It was just before 5:00 a.m. when Nora woke. She rolled over on her back, saw Asher sleeping in the bed beside her. Her hand was throbbing, and she needed to pee. She eased out of bed, tiptoed into the bathroom, and closed the door. When she was through, she took a pain pill from the bottle on the counter, ran a little water in the glass, and downed it.
She combed her fingers through her hair, then turned out the light before opening the door so she wouldn’t wake Ash, but he was already awake.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Potty break and a pain pill,” she said, and slipped back into bed.
He pulled up the covers, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across her lips. “You still have my old football jersey.”
“I sleep in it. It was as close as I could get to being in your arms,” she said.
He groaned. “I regret being the coward. For not being man enough to call and ask your mom how to contact you. Here you are still sleeping in my old jersey and every year on your birthday, I stick a candle in a piece of carrot cake, then light it and make a wish for you.”
Nora’s eyes welled with sudden tears. “Why did we let this happen?”
“I don’t know, but having been given a second chance, there’s no way in hell I’m losing you again. If you weren’t hurt, you’d be naked right now. Keep that in mind, okay?”
“Okay.”
He slid his arm beneath her neck and pulled her close. “It’s too early to get up, darlin’. We can sleep, or we can talk. I don’t care which, but I don’t want to give up this bed with you in it.”
“I’m hurting too much to sleep. Maybe we could talk until the pill kicks in?”
“Then I have something I wanted to ask you the entire length of our senior year. Nora Borden, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Anywhere. Anytime. In a heartbeat.”
“Thank you for the second chance,” he said, then kissed her again, and again, until kisses weren’t enough.
Nora reached for him then, holding on to him with one hand and every ounce of her will. “Make love to me, Ash. You aren’t going to hurt me. Just help me out of this shirt.”
The covers flew back.
Nora sat up as Asher rose from the bed, lifted the shirt over her head, and carefully hung it on the bedpost.
In the dawning light, his silhouette momentarily blocked the window. Nora’s heart was pounding as he came back to her, then he was above her. The moment he slid inside the wet heat of her, she sighed and then closed her eyes. It was just like always. One slow stroke, and she was his.
Asher’s concentration was off the chart, trying not to give in to the ecstasy of her too soon, but it was good, so good, and it felt so right. He was watching every nuance of her face—every flutter of her eyelashes as the minutes passed, until he could feel her tightening from the blood rush.
At that point, he knew within moments that she wasgoing to wrap her legs around his waist and pull him deeper, wanting it harder, wanting more. So, he gave her what she wanted. Heard the moan, and then the catch in her breath as the climax rolled right through her, then pleased himself by letting go.
He was still inside her, even though the last ripples of their lovemaking were beginning to fade, when he propped himself up on both elbows and brushed a kiss across her lips. “We’re still the perfect fit.”
Nora cupped the side of his face with her good hand. “Love always fills the awkward corners of a life. Love you most. And today, because I love you, you are going to take me home. I’ll be fine. Belker’s delivers from the pharmacy and from the grocery. I can still do my job with one hand, while you are going to devote every waking hour to the investigation with Gunner. We have the rest of our lives. You need to get those people out of circulation before Jacob is well enough to come home. Okay?”
He knew she was right, but didn’t like it. “Yes, okay.”
“If you’ll put a plastic bag over my hand, I would love a shower.”
He looked up, saw the expectation in her eyes, and grinned. “I suppose you’re going to want someone to scrub your back, too?”
Nora smiled. “You have the most beautiful blue eyes.”
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
She nodded.
“You still know how to tie me in knots,” he said.
