The Dating Experiment (The Experiment, #2)(56)

“I’ll give you the first one,” she said softly. “I am pretty screwed where my emotions are concerned regarding you.”

“That’s the nicest way anyone has ever told me they love me. You should write romance.”

Her lips twitched, and her eyes twinkled for a moment before she tilted her head to the side and let out a giggle. “I’m not entirely sure I would be good at that. I mean, it took me twenty-seven years to get to this point.”

“On the plus side, you are a pro at being in love. That’s some practice you’ve had.”

She pursed her lips. “You’re not exactly a love virgin yourself, are you? You’ve been in love with me for at least ten years.”

“Who told you—” I stopped. “Never mind. I think I can probably guess it was Peyton.”

She nodded. “She has a big mouth. I guess she got the mouth and you got the ego.”

“Well, could you imagine if she had both? She’d be a nightmare.”

“As opposed to the delight she currently is.” Chloe snorted. “Can you let me up now?”

“No.” I flexed my fingers between hers. “Not until you give me what I want.”

“Well,” she said, “I can’t give you a blow job if I’m up here and your cock is down there.”

Hmm. Tempting.

“As great as that sounds, that’s not what I mean.” I dipped my head and kissed just beneath her ear. She drew in a short, sharp breath, and I knew.

This was how to break her down.

To admit what she already knew.

That despite all her fighting, she was mine. There were no two ways about it. She’d been mine for years.

At least her heart had been mine, just like it was right now.

“Admit it,” I murmured against her skin. “You’re mine, Chloe. You know it. You’re fighting the inevitable.” I kissed along her jaw until my lips reached the corner of her mouth. “Just give in.”

“Never,” she whispered.

“Fine, awkward one,” I said, kissing her jaw again. “But I’m yours. Me. My heart. And all my lost keys.”

She groaned. “And that’s a lot of keys.”

“At least ten in the last two years. And now…” I looked her in the eye. “You get to witness me lose them forever. Aren’t you lucky?”

“We have different meanings for the word lucky,” she replied. “Do you really think we can make this work?”

“I know we can,” I said honestly. “Is it gonna be easy? No. Are we gonna fight? Hopefully. The more we fight, the more make-up sex we get.”

“That is promising,” she mused.

“More than anything, I want to make it work. And I know you do, too, or you wouldn’t even be here entertaining it right now.” I released her hand and brushed hair from her face. “Am I perfect? No. Am I gonna piss you off? Sure. But, Chlo? That’s no different to the relationship we have right now. The only difference is that now, we know we love each other. We didn’t have that before.”

“If you’re trying to tell me that you losing your keys is going to turn into something cute instead of insufferably annoying, you’re very wrong,” she warned me.

“Is there not even a hint of a chance with that?”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“I’m okay with you shouting at me for that.”

“I’d be more okay if you tried to not lose them in the first place.”

I grinned. “I can work on that,” I said.

She looked at me, lips pursed, but I knew she was agreeing. I could see it in her eyes. “I guess I can work on my temper.”

“Does that mean you’ll give me the chance to—shock horror—explain myself?” I gasped, pressing my hand to my chest.

She hit me. “You’re not starting this well, Dom.”

“Starting? Does that mean I win? I’ve worn you down?”

“Actually, I think I just want you to shut up about it,” she teased, half-grinning. “That, and I have a teenage girl inside throwing a party,” she added.

I couldn’t help the grin that stretched across my face. “So, you’re agreeing to be my girlfriend?”

“I’ll agree officially when you’ve made me pancakes.”

“Is that because you can’t make them?”

“Hey,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Food matters. I like pancakes. You can make pancakes. I’m not against letting food make the final choice for me.”

“That sounds a hell of a lot like something I’d say. Maybe you really are the perfect girl for me.”

“Stop being nice. You’re scaring me.”

I laughed and brushed my lips over hers. “I promise to revert to annoying you in the morning.”

“Thank you. I think keeping our relationship just as it is might be the success to this after all.”

“I completely agree,” I murmured, lowering my lips to hers.

She wrapped her free arm around my neck and kissed me back, flicking her tongue against the seam of my lips. I let go of her hand, and that arm joined her other, pulling me right down against her so I couldn’t escape.

Pancakes my ass.