Beautiful Dreams (The Beautiful Series) (16 page)

Kyle chortled from deep in his throat. “For sure.”

Jason and Damon came over toward us after they had removed their riding clothes, and we all made our way into the house. Once in the kitchen, I opened the freezer to find us something quick to eat since we were all hungry. I grabbed two extra-large pizzas, and then I turned on the oven to preheat it.

Walking to the fridge, Kyle offered to grab a beer for everyone. I declined having one since beer was not my thing. Kyle pulled out three beers, strode over to Damon and Jason, and handed them each one. The three of them sat down at the kitchen table while I leaned my elbows on the counter, waiting for the oven to warm.

Jason struck up a conversation about the offer they had made on the building yesterday, saying he felt the agreed-upon price was a steal. The other two quickly agreed. Kyle added specific repairs that were needed right away to get it off the ground and running, and he estimated prices about the work it would require. Damon offered architectural suggestions to make the building more appealing.

I was fascinated while I listened to them put their ideas together to make the best office possible. It seemed like they would all work really well together, and it gave me confidence that they had made the right decision.

I placed the pizzas in the oven, set the timer, and then joined the men at the table. Kyle asked me what I thought about all of their planning, and I had to agree that they had thoroughly worked through all the possible details.

I felt a rush of excitement when Kyle told me their goal was to have the building up and running by early next spring. Since it was nearing the end of July, March was only a short seven months away. With so many renovations needed at the new building, it amazed me that they could finish so quickly.

Jason informed Kyle and me that Damon and he were going to be checking out condos and apartments tomorrow before they flew back on an evening flight. Kyle shared a few good places that he knew were on the market. Part of me was taken aback at how rapidly things were moving, but I was nevertheless overjoyed that I would have my family nearby.

When the oven timer chimed, I got the pizzas ready and brought everyone a plate. By the time I finished my first slice, the three men had devoured an entire pizza plus half of the second. I hurriedly snatched another piece before it was all gone.

After our unhealthy yet superb dinner, Kyle proposed we have a bonfire out by the lake, and we all jumped at his suggestion.

The bad part of my cousins was that they knew all of my most embarrassing childhood memories.

“And when her snowmobile rolled down the ditch, it luckily landed upright at the bottom. When it wouldn’t start, she batted her eyelashes at my friend, Gary,” Jason said as the fire crackled in the pit.

We were sitting in a circle around the fire. The evening sky was slightly illuminated from the bright moon. We had even lucked out with no wind tonight.

“When he stepped in to help her, I think her whole face turned beet red—and it wasn’t from the cold.”

Jason chuckled as I gave him a death stare.

My gaze shifted to Kyle sitting next to me. His eyes were filled with wit as he tried to stifle his amusement.

“That was, until you barged in and shoved poor Gary out of the way, so you could take over,” I retorted while stretching my legs out to put my feet onto a wooden log in front of me.

“I didn’t want him helping you,” Jason countered playfully. “He was the biggest player, and you were practically swooning over him.”

“I couldn’t help it. He was fine on the eyes.” I laughed at the memory. “But I am glad I came to my senses. Didn’t he end up cheating on that one girl he dated for a whole three months?”

“Yep,” Damon said from his chair next me. “Bethany was heartbroken.”

“See?” Jason smirked at me. “I saved you in the long run. You just couldn’t see past what you thought was a pretty face. Those butterflies in your stomach were distracting you too much. I’m sure Kyle over there appreciates my thoughtful gesture.”

Kyle let out a laugh. “Yes, I do. Otherwise, I would have had to hunt him down and beat his ass myself.”

I rolled my eyes at Jason and Kyle.

“My favorite Lily admirer was that Drew kid who transferred to our school in eighth grade,” Damon said.

“Don’t even talk about that fucker,” Jason snorted.

“That’s because you got played,” Damon said, laughing and shaking his head.

Kyle looked at me with a perplexed expression, so I decided to fill him in.

“Drew used Jason, befriending him, so Drew could hang out with me. Jason is a tad sensitive about the topic.”

Kyle tried to stifle his laughter, but he failed miserably. “Now that I would have liked to see.”

“Go to hell,” Jason said jokingly. “I can’t wait to meet this sister of yours, so she can give me some good dirt on you, and we can even the playing field.”

“Why would I let you do that?” Kyle said with hilarity. “I like things just the way they are.”

“Since she works for you, I’ll get to meet her eventually, and I’m sure some sibling rivalry will come out. Then, she’ll willingly give me the upper hand.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself, Jason,” I retorted. “Abbey is quite the woman. She’s very strong-minded.”

Jason’s eyes gleamed with the challenge. “All the more reason to meet her then,” he said before changing the subject. “Well, kids, it’s been fun, but I have an early morning tomorrow.”

He rose to his feet, and so did Damon.

I stood as my cousins walked toward me. “Will I see you guys in the morning?” I asked between the two of them.

“Probably not,” Jason responded first. “We plan to get up by seven, so we can pack and then have time to stop along the way for some breakfast before we start looking at housing in the area.”

“Good luck house-hunting. Let us know how it goes.” I smiled at Jason.

He leaned forward and embraced me with his usual bear hug. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too. Thank you for visiting,” I said as we parted.

“Anytime. You know that.” Jason smiled fondly.

I rotated to face Damon, who looked bummed by the upcoming departure.

“We’ll see you soon?” I asked.

“We will be back before you know it.” Damon grinned, hugging me with a farewell.

After saying good night to Kyle, my cousins made their way up to the house, leaving Kyle and me alone together. I was sad to see my cousins leave, but they had many things to sort out in their lives with such a big move. As I watched them walk up to the house, I wondered how Aunt Lucie and Uncle Dan would take their departure.

“Bring those sad eyes over here, beautiful,” Kyle said as he outstretched his hand for mine.

I interlocked our fingers and moved to sit on his lap. Perching sideways with one arm over his shoulder for balance, I leaned into him, so I could feel his warmth.

“You heard them say they’re coming back, right?” Kyle asked.

I let out a deep sigh. “Yes, but saying good-bye is hard, and March just seems so far away.”

While the fire continued to pop around us, Kyle let out a soft chuckle, and I dipped my head to look at him in question as I lifted my other arm to hug him.

“I just had this funny vision of you badgering me to make them go away because they are driving you mad,” he said.

I laughed quietly. “That’s probably exactly how it will go,” I said, feeling a little better. “Family has a canny ability to get under your skin one minute and make you smile the next,” I said fondly.

“Yeah, they do,” Kyle chortled. “That’s why we love them so much.”

Changing the subject, I wanted to know how Kyle felt about making such an important business decision yesterday. We had yet to talk about it between the two of us. I repositioned myself on his thighs, so I was straddling him. Then, I lifted my arms, entwining my fingers in his hair.

“So, I couldn’t help but listen to the three of you talk about yesterday’s meeting. You seemed very content with the offer.”

“Yes.” Kyle nodded thoughtfully while closing his eyes at the contact of my hands stroking his head. After a beat, he opened his eyes again, looking at me. “The owner even accepted quite less than I was willing to pay for such a great location.”

“Jason and Damon are happy with the offer, too?” I asked, wanting reassurance for such a big step.

“More than happy, Lily,” Kyle reiterated kindly. “I even covered the down payment, so they can focus on the expenses of relocating here to Lake Tahoe.”

“That was nice,” I said. I wondered about the amount needed for a down payment on a purchase like that. I asked it out loud before I thought it through, “How much is that?”

“Fifty thousand plus closing costs,” Kyle answered nonchalantly.

My eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Fifty thousand?” I gaped at him. “That’s a
lot
of money to risk!” I shrieked.

Kyle lifted a brow at me. “Actually, it was a steal for the building we walked away with,” he countered with a grin. “Your future husband is an excellent negotiator, so you would do well to remember that.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically at him while my heart warmed at the word
husband
. Yes, my sexy rough and tough alpha was definitely used to getting his way, considering I was here in Lake Tahoe with a ring on my finger in less than eight weeks of being together.

Kyle’s eyes darkened with heat as his hands gripped my waist and yanked me closer. “I don’t know where those thoughts are taking you, beautiful girl, and I’m not sure if I like them or not,” he said, his tone turning husky.

“Oh, I think you’ll love them,” I teased.

Looking at me, his eyes glowed with anticipation for me to elaborate.

“I was just thinking about how I needed to add hot, sexy businessman to your list of qualities.”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin. “You’re right. I do like your wandering thoughts.”

I continued on, playfully ignoring him, “Yet, I was pondering on your overbearing side that always seems to be lingering around, not too far away.”

Kyle let out a throaty growl as he placed his hands on either side of my face, tugging me toward him. “Oh, don’t fool yourself, Lily. You love that part of me, too,” he teased in a low voice.

Then, he ran kisses along the side of my jaw. Distracted, I closed my eyes to absorb every inch of his touch as I moaned.

“Maybe a little,” I chortled before pointing to my lips. “But first, I need to be reminded with some sweet kisses.”

“Now that, I can do,” he said.

He released the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen. It stirred something deep within my soul, something I never wanted to be without. I knew losing him would be my new biggest, darkest fear.

Not wanting him to see the abrupt change in my thoughts, I kissed him. I pressed my tongue into his mouth, forcing his lips to part, as he emitted a rumble through his throat. His hands moved to my hair to firmly crush my mouth against his even harder.

I slightly pulled back as I gently bit his lip. He responded by groaning and thrusting his tongue back into my awaiting mouth. My insides burned with need as his hands caressed up and down my body. His fervor seemed to mirror my own.

“Christ, Lily,” he breathed against my lips before dropping his forehead against mine. “If we were alone right now, I’d bury myself deep inside you and make love to you for hours.”

I blushed while considering that either of my cousins could walk past a window and see us, plain as day. In the next moment, a breeze passed, making me shudder.

“Would you like to go inside?” Kyle asked attentively.

“Yes,” I answered. “Our warm, cozy bed actually sounds quite wonderful right now.”

Kyle slightly bent forward and kissed my cheek. “It does,” he said with a loving smile. Then, he kissed me once before rising with me still on his lap. His hands held me as I slid down the length of his body to my feet. “The sooner we get there, the faster I get to feel your heavenly body snuggled against mine,” he finally finished.

The fire pit was only a small flame now, so we left it to burn out on its own. Kyle and I strode up to the house, hand in hand, with me casually resting my head on his shoulder. As we made our way into the house, it was quiet. We ambled through the living room and turned off the lights as we continued on to our bedroom.

Kyle and I changed into our pajamas, and then we sauntered over to the bed. My muscles were beginning to ache from our adventurous day on the trails. I pulled the sheets over us just before Kyle tugged me against his chest with me facing him.

He stroked my hair back off my face tenderly. “Did you have fun today?”

I nestled in closer to him, laying my arm over his side. “Yes, thank you,” I answered quietly. “It was great to spend the day with my cousins since they are leaving tomorrow.”

“I had a great time with them, too. I’m glad they came to visit you.”

I nodded in agreement. “I can’t wait to see what next year brings,” I murmured into the darkness.

“Only good things, Lily,” he replied quietly, kissing me affectionately, “only good things.”