kiss to her palm. "We'll figure it out. Together. Like we always do."
She smiles, leaning in to brush her lips against mine. "Together. I like the sound of that."
I deepen the kiss, my hand sliding into her hair. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this, of the way she feels in my arms, the way she tastes on my tongue.
We've been living together for a month now, our lives intertwined in every way possible. And it's been...god, it's been amazing. Waking up to her every morning, falling asleep with her in my arms every night.
It's everything I never knew I wanted. Everything I never knew I needed.
A throat clears behind us, and we break apart, turning to see Jamie and Sam standing in the doorway of our living room.
"Sorry to interrupt," Jamie says, not sounding sorry at all. "But if you two are done being disgustingly cute, we have a company to start."
I grin, standing up and pulling Paige with me. "Ah yes, the dynamic duo. Ready to take the matchmaking world by storm?"
Sam rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "As long as you two promise not to make out in the conference room, I'm in."
Paige laughs, leaning into my side. "No promises, Sammy boy. Have you seen this man? He's irresistible."
I puff out my chest, preening. "It's true. I am a specimen."
Jamie mimes gagging, but there's a twinkle in her eye. "Gross. Can we please focus? We have a lot of work to do if we're going to get this thing off the ground."
I nod, sobering. She's right. Starting a company from scratch is no small feat, and we're going to need all hands on deck if we want to make CupidCode a success.
But looking around at these people, my friends, my family...I know we can do it. Together, there's nothing we can't achieve.
"Alright team," I say, clapping my hands together. "Let's get to work."
"I think my eyes are going to fall out of my head."
I look up from my laptop, blinking blearily at Paige across the kitchen table. We've been at this for hours, pouring over business plans and marketing strategies until the words start to blur together.
"I know," I groan, rubbing at my face. "I feel like I've aged ten years in the past week."
Paige smiles tiredly, reaching across the table to take my hand. "But it will all be worth it, right? When CupidCode is the biggest name in online dating?"
I lace our fingers together, bringing her hand to my lips. "Absolutely. We're going to change the world, Paige. One perfectly matched couple at a time."
She laughs, shaking her head. "You're such a sap."
I grin, unrepentant. "Yeah, but I'm your sap."
Her expression softens, her eyes going warm and liquid. "Yeah, you are. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
I stand up, tugging her to her feet and into my arms. "I love you, you know that? I love you so much it scares me sometimes."
She winds her arms around my neck, pressing closer. "I know. I feel the same way. Like my heart can't possibly contain everything I feel for you."
I dip my head, capturing her lips in a kiss that starts soft and sweet, but quickly turns heated. She opens for me with a sigh, her tongue stroking against mine in a way that makes my blood burn.
I walk us backwards towards the bedroom, our hands roaming and our breath coming faster. By the time we tumble onto the bed, we're both naked and aching, desperation thrumming through our veins.
"Alex," she pants as I settle between her thighs, my hardness nudging against her slick heat. "Please..."
"I've got you, baby," I murmur, pressing kisses along the column of her throat. "I'm going to take such good care of you."
And then I'm sinking into her, inch by excruciating inch, until I'm buried to the hilt in her tight, wet heat. We both groan at the sensation, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces, like we were made for this.
Made for each other.
"I love you," I breathe against her skin, starting to move in deep, rolling thrusts. "I love you, I love you, I love you."
"I love you too," she gasps, her nails digging into my shoulders. "So much, Alex. So fucking much."
We move together like the tide, give and take, push and pull. It's not the frantic, desperate coupling of our early days, but something deeper, more profound.
This is making love in the truest sense of the word, our bodies and hearts and souls joined as one.
I angle my hips, hitting that spot inside her that makes her back bow, her toes curl. She cries out, my name a prayer on her lips, and I swear I've never heard a sweeter sound.
"That's it, baby," I encourage her, my hand sliding between us to circle her clit. "Let go for me. I want to feel you come around me."
She does, shattering in my arms with a keening cry. Her body grips me like a vice, fluttering and clenching and drawing my own orgasm from me in pulsing waves.
I bury my face in her neck, muffling my shout against her skin as I empty myself inside her. It seems to go on forever, the pleasure cresting and breaking and cresting again until I'm wrung dry, spent and sated in the circle of her arms.
"Holy shit," I pant after a long moment, lifting my head to look down at her. "That was..."
"Yeah," she agrees dreamily, a blissed out smile on her kiss-swollen lips. "It really was."
I laugh breathlessly, rolling to the side and pulling her into my chest. She comes easily, tangling her legs with mine and resting her head over my racing heart.
We lay there in contented silence for a while, basking in the afterglow. My fingers trail idle patterns on her bare back, her hair tickling my chin with every breath.
"Hey Paige?" I murmur after a while, my voice hushed in the quiet room.
"Hmm?" She sounds half-asleep already, her body heavy and pliant against mine.
"I was thinking...what if we made this official? You and me, living together."
She lifts her head, blinking at me owlishly. "Aren't we already living together?"
I grin, tweaking her nose. "Officially, I mean. With both our names on the lease, all our stuff in one place. The whole shebang."
Her eyes widen, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Alex Spencer, are you asking me to move in with you?"
I shrug, suddenly feeling unaccountably shy. "I mean, technically you'd be moving in with me, since this is my place. But...yeah. I am. Asking you to move in with me."
I take a deep breath, my heart in my throat.
"I want to wake up with you every morning and go to sleep with you every night.
I want to argue about closet space and fight over the remote and burn toast together.
I want...I want a life with you, Paige. A real, messy, beautiful life. If...if you want that too."
Tears shimmer in her eyes, her bottom lip trembling. For a heartstopping second I think she's going to say no, that I've misread this somehow, that she doesn't want...
"Yes," she whispers, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "Yes, Alex. Of course I want that. Of course I want a life with you."
Relief crashes through me, followed swiftly by a joy so acute it steals my breath. I crush my lips to hers, pouring everything I'm feeling into the kiss.
She responds with equal fervor, her hands cupping my face as she presses closer, deeper. And god, I could drown in her, lose myself in the taste and feel of her forever.
"I love you," I rasp when we finally break apart, our foreheads pressed together and our chests heaving. "I love you so damn much, Paige."
She smiles, radiant and beautiful and everything I've ever wanted. "I love you too, Alex. Forever and ever."
Forever and ever. I like the sound of that.
I seal it with a kiss, a promise of all the kisses to come. All the days and nights and years stretched out before us, ours for the taking.
Our life together, byte by precious byte.