Christ, he’d come five times himself since they woke up in bed together that first morning and his cock still hadn’t fully deflated. They were either making up for years worth of deprivation or they were always going to be like this, in which case, yeah, she was going to kill him.
“Laura?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re not ready to hear this and I don’t expect you to reciprocate but I have to say it.”
“If you use the L word before I say yes to moving in here Nash Yates I’m going to shoot you.”
The lack of heat in her words and the smile on her face told him she wasn’t serious and he could hold in his chuckle.
“Woman, you won’t need to shoot me, you keep fucking me the way you are and I’ll be dead before long.” He swallowed his next laugh, his tone going serious. “And I’m not going to my grave without telling you how I feel.”
“Fine. But I reserve the right to still say no to moving in.”
“Wait, what does me saying the L word have to do with you moving in?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Shouldn’t the L word get thrown around before the moving in or should the moving in happen before the L word?”
“I’m not even sure what that means.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Laura Murdock, move in or not, I love you. I’ve been in love with you for years and now that I have you you’ll need one of those fancy restraining order thingys you’re good at enforcing to keep me away.”
“It’s not too soon?”
“It doesn’t feel too soon to me.”
She finally opened her eyes and looked at him. Her gaze searched his and he could see the fear and longing tangled together. “Nash?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t feel like it’s too soon either, but I think my dad might have a heart attack if I moved in here with you before we’d even been on a date.”
“So we’ll keep the whole love thing just between us until you’re comfortable with everyone else knowing we’re together. But make no mistake, they will know. As soon as this storm moves on we’re going to Della’s and sitting right were the whole town can see us. On a date.”
“You’re okay with that? Taking it slow in public?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“It doesn’t seem fair.” Her gaze moved down my body. “Especially when I’m naked in your bed and your professing your love.”
“Laura, it’s what you need and I’ll always give you what you need. I love you just as you are.”
“You love me as I am.”
“Yeah, as you are.”
“You love me, Laura Murdock.”
“We’ve established that.”
“I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is the same as you because I’ve never done this before but I can definitely say that I love you as you are too.”
Nash grinned. “You love me as I am.”
God. He wanted to sink inside her again. But they needed to eat.
Throwing back the covers, he rolled out of bed and stretched. It wasn’t as cold in the bedroom as it had been. The fire he’d been stoking for days had kept the living area warm and slowly permeated into this room. It helped that he’d left all the doors open.
“I know you have a physical job, but that body…”
