“No, I bought this house for us.” Geren ran his fingers through her freshly washed hair, wondering how fate had stepped in and put them together. He never thought he would know a love so real. “Unless you expect us to maintain separate residences once we’re married?”
“Silly ass!” she cackled, burying her head in his muscular chest. “You know what I mean!”
After a moment of tenderness, Tempest withdrew from his embrace and moved slowly up the front walk, taking baby steps because it was such an overwhelming surprise. When Geren had picked her up, she figured he was taking her out to the country for a romantic picnic or something of that nature. Never in a million years would she have figured on this. “I’m speechless, Geren,” she whispered. “I can’t find any words to express how I feel.”
Geren traced her footsteps and slid his index finger up and down her spine. The gentle breeze carried her pear-scented body spray to his nostrils, making him yearn to make love to her.
“Then don’t search for any words, sweetheart.” He massaged her arms and kissed her shoulder, left exposed by the pastel pink sundress she was wearing. “Displays of affection are just as appreciated.”
Tempest reached for the back of his neck over her shoulder and turned toward him, engaging in a deep, passionate kiss. Less than a year before, she’d given up on finding a decent and loving man. How did she get so damn lucky?
Two children in the yard next door started pointing and giggling at the public display, so Geren stopped the kiss, darting his eyes toward their audience of two. “We better quit. We don’t want to corrupt the neighborhood before we even move in.”
Tempest gave him one last peck on his sensual lips and then looked back at the house. “Can we go inside?”
“It’s our house. We can go wherever we want and do whatever we choose.”
“Except make out in the front yard,” Tempest added, glancing at the kids and laughing.
Geren shared in the laugh. “Yeah, except that!” He took her hand and led her up the four steps onto the front porch. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single brass key on a chain that had a picture of a house and the words The Kincaids engraved onto it. “Here’s the key. Why don’t you do the honors?”
Tempest’s entire face lit up as she removed the key from Geren’s hand and fiddled nervously with the lock. “I haven’t been in this house since I was about thirteen years old. This is so amazing.”
Geren was tempted to help her get the door unlocked, but she finally managed, and they stepped past the huge mahogany door together. The foyer had gray ceramic tiles, and the living room, dining room, and stairs were covered in lush burgundy carpet.
“It’s changed so much!” Tempest exclaimed, taken aback by the renovations the previous owner had made. She eyed the paisley wallpaper in the hallway, speckled with shades of gray and burgundy. “The color scheme, the wallpaper, the carpet. It’s all different.”
Geren couldn’t tell if Tempest was upset or just anxious about the changes. He clamped his hands around her waist, simply because he wanted to feel her warmth. “We can change it all back if you like. Restore it to the way it was when your grandparents lived here.”
Tempest freed herself from his grasp and pulled him by the arm toward the kitchen in the rear of the house. “No, I want to create new memories. With you!”
“Then we’ll decorate it together,” Geren said, bobbing his head and watching Tempest run her fingertips across the new Maytag stove. “Whatever your heart desires, I will fulfill.”
Tempest looked at Geren seductively and then leaped into his arms, straddling her legs around his back. He leaned her against the wall and explored her mouth with his thick tongue, letting the mixture of her shampoo and body spray envelop his senses with pure delight.
“I love you so much, Geren,” Tempest proclaimed when they finally emerged for air. “You make me so happy.”
“This is only the beginning, sweetheart.” He let her back down on the floor gently. “You have no idea how badly I want to be your husband.”
“You will be,” Tempest said with a sanguine smile. “I can’t hardly wait.”
“Then let’s set a date.”
“Right now?”
“Right this second, before we look at the rest of the house,” Geren demanded.
Tempest chewed her bottom lip, immersed in deep thought. Finally, she said, “What about New Year’s Eve? The beginning of a new year; the beginning of a new life.”
Geren kneaded her brow. “I think it’s perfect. Just like you.”
They became entangled in another long, passionate kiss. Tempest reluctantly pulled away from him, heading toward the door in the rear of the kitchen leading to the basement.
“If we keep necking like this, we’ll never get to see the rest of the house.”
“The house is not going anywhere,” Geren protested, following her down the steps. “Besides, we need to christen it properly.”
Tempest pretended to ignore his attempt at seduction, even though it was a task. She’d been craving him also, but she wanted to look at the rest of the house. So many memories flooded back to her when she surveyed the basement apartment. Unlike the entry level, it hadn’t changed at all, except for new fixtures in the bathroom. “I used to love this old basement. I would play down here for hours. I used to keep a rabbit in that back bedroom,” she said, pointing in that direction. “My parents never knew I had him. His name was Floppy, and my grandparents were in collusion with me so I could keep him. My daddy was completely against pets. I never knew why.”