Page 90 of Wild Heart

“We’ll definitely be back for the next class,” one of a pair of friends had declared.

“Aw, thank you. I can’t wait to see you all again.”

As the class dispersed, I watched them go and felt something swell in my chest. There was such a sense of accomplishment and pride for what I’d done, and I couldn’t stop grinning.

The smile on my face grew larger when, after all the dancers had left, Tate walked in. He was carrying a bouquet.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to surprise you after your first class. I know how hard you’ve been working, and I wanted to show you some support. It seems like you had a lot of people here.”

I moved toward him, and Tate didn’t hesitate to kiss me before handing me the flowers. I held them up to my nose and inhaled the gorgeous fragrance. “Thank you for these. This is really sweet of you. It was a great class today.”

“Did everyone like it?”

Nodding, I said, “I think so. They all seem eager for the next one.”

Tate smile, pressing another kiss to my lips. “I’m so proud of you.”

“And I’m just glad that you’re here to celebrate this with me. It means everything to me.”

With his arm wrapped firmly around my back, Tate gave me a squeeze. “I’m never not going to be here for you. No matter what, you’re always going to have me.”

“I think that’s finally sinking in.”

And it was.

Admittedly, I had been a little concerned at first. But Tate quickly proved to me that he was all in, that us being together and happy was all that mattered.

“My place or yours tonight?” he asked.

“You choose.”

“Let’s go to yours.”

“Oooh. Tate Westwood, naked in my bed tonight. What will I do with myself? Or, better yet, what will I do with you?”

Tate laughed. “I don’t think there’s a single thing I won’t allow you to do to me.”

I grinned at him, a bunch of ideas running through my head. “Can we pick up dinner on the way home?”

“I already planned on that.”

“You did?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to have to worry about it after your first night. I figured we’d have a little celebration.”

“Mmm. Too bad The Sweet Landing is already closed. I really could have gone for some of Rhea’s ice cream. Just imagine how fun that would have been.”

Tate’s brows pulled together. “Fun?”

I bit my lip and batted my eyelashes innocently. “I mean, who needs a cone when I can lick the ice cream from your body?”

He was momentarily stunned. “Jesus, Ava. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

There was no way he didn’t like it, but I’d play along. “Is it bad?”

Curling me fully into his body, Tate dropped his mouth to mine and kissed me. With his lips lingering there, he insisted, “It’s one of my favorite things about you.”