Josh grins. “The Pine Box.”
67
Tessa
Josh parks his Lamborghini in a paid lot across the street from The Pine Box (and, of course, pulls a total “Josh” by slipping the attendant a hundred bucks to park it in a spot far away from any other car) and the two of us walk toward the bar. When we reach the front entrance, Kat’s already standing on the sidewalk in front of it, a huge smile on her gorgeous face, her hair glittering like gold in the late afternoon sun, her slender palms resting on her bump.
Kat and I exchange hugs and kisses and chat breezily for several minutes about the honeymoon and the baby and about how Kat knew “the second” she met me I was “perfect for” Ryan. Finally, when I feel like I’m gonna explode if I don’t get my ass inside that bar and throw myself at Ryan, Josh puts his arm around his chatty wife’s shoulders, guides her bulging frame toward a coffee place a few doors down, and leaves me to my mission.
I step inside the bar and pause for a half-second to let my eyes adjust to the dim light—and when they do, I’m shocked to find there’s nobody inside the place except for two stark figures: a bartender dressed in black behind the bar and... the man I love.Captain Ryan Ulysses Morgan. He’s sitting on the same stool he occupied when I first beheld his heart-stopping image three months ago, and looking even more perfect to me today than he ever did that night.
When Ryan spies me standing inside the door, his gorgeous face breaks into a beaming, wide smile. He stands and motions to the stool next to him—and I stride toward him, feeling like he’s pulling me on a string.
When I reach Ryan, I wordlessly throw myself into his open arms, press my aching, yearning body into his, and kiss his magical lips like I’ve never kissed any man before.
“I love you,” Ryan murmurs into my lips, his warm breath tickling my skin.
“I love you so much,” I reply, my heart leaping, my tears flowing. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you.”
Ryan tightens his grip around me and presses his body firmly into mine. “There’s nothing to forgive. Oh, God, baby, I’ve missed you so much.”
It’s easily the most electric moment of my entire life.
“I was just scared,” I gasp, my entire body trembling. “I’m a loon.”
He chuckles and nuzzles his nose into mine and his stubble rubs softly against my chin. “It’s okay. If you’re a loon, I don’t care. I love it all.”
“I’m not scared anymore,” I whisper. “I trust you. I love you. I want to be with you.”
He cups my face in his palms, his blue eyes blazing. “I’ll never hurt you, Tessa—I promise I’ll always be worthy of your trust. I can’t live without you.”
“Me, either,” I agree, tears streaking out of my eyes.
Ryan’s face lights up. “You mean that?”
I nod.
He kisses me deeply, his body quite plainly telling me what’s in his heart, his lips devouring me, our physical connection more powerful than any words could ever be. After several moments of passionate, elated kissing, we somehow manage to peel our lips apart and sit our bodies down onto our stools, our fingers interlaced, our chests heaving, our faces on fire.
“I just needed time to process,” I explain. “It’s my Achilles’ heel: I make snap-decisions at work every day, but when it comes to my emotions, I can’t do it.”
“I understand,” he says. “I mind-fucked you. I justified it in my head as the end justifying the means, but the bottom line is I wasn’t completely honest with you. I won’t do that again. I’ll always tell you the whole truth from now on.”
“I understand why you did it,” I say. “Honestly, you played me exactly right. If you’d told me everything right up front, I probably would have freaked out.”
He laughs. “You definitely would have.”
We share a smile.
He sighs. “Babe, that phone call. I still can’t—”
“I know it was Charlotte,” I say, cutting him off.
“She told you?”
“No. Charlotte’s on a cruise with her parents—no cell phone service.”
Ryan palms his forehead.
