Brooke groaned dramatically as he pushed himself up on muscular arms and began to move, giving her deep thrusts that hit all the right spots and had her climbing toward another peak in no time at all. Making her senseless with desire was his superpower, or so it seemed to her as they clung to each other in a moment of perfection that never ceased to leave her stupefied in the aftermath. Until him, she hadn’t known such things were even possible. Now she couldn’t imagine living without him or the special kind of magic he brought to her life.
“I can’t wait until next fall when we get to sleep together every night,” she whispered.
“I can’t wait until this summer when you can sleep at my place every night. In fact, you should just plan to stay with me rather than moving home. You can still be with your family all the time.”
She hadn’t considered that possibility. “We wouldn’t have to wait months to be together every day.”
“What do you think your parents would say about it?”
“They know we’re planning to live together in the fall. I can’t imagine they’d object to us spending the summer together, too. They love you almost as much as I do.”
“If there’s tension between them, it might be better for you not to be on the front lines of that.”
“But I’d hate to leave Abby and Ethan to deal with it on their own.”
“They won’t have to deal with it. Your folks won’t fight in front of them.”
“No, they won’t, but the silence can also be deafening, you know?”
“You’d be right there in town if the kids needed you.”
“True. The thought of being with you like this every day, with no school to deal with for a few months, makes me feel breathless with excitement.”
“I like when you’re happy. All I want is to make you happy every day.”
“You do. Even when we’re not together. But when we are…”
“That’s the best thing ever.”
“It sure is.”
Brooke felt guilty for feeling as if she was on top of the world when her parents and Ethan were struggling with so many challenges. But even as she stood ready to support them through whatever came next, she took a little moment to enjoy the sheer joy of being completely in love with the most wonderful man.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Malone returned to Sam’s office almost an hour after he’d left, he looked much better than he had earlier. He’d showered, shaved and changed into a navy pullover and khakis. He wore his gold badge on his belt, and his normally amiable eyes had taken on a hard edge that was so unlike him that it startled her.
“Are you ready to talk to Mayfield?” he asked. “Lindsey has done the DNA swabs.”
“I’m ready when you are, and Charity Miller is standing by, too. How do you want to play this?”
“My plan is to trap him with his own hubris.”
“I’m down with that. I’ll let you take the lead and step in if needed?”
“Sounds good. I’m very determined not to get emotional.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take it so you don’t have to?”
“I thought about handing it off, but I decided the emotion will make me more effective if I can just keep it in check.”
“You will. You’ll find your zone and get it done.”
“If I falter…”
“I’ll be right there and ready to take over.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
