Never Stop

28. Via

Chapter twenty-eight

Via

" Y ou aren't going to tell me where we are going?" I've been begging Ander for two days to clue me in on these big plans he's holding captive as a secret, but he isn't budging. He knows I love surprises, but I absolutely hate knowing about them. The anticipation of the unknown sends my mind into a tailspin, and I'm not a fan.

He shakes his head firmly, and I let out a huff and cross my arms in an attempt to argue.

"You can act mad. That's cool. You're even cuter when you pout." He says as he runs his index finger over my bottom lip, which is pushed out like the mature adult I am.

"Ass!" The word comes out through a laugh, and he smiles in return before cupping my face in his hand and tilting my head up as he leans in to kiss my lips gently. His warm and woodsy scent invades my senses, and the softness of his tender kiss causes heat to flare in my core. He knows exactly what he's doing. I place a hand on his chest, nudging him back.

"I told you, Valentine's Day is just another day. We don't have to do anything big or special. We can stay here and binge movies while overeating pizza and popcorn until we're sick, and I'll be happy. Because simply being with you is special."

His dreamy caramel-brown eyes meet mine, and there's fire behind them, which causes goosebumps to spread over my skin, and a shiver trails down my spine. Ander shakes his head slowly and intently.

"I love that about you. I love that you're happy with the simple things. Because I am, too. We've known each other practically our entire lives and have never been able to celebrate this day together properly. Don't get me wrong; I will love you fiercely, loudly, and unapologetically every day we are together." He steps towards me and combs one hand through my hair while the other strokes his thumb up and down the apple of my cheek.

"I want to make every day we get to spend together special; I want all our days to be worth remembering. Including this one." He leans in and kisses my forehead, then gently tugs my hair, pulling my head slightly back, causing our eyes to meet again.

"Now, stop fighting me on it and get your pretty ass dressed."

"How the hell do I argue with that?" My voice is raspier than usual, and my words come out breathy. Maybe because he knows how to take the damn air right out of my lungs like it's his hobby.

He snorts out a laugh before turning to walk away.

"You don't. You do what I say," He looks over his shoulder and flashes me a wink. Leaving me fucking breathless and nearly panting. This man, here. I swear.

"Fucker," I mumble under my breath in a sad attempt at a protest.

"But. . . How do I know what to wear if I don't know where we are going?" I call out after him. This time, it's not a protest but a genuine question. He stops walking away and turns back to look at me, but he stays rooted and does not take any further steps back in my direction.

He waits a few beats before responding, but I can tell he's mulling over his words carefully by the grin pulling at his mouth as he looks me over. He slowly lets his eyes graze over my body, taking their time traveling up and down my frame. I shift on my feet, feeling completely aware of myself under the pressure of his intense gaze.

"Open my side of the closet; that should help you decide." A dark chuckle escapes from him, and then he turns around and walks out of the room like he didn't just rile me up and turn me on by the way he looked me over like I was his own personal buffet.

After catching my breath and a few audible gulps later, I approach his closet. Ander's primary bedroom, which was my parent's room, has two main walk-in closets, one larger than the other. He generously gave me the bigger one for the clothes I keep here, which is almost all of my wardrobe since I'm here more than home.

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to find here.

My line of questioning comes to an instant halt as the doors to his closet open fully. Hanging right in front of me is a gorgeous black sequin dress glimmering in all of its beautiful glory. I pull it off of the rack to look it over further. There's also a feminine shoe box lying directly beneath it.

Holy hell.

I'd never bought a piece of clothing so extravagant for myself. Now I'm nervous about where we could possibly be going to wear something so elegant.

Part of me wants to storm out of the room and fuss over him for spending money on me like this, and another part wants to ravage him for the gesture, but ultimately, the part that can't wait to try this on wins.

I step into the dress, struggling to zip it alone but managing to handle it solo. It fits me perfectly and hugs my curves exactly where you'd want it to. It's a spaghetti strap halter dress with a deep v-neck. My boobs look amazing, but I'm definitely not used to them being on display like this. I'm more of one to hide behind my clothing rather than pop out of it.

I have to do my hair and makeup to match, which may be a challenge since I'm not one to fancy up like this often and prefer to stick to as minimal as possible, but despite questioning my capabilities, I get right to work. I keep my face makeup light but decide on heavier eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and deep red lipstick. I settle on curling my hair; I'm actually pretty proud of myself for how well it came out. I pulled the front of my hair back into a loose half-up and half-down bun. The shoes are just as stunning as I thought they'd be. A chunky black strappy heel, probably about four inches: I slide my foot into them and strap them on. Once complete, I stand up and head back over to the full-length mirror that rests to my right next to the vanity.

Taking a deep breath and smoothing my hands down the dress, I stand there, stunned for a second. I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt this beautiful.

I walk out of the closet and bedroom and make my way to the living room. I'm stopped short in the hallway, where a dozen white roses lay on the small table with a note. The note reads, " I can't wait to see you. "

That's so like Ander. Simple and straight to the point. I let out a small chuckle as my smile grew. I continued towards the living area. That is where I found Ander; his back was to me, but as I approached, the loud clunk of my heels gave me away, and he turned to me.

Wow . Just fucking wow.

Ander is dressed in a black suit that fits him perfectly. By fitting him perfectly, I mean it hugs his muscles just right, pronouncing every curve of his muscular build. The top button of the black shirt he's wearing is unbuttoned, showcasing the silver chain he got from his Grandfather that he never really takes off. His hair is styled and slicked backward, topping off the look to make him look like something straight from my best-wet dream. My mouth falls slightly agape as our eyes lock, and I have to remind myself not to drool.

Damn .

"Via," Ander and I stand in our perspective areas across the room from one another, almost as if we are locked in place, as we look each other over. He courses the palm of his right hand up and down his jawline and behind his neck, and the sexy half-smile on his face melts my heart, sends shivers down my spine, and causes a pool of heat to form at my core all at once.

"You… you look. . . perfect. Fucking perfect." His words come out deeper and raspier than usual, almost like a low growl.

I break our gaze, chuckling softly as I look down, getting an instant glimpse of my boobs, and immediately become very aware of myself on display for him like this, and the self-conscious side of me seems to take over. I nervously start smoothing and running my hands down the dress, and before the panic starts to creep in, I can feel Ander's presence consume me.

"Baby, look at me." He commands in the same tone as before, and damn if that doesn't set me ablaze. One of his hands gently wraps around one of my wrists as the other cups my face. Stopping my movements and thoughts right in their tracks. I gulp audibly as he steps in and closes the distance between us. My eyes flash up and meet his blazing gaze.

The heat behind his eyes matches the heat I feel between my legs.

"You look even more stunning than I pictured you would, Rosie. Let me see you. All of you ." His hands release their hold on me, and the hand that was cusped around my wrist grabs my hand as he lifts it and urges me to do a whole spin. I let out an awkward laugh, but I comply.

Once I finish my little princess twirl and make it back to face him, he envelopes me in his arms, dipping me down and colliding his lips with mine without a second thought. Wasting no time, he deepens the kiss, pushing his tongue past my lips and massaging my tongue with his. With everything in me, I kiss him back. Nibbling softly on his tongue and lip, pulling a deep grunt out of Ander. The kiss is everything but gentle. It's demanding, claiming even. Matching this moment, my knees feel weak, and my heart beats erratically. The hand around my waist tightens its grip, clenching me closer, and his hand around my neck pulls my face even closer. We are so close that the air in this room cannot pass between us.

A small moan escapes from me, and he swallows it as our tongues continue their dance. Ander pulls back slightly, firmly biting down on my bottom lip, then he pulls it into his mouth, sucks it hard, and releases it with a loud pop as he stands me up straight, all in the same motion.

Standing there breathless, heart pounding in my chest and now ready to rip these clothes off of both of us faster than I'm probably capable, I sighed through the giant cheesy smile plastered to my face. Because, really. What is there to say after a kiss like that?

Ander sits on the arm of the couch and leans down. Locking eyes with me, he runs the pad of his fingers up my legs. Starting at my ankles, he works his way up under the slit of the dress.

"I said I wanted to see all of you." His low voice gives me goosebumps.

"Then take a look," I counter.

He raises an eyebrow as his hand makes its way to my center, finding me bare for him beneath this gorgeous dress.

"No panties?" He wraps an arm around my hips and pulls me into him as he sinks to his knees before me.

"Ohhh," I cry out at the sight of him burying his head under my dress. He places a kiss right above my sensitive clit, and I shiver with excitement, knowing what's coming next.

….Nothing.

He does nothing .

He retreats and comes out from under the fabric with a smug, full smile spread across his face.

"Ready, baby?" His deep chuckle between his words sends another course of shivers down my spine.

"Wait, what—?" I ask, confused.

"Time to go." His chuckle grows into a full-blown laugh.

"You fucking tease! Are you really going to leave me unsatisfied?"

He stands up and pulls me into his embrace. His hand courses up and down my neck, squeezing gently as he angles my face up to his. He kisses me softly before nibbling on my bottom lip.

"You won't be unsatisfied for long. I will make it all worth your while. I promise. You know I keep my promises," he whispers, then throws me a seductive wink.

With a huff and a lip pout, I nod, "Fine! Still no hint as to where we are going and what we will do?"

"Nope!" Ander replies firmly, with a sexy, smart-ass half grin on his face.

Smug bastard .

"Well, Mr. Secretive, can you tell me if we will pass through Sugarland?"

"I'm not sure if I prefer Mr. Secretive over Mr. TikTok. Makes me sound like an asshole," He laughs.

"Well——" I laugh back, and he throws me a warning stare that does nothing but turn me on even more. What can I say? He's even sexier when he's angry. The petty part of me wants to find ways to slightly make him angry just to pull that stern look out of him.

"Yes, we are passing through Sugarland."

"Would we have time to stop at my house? I want to get my little black clutch that would pair well with this dress, and I need jewelry." I point to my neck and ears.

"Actually, that works. We are early, and I need to do something, so I can drop you off and give you about a half hour there. It'll also give you some time to check in on Izzy." Ander gives me a subtle wink.

He knows me. I couldn't give a shit about jewelry or a purse, but I received a text from Izzy earlier that she and Mav got into another argument, and she's spending Valentine's Day at the house. I know Valentine's Day isn't a big deal for me, but Izzy isn't me. She looks forward to this shit, and to know she's home alone breaks my heart.

I'm unsure if my showing up looking like this on my way to some fancy date night will make her feel better or worse, but I need to check in on her.

Wait .

"What do you need to handle? Or is that another secret?" I arch an eyebrow and throw him a curious glare.

He laughs and shakes his head. "Quiet your mouth and your mind, Rosie. It will all make sense, I promise." He leans in once more and kisses my forehead while cupping my neck before he releases me, turns, and walks away.

"Hey Ander,"

He pauses his steps and looks back at me over his shoulder.

"Hmm?" He hums.

"I love you." My words are soft, timid almost, but damn, the feeling behind them is something fierce.

"I know, baby. I plan on showing you exactly how much I love you, too. Today and every day." He smiles, flashing those perfect teeth at me, making my knees weak.