“We’re here,” I said, pulling over before the house, and Maeve quietly turned to me with a smile. One of those rare, fond smiles that I had only experienced when she was drunk.

But I bet she was as sober right now as Maeve Adams could ever be.

Without another word, I stepped out of the car, and helped her out. As much as the house looked beautiful at night, the warm and bright light scattering around the interior in the day, especially now, when it was almost sunset, was a breathtaking view, since all the windows faced the west.

Maeve looked up at the house with an awe that I never saw in her eyes before. She looked so dreamy, so…happy.

I took out her luggage and halted beside her at the end of the stairs that led up to the porch.

“You wanna go in or just admire it from outside?” I asked, my eyes settling up on the window of the attic, then trailing upward. The sky was a heady combination of pinks and blues, with a little golden somewhere beyond the clouds. Just as romantic as the sky could get.

Maeve chuckled beside me.

“I could look at it all day.” She whispered, and through my peripheral vision, I saw her face turn toward me. I was half prepared for a thank you, or a witty remark, but I was not prepared for what she did next.

Maeve’s hand came up to rest against my shoulder, and she tiptoed to reach up to my side, pressing her soft lips against my jaw.

My eyelids fell shut as a familiar spark ran down my back, all the way down till my toes, and my fingers flexed over the bag handle. As much as I tried to argue otherwise, this was nothing like the kiss she brushed across my cheek in my office. I could hear, or rather, feel her gratitude as a warm breath on the side of my face. I could feel the silent thank you.

When she pulled away, I flashed her a smile, one that was reserved for very few people in my life. Still holding the bags in both of my hands, I offered her the crook of my arm.

“Your new home is waiting for you. Shall we?” I asked as sincerely as I could.

Maeve’s smile faltered a bit but came back wider, as she link her arm through mine and we climbed the stairs up to the porch, stopping before the front door. I freed my right hand off the luggage and fished out the keys from my pocket, before handing it over to her. Maeve looked down at it and then back at me, uncertainly.

I gave her a reassuring nod. “Go on.”

She pressed her lips together, and took the keys from me before unlocking the door. I let her walk in before following behind her.

As I placed the luggage down at the corner of the room, I heard Maeve’s voice, full of wonder.

“What the hell! This looks…” She swirled around, wide eyes roaming every corner of the room. “So aesthetic. Like the ones I make Pinterest boards about.” She plopped down on the window seat, with a satisfied sigh and I raised an eyebrow at her comment.

“Pinterest?”

She nodded. “Yes, it’s an app where you can find and arrange images–”

“I know what Pinterest is, Maeve.” I said, with a chuckle as I took a seat at the couch. “It’s just…you don’t look like someone who’d make Pinterest boards.”

As much as I meant it as a joke, Maeve narrowed her eyes at me, straightening up on the seat, with a tilt of her head. She looked offended. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Oh, no.

I held up my hands in surrender. “No no no. Please, I did not mean it that way. I meant that it looks like people would make aesthetic boards about you, you know? Like you…look like…one…like…uhm,” I cleared my throat, and broke my eyes away from her face, with a sigh of defeat. “I’m sorry.”

Cole, get a fucking grip.

I cringed and reached up to scratch the back of my head. Distraction. I needed to distract my brain. And the first thing that caught my attention was Maeve’s luggage.

But before I could reach for it, I heard a chuckle from my left. I turned to see Maeve, holding a palm pressed against her mouth, muffling a laugh.

Remind me the last time I saw her laughing like that?

“Ian…” Her hand left her mouth, which I saw was split into an all-toothy grin. Pearl white teeth against evil red lips. Viciously beautiful. “Your face is flushed.” She let out another laugh, throwing her head back, which made me smile too. Someone had rightly said that you'd never realize how beautiful someone was until you saw them laugh. Because I couldn't comprehend how much more lovely she could get. She looked carefree, young.

“You should laugh more often.” I said, and this time I didn’t even try to stop myself. “I love seeing that beautiful smile.”

I liked happy Maeve. I would gladly act dumb to make her laugh again.

Maeve blinked, and her lips slowly drew back to rest. No, her smile didn’t vanish. Instead, it blended into a slow redness that crawled up her neck and stopped at her cheeks.

Damn. A smile, a laugh and now a blush. What else was I getting today?

The question left tingles crawling up my arms and feet.

“I…I should probably unpack.” Maeve said, brushing at her cheeks with the back of her palm. A futile attempt to brush off the red tint. She stood up and started toward the bags, her hair carefully shielding her face from me. But before she could walk past me, I reached up and grabbed her wrist.

No escaping now.

I was barely aware of what I was doing. And the next moment, I was pulling her down on the couch with me.

I shifted back on the couch, and secured her between my legs with my thighs on either side of hers. Maeve immediately stiffened, and sucked in a sharp breath as I reached forward and rested my chin on her shoulder.

Her scent engulfed me instantly, and every muscle in my body relaxed against the warmth radiating from her. It had been a long while since I found this peace, this serenity in someone. Even before this, it was not a person. And definitely not a scent. Both her wrists rested in my grasp as I circled our arms across her lap and held her close.

“You’re so warm.” I carefully whispered the words beside her ears and she shivered noticeably, but made no attempt to pull back.

We sat like that for a few seconds. Perhaps minutes. I didn't know. But Maeve eventually relaxed against me, leaning back into my chest. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of her breathing, trying to sync mine with hers. Feeling her pulse against my chest, wondering whether she was feeling mine against her back.

“Ian,” Her voice reverberated throughout my body as she breathed out my name. I was vaguely aware of my grip tightening around her wrists. “What is this?”

What is this? I didn’t know the answer to that question. Yet.

I pulled her closer, and lowered my tone to match hers.

“Whatever it is, I like it.” I said, and Maeve slumped against me, her thumb brushing over my wrist in a soothing circle. And it was not long before I heard her soft response.

“Me too.”

She liked it too.

I buried my nose in her hair and inhaled all of her scent, as much as I could in this moment.

“Do you wanna see the sunset with me?” My voice was muffled against her hair.

After a beat, Maeve shifted, her hip brushing against my crotch unpredictably, and I suppressed the groan that haunted to slip through my lips.

“The sunset?” There was a curious undertone to her voice. It seemed like that really caught her attention.

“Yes, you can see it from the attic window.” I said, and Maeve turned in my arms fully, moving away just enough to look up at me. There was a glint in her eyes, and a smile on her lips.

“I wanna see it.” She chimed.

I figured so.

“Okay.” I nodded, but made no attempt to let go of her. Heaven knew I didn’t want to.

Should I just carry her upstairs?

NO!

“We’ll miss it,” Maeve untangled our fingers and hands, pushed against my knees and stood up from the couch, adjusting her dress. I got just a few seconds to watch her before she reached down and got a hold of my hand. “Come-on, get up.”

I smiled at her futile attempts to pull up a man double her size and weight. But I stood up anyway, and she let out a difficult breath.

“Alright, come.” I took her hand and threaded our fingers together, before leading us to the flight of stairs.

It was my little secret place that I did not let anyone else wander around, even when I used to have my college mates hang out here. This was a first.

She was the first.