The Beauty of Us (Fusion #4)

“I really like your new girl,” Scott says.

“Yeah, she’s our kind of people,” I reply with a laugh. “Smitty just joined us. We’ll kill more of these bastards now.”

There’s no more talk about crazy girls I hardly know, or my private life at all, as the three of us go through the motions of kicking ass.

When the game is over, I look over to find Riley fast asleep, her head on my bicep. Her iPad is resting in her lap, the screen black.

“I should go, guys,” I tell them. “It’s time for bed.”

“Have fun,” Scott says before he ends our group chat. I set the controller aside, turn off Riley’s TV, and lift her in my arms to take her to bed.

Her eyes open immediately.

“I can walk. I’m not that out of it.”

“I’ve got you,” I reply, and kiss her cheek. “I want to carry you as much as possible while I still can.”

“You’re quite romantic,” she says, and lays her head on my shoulder. “I like that about you.”



I come awake the next morning and roll over to find Riley already watching me with bright blue eyes and a grin on her gorgeous mouth.

“Good morning,” she says.

“Morning,” I reply, and stretch, then reach for her. “I want to hold you for a bit, and then I’ll go get us coffee.”

“I want to go,” she says with a grin. “Let me spoil you just a bit.”

You spoil me every fucking day.

“If fetching coffee makes you happy, who am I to say no?”

“Exactly,” she says, and kisses my jawline. “You’re sexy in the morning, all rumpled and warm and sleepy.”

“Hmm,” I reply, and drag my hand down her naked spine. “Back at you.”

She smiles and kisses my jaw again, then pulls away from me.

“Come back here.”

Her eyes are sparkling with mischief as she shakes her head no. “I’m going to get us coffee.”

She pulls on some Mickey Mouse yoga pants, a purple T-shirt that says mondays are for amateurs and yellow flip-flops.

No bra. No panties.

She twists her hair up into a messy knot, and throws a red hoodie over the ensemble.

“You’re going like that?” I ask with a smile, and sit up in the bed, taking her in from head to toe. She even has mascara smudged under her eyes because I didn’t give her time to take her makeup off before I fucked her brainless last night.

“It’s okay if I look homeless,” she says with a shrug. “I’m just going through the drive-thru. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“Okay.” I grin as she leans over the bed and gives me a sweet kiss. “I’m going to jump into the shower while you’re gone.”

“Good plan. I’ll take one when I get back.”

She waves as she walks out of the bedroom, and when I hear the front door shut, I peel the covers off my naked body and pad into the bathroom that we’ve been sharing the past week. I like seeing our things all scattered together.

Just as I’m leaving the shower and reaching for a towel, my phone rings.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Trevor,” she says, and I can hear the tears in her voice, making every muscle in my body tighten.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have a flat tire,” she says, her voice full of frustration. “And I look homeless.”

My lips twitch, but I know better than to laugh.

“I’ll come get you,” I reply.

“No,” she immediately replies. “I’m a hot mess, Trevor. You don’t want to see me like this.”

“So you’re going to call a stranger to come help you?”

“The stranger doesn’t give two shits that I’m braless.”

“I’m on my way.”

Before she can argue, I end the call and pull on my clothes, rushing out the door to find her. She’s pulled into a parking lot just two blocks away from Starbucks.

I park behind her and walk up to the driver’s-side window, which she rolls down.

“Hi,” I say, and she turns her sad little face to mine. She’s not crying, but she has the cutest pout I’ve ever seen. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I spilled my whole coffee all over me.” She holds her cup up for me to see. “I drank the last little drop. And I am capable of changing a tire, but I do not want to get out of this car because everyone and their grandmother will be able to see this shit show of an outfit.”

“To be fair,” I reply, and reach in to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, “you’re not a shit show. You’re actually quite cute.”

“You’re biased,” she replies, and crosses her arms over her chest, looking thoroughly disgusted with herself.

“I love you,” I say with a laugh, and lean through the window to kiss her cheek. “I’m going to fix this. You sit here, and I’ll take care of everything.”

I just told her I love her.

I shake my head as I walk to the trunk of her car to find a jack and spare tire. This was not exactly how I planned to tell her that I’m in love with her for the first time, but she looked so dejected and sad I just couldn’t help it.

I do love her, and damn it, I’m going to tell her.

I pull the spare out of her trunk, but when I drop it to the ground, I can see that it’s flat as well. It’s probably never been used—or serviced, for that matter. So I stow it back in her trunk, shut the door, and walk back to her window.

“I have good news and bad news.”

“Okay.”

“The good news is, I’m here to help you.”

“The bad news?”

“Your spare is flat. I’m going to have to call someone to take care of it.”

“Well, shit.” She leans her head against the headrest and sighs deeply. “I should have stayed in bed with you.”

“But then I wouldn’t have the delight of seeing you in this classy outfit,” I reply with a grin, earning a glare. “You’re adorable when you’re pissed off.”

“I haven’t had any coffee,” she says. “And now I have to get out of my car so I can get into yours. Oh no.”

“I’m not parked far away,” I say reasonably. “I bet no one even notices.”

She raises the window, grabs her purse, and makes a mad dash for my rental car, getting in as quickly as she can.

“I haven’t moved that fast in years,” she says.

“See? No one noticed.”

I pull out of the parking lot and back toward Starbucks. We go through the drive-thru and I buy us new coffees, then head home. Riley kisses her coffee cup, making me chuckle.

“I need this.”

“And maybe a shot of something to go in it?”

“Nah, this will do.”

Riley’s quiet as I pull into her driveway and she leads me inside, her flip-flop-covered feet shuffling on the concrete.

I want to scoop her up and kiss the shit out of her.

Once inside, she sets her coffee down and then throws herself into my arms, hugging me tightly.

“I love you too,” she whispers, tightening her hold on me. “Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re welcome.”

There’s a lump in my chest the size of a grapefruit at her words. I want to ask her to say it again, I want to jump and whoop and freak the fuck out.

Instead, I kiss her temple and breathe her in.

She loves me.