In a quick scan of the main floor of the house, I spot T-Bone sitting at the kitchen island, poring over case files. That cute little pucker is drawing his eyes together, and he is running his hand through his hair. Twice forward, once backward. Always in the same sequence. His thick blond hair sticks out every which way.
I have the biggest urge to go stand beside him, let my own hands dance through, and kneed those strong shoulders of his I love to nibble on.
But I have a mission.
It's an important one.
Cargo Pants Annihilation Mission.
It's not my first try, but this is it. I can feel it. This will be a victorious operation.
On the very tips of my toes, I make my way up the stairs and into the master bedroom.
The pile of offending cargo pants is right there on the very top shelf. T likes to keep them way up high so that I can't mess with them. I always find a way to hide them.
I might have only moved into his place a week ago, but even before then, I was plotting against his very ugly pants. A man who looks as good as him shouldn't be wrapped up in a beige tent.
I pull a pair down, and they all come tumbling down with a thunk. It echoes through the closet out into the bedroom. I stay very still for a few seconds, listening for the telltale sign of a chair scraping against the kitchen tiles.
Nothing. T-Bone must not have heard me.
"Victory is mine," I grunt, bundling all of the pants into my arms.
"Mila, what are you doing?" T-Bone asks, leaning against the bedroom door.
I jump, completely caught. I try to shove the mound of clothes behind my back and fail miserably.
"Nothing," I squeak. "How can a bull be so quiet?"
T ignores my question. "Are you trying to get rid of another pair of my cargo pants?"
"No." I shake my head emphatically, blinking rapidly, trying to play the innocent.
He holds out his hands, a smile on his handsome face. I lean up and kiss the scruff of his face, trying to distract him.
"That won't work, Mila. Give 'em."
"But hear me out. Jeans are just as versatile."
"I like having all my pockets. I like knowing I have everything within arm’s reach.
"Your ass is hidden in these." I pout.
"Well, my ass is only for your viewing pleasure, so that's a good thing."
T-Bone pulls the garments out of my hands and piles them on the bed and starts folding them up just so.
"You know, it's almost eerie how you are with your cargo pants and black tee uniform.”
He arches an eyebrow up at me. "You can't mess with these anymore. There's important stuff I hide in these. I can't have you throwing anything out."
"What do you keep in these?" I ask, reaching out for a pair, my hands digging into the cavernous pockets. I narrow my eyes at him. "You wash these before putting them away. Why the hell would you store stuff in clean pants?"
"You're an impatient woman." He chuckles. He digs inside a pocket and pulls out a black velvet box.
My eyes pop out of my head, and my heart thunders in my chest.
"What is that?" I whisper, taking a step back. "What, T?"
He kneels down in front of me and takes my left hand in his.
"Mila Starling." His deep baritone tone isn't as smooth as it usually is, the thickness of it coated with emotion. "I've loved you for about as long as I've known you. You're wicked smart, you keep me on my toes, and I never know what to expect from you. You surprise me every day, and I'll love nothing more than to keep being surprised by you for the rest of my life. Do me the honor of marrying me?"
My legs give out, and I bury my face in his chest, inhaling his scent. For a few long seconds, I just stay very still, memorizing the thumping of his heart, the smell of his shirt, the feel of his scruff against my forehead. I want to stay in the moment for as long as possible.
"Hey, Mila. Is that a yes?"
"Of course it is." I weep.
"Those better be happy tears," he teases, tucking my hair behind my shoulders.
"They are," I swear. "I didn't expect this. We just moved in together."
"Well, in full disclosure, I was going to wait a few more months to ask you. But since you're intent on getting rid of my favorite hiding spot, it was best to do it now before you toss the ring into the trash."
T slides the ring onto my finger, the shiny stones glimmering in the closet light. It's a white gold band with a black diamond flanked by two rubies.
"This is so on-brand for me." I laugh.
"Yup, I figured you'd say that." He beams with pride, dipping down to kiss me softly.
"You did good, T," I whisper against his lips.
"I agree. I did. Because, somehow, I was led to you."
"Aw." I close my arms around his neck, and he lifts me clear off the floor, his hands cupping my ass as I wrap my legs around him. "You're such a softy for such a big Hairy Coo."
T-Bone kisses me again, squeezing me close to him.
In the animal world, I would be a vampire bat who would feast on his bull blood for thirty minutes a night.
In the human world, I'm his spooky woman, and he's my straight-laced guy. I make him wild, and he keeps me grounded. It works, somehow, that we are such opposites.
"What do you want to do to celebrate our new engagement?" he asks, leading us down the hall and back downstairs.
"Can we watch the new horror flick that just came out?" I ask, running my lips against his.
"How did I know you were going to ask that?" He chuckles.
"We can order a shit-ton of Chinese food, get in our PJs, and watch a movie."
"You've got yourself a deal if we get lemon chicken instead of spicy beef."
I feign a gasp. "We can just get both. That way, you don't have to be a cannibal."
"Why, thanks, future wife, for thinking of me."
"Always," I say before kissing him.
And that one little word sums up T and me perfectly.
Always.
The End
Not quite! There are more FUC Academy books coming. Like Jumping the Bull by Jean Burke, and even Eve Langlais, the FUC world creator, has a book coming called Panda and the Kitty.
To find out more about these books and more, visit worlds.EveLanglais.com or stay in the loop with our newsletter: sign up here.
