PERIPHERY | NH |

FORTY FOUR

Hunter

Two Years Later

"Babe, what do you think of this sound?"

Walking down the hall, I lean against the doorframe of the studio Niall built in our house, crossing my arms over my chest. "You do realize I don't work for you anymore — right?"

Turning in his chair, Niall glares at me. "Yes, I'm aware — now get over here."

"This better be good... I was reading." Moving across the room, I slide onto his lap as he wraps his arm around my waist. "The brother just found out his best friend and his sister have been hooking up."

"Oh, is that the one I picked out?" He looks at the soundboard in front of him. "I thought we were going to read that one together."

My head tilts back as I laugh. "Naill, you still haven't finished the last one we were supposed to read together. Good smut waits for nobody."

Rolling his eyes, he turns to me. "Not even fiancés?"

Pressing his lips to mine, I smile when I feel the tips of his fingers trace along my ring finger.

I'll never forget the night Niall proposed.

Ever since we left Scotland together two years ago, I knew it was coming at some point — I just didn't know when.

Honestly, I didn't care whether he proposed or not.

We were happy and that was all that mattered.

It turns out that Scotland stayed on his mind, because a year later on the same day that we said goodbye to my dad — that's where Niall got on one knee and asked me to marry him.

According to him, he wanted my dad to be able to see it.

He had been planning it for so long that Cooper and Sloane were there with their baby, helping Niall by placing lanterns along the path and setting everything up.

I've never answered a question so fast in my life.

Now here we are, living together and so in love that it's honestly disgusting.

"Not even fiancés." I laugh, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Are you going to play me this song or what?"

Reaching forward, he pressing the button as he sits back and pulls me into his chest, letting the song play.

It's a perfect mix of everything he's been working on this past year, the style only he can have because he's Niall.

"I love this." I smile. "You've got all of your sounds mixed at the right levels and the. You've got the perfect backing to it."

Pressing the button to pause it, Niall reaches up and cups my hand in his jaw, pulling me down to bring his lips to mine. I love the way he touches me, the way only he knows how to make fire travel through my veins with everything he does.

Sliding his tongue across mine, I move to straddle his legs in the oversized chair as he drops his kisses to my neck, down to my exposed shoulder of his old sweater that's three sizes too big for me. "You should probably get back your book, don't you think?"

Shaking my head, I let my head roll back on my shoulder as my hips roll against his.

"That's what I thought, sweet girl." Reaching under the hem of the sweater, Niall pulls it up and over my head, groaning at the sight of my bare breasts in front of him. "You're literally trying to kill me before we get married, aren't you?"