“Yeah,” I tell him, meaning it. “I really am.”

•   •   •

Hours later in Ezra’s bed, long after I’ve told him all about my day and the phone call with my mother, I’m still marveling at how content I feel just to lie here with him. Sure, sex with Ezra is intense, and mind-blowing, and an experience like no other—but this is just as good, I realize. Lying here with him, just like this.

His fingers trail up and down my spine, his lips resting against my temple as his breath ruffles my hair. It’s…bliss, if I’m being honest.

“You know,” he mumbles. “I never thought in a million years that you’d be here in my bed like this.”

I hum into his chest. “I did.”

“Bullshit,” he laughs.

“No, I did,” I sigh. “I think that’s why I was so adamant not to let you bring me into it. I knew if I ever ended up here, I’d never leave.”

“Wow, Dani. You are so obsessed with me.”

He yelps when I pinch his side.

“Asshole.”

He grins against my hair. “I know.”

“So what now?”

He leans back, meeting my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…what happens now?”

“Whatever we want, Dani.” He pushes my hair away from my face. “Sky’s the limit.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do for work?”

“What,” he snorts, “you don’t want to be my sugar mama?”

I pinch him again, and this time, he laughs.

“I’ll think of something,” he says. “I’m not worried.”

“Well, I was thinking,” I start carefully. “I’ll be getting a promotion soon…and they’re going to be looking to fill my spot. Might even ask me to recommend someone. I could put in a good word for you with a certain junior partner, if you’re interested.”

“Mm. Nepotism at its finest.”

“I’m going to pinch you again.”

“Stop it, I’ll bruise.”

“Stop being an idiot.”

“Hm. I rather like the idea of working under you.”

“This is not a sex thing.”

“Everything can be a sex thing if you just believe,” he teases.

“I’m dangerously close to rescinding the offer.”

“I’d love to work with you,” he chuckles, kissing my forehead. “With you, under you…doesn’t make any difference.”

“I do like the idea of being your boss,” I say thoughtfully.

“Mm. You just wait. It’ll be a sex thing eventually. I love role-play.”

“And…you’d really be okay with that? It could get awkward if you were to…change your mind about me one day.”

“Dani.”

I have to force myself to meet his gaze again, my chest fluttering with nerves. “Yeah?”

“You’re being stupid again.”

I narrow my eyes, but he just laughs, pulling me up for a hard kiss.

“I am never”—his lips press to my cheek—“ever”—they briefly touch between my eyes—“changing my mind about you. You’re stuck with me, Sour Patch.”

I hate how needy my voice sounds. “Forever?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he says firmly. His lips find mine again, holding them for so long he’s practically breathing me in. “There’s never going to be a ‘last time,’ Dani. Not for you and me.”

I feel the last few bricks of the careful walls I’ve built around my heart crumbling away with his words, and even though I might never fully understand how we got here—I’m happy to just be grateful that we did.

There’s never going to be a “last time,” Dani. Not for you and me.

I smile against his mouth, and for maybe the first time since I met him…I don’t feel an urge to argue.

Not even a little bit.

OceanofPDF.com

Epilogue

Ten months later

“Thank you so much again, Ms. Pierce,” Mrs. Lyndon says with tearful eyes. “I feel like I can finally relax.”

“The hard part is over,” I assure her, people filing out of the courtroom around us. “We’ll talk next week and get everything finalized, okay? Go celebrate tonight with your daughters.”

“I will,” she says happily. “We’ll talk soon.”

I pat her shoulder, letting her go find her daughters in the crowd. Mrs. Lyndon’s husband is an abusive piece of shit, and seeing him ordered to pay out a healthy alimony and child support while losing any rights to custody is a sweet victory that I’ll definitely be celebrating. I make sure to give him a smug smile when I pass his still-fuming form spitting venom at his lawyer. Almost feel sorry for the guy.

The lawyer, not Mr. Lyndon, mind you.

I blow out a breath when I step out of the courtroom doors, happy to put this day behind me and go home to hopefully a very large glass of wine and Ezra’s cooking. Six months after moving in, and I still rarely cook. Ezra jokes that it’s my own personal stance against the patriarchy. I let Ezra joke about whatever the hell he wants as long as he keeps cooking.

Speaking of.

“Hey there, boss,” a familiar voice calls.

He’s still just as smug looking as the first day I met him—that stupid face and body are still lethal distractions, just welcome ones now. He is my idiot, after all.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in court right now?”

He holds out his hand, tugging me into his side when I take it. “They asked for a continuance.” He kisses my cheek. “So we got out early.”

“And you just couldn’t wait another second to see me, huh?”

“You know I’m greedy for you, Sour Patch,” he chuckles.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. You can drive me home. I need a bath and a glass of wine.”

“Long day?”

“It’s definitely been a Monday.”

He tucks a stray piece of hair that’s escaped my ponytail behind my ear. “June is supposed to be the season of weddings, not divorces.”

“You’d think,” I huff. “Are you ready to go?”

“Do you mind if I drop off these documents on the fifth floor first?”

I notice the manila envelope in his hand. “Sure, that’s fine. Is that for the Franklin case?”

“No, this is something new that came in.”

He winds his fingers through mine as he leads me to the elevators, and I lean into him when we settle against the back wall. It’s almost funny, the drastic difference between this moment and my first memories of sharing elevators with Ezra, and I smile at the thought.

Ezra notices. “What?”

“I used to hate how pretty you were,” I muse.

“Were? You don’t think I’m still pretty?”

I roll my eyes. “I think you know you are.”

“Don’t scare me like that,” he mock scoffs. “You know how fragile my ego is.”

“About as fragile as it is small,” I snort.

He laughs, turning to kiss my temple.

“Is your mom coming over this weekend?”

“Mm-hmm. I invited your parental unit too.”

“Wow, the whole unit? What’s the occasion?”

“Do I need one?”

“For a party?” I laugh through my nose. “No, not usually.”

“I’d invite Vera and Nate, but I heard they’re staying another week.”

I make a face. “They’ve already been there for three weeks. Is it a honeymoon or a sabbatical?”

“God. Them eloping was not on my bingo card.”

“If you recall, it was on mine.”

“Yeah, yeah. You haven’t let me forget it.”

The elevator doors slide open to the fifth floor, and Ezra keeps his hand wrapped around mine as we move through the wide hall that leads to the county clerk’s office. “What case was this for again?”

“I didn’t say it was for a case,” he answers cryptically.

I cock my head at him. “What’s it for then?”

He doesn’t answer right away, just flashes me that light-up-a-room grin, tugging me forward until we’re outside the county clerk’s door.