Creek laughed—that perfect, low rumble—as he worked over my back, then my arms, then down my thighs. My noises were inhuman. I had never felt so good in my life. Entirely boneless, he managed to get me on my back, then worked on my abs and pecs, then slowly gentled his touch on my hands.
I couldn’t seem to open my eyes, so instead I basked in the feel of him and the warmth of the salve he spread over my skin.He bypassed my dick, which was still half-hard, but he grazed a kiss over it, which sent it kicking up, though not getting any fatter. But he didn’t seem to want to go anywhere with it.
He just rested over me, paying me attention in ways no one ever had.
I was falling. I was going to crash.
“Babe?” I managed just as he finished massaging the ball of my foot.
I heard him cap the salve, and I peeled my eyes open in time to see him brace both hands on either side of me, meeting my gaze. “Yeah, darlin’?”
That was the moment everything snapped into place. The words left my lips before I had a chance to stop them. “I’m in love with you.”
He blinked rapidly, freezing.
Panic bubbled in my gut at his look, but I couldn’t take it back. I wouldn’t. He deserved to know.
“I’m not asking you to say it back,” I said once his breathing started up again. “But I needed to tell you. Everything you do for me…” I was losing my words. The feeling in my chest was so heavy and so light at the same time.
He licked his lips, then dropped forward, knocking our foreheads together. “Oh, Heath. I think I’m in love with you too. I’ve never been, so I’m scared I’ll get this all wrong, but I’m wild about you.”
I held on to him tightly. “Yeah?”
He nodded, then let a kiss linger at the corner of my mouth. “I want this with you. A forever. I’m…I’m not ready for big steps yet. I’m not ready to leave the guys?—”
“Creek, no,” I said quickly. I cradled his face and eased him backward. “I’m never going to ask you for something you’re not ready to give. I just need you to know that I’ve fallen for you.”
He traced my lower lip with the tips of his fingers, then breathed out a shaking sigh. “I’ve never been so happy.” He dropped next to me, and together, we managed to shuffle our way under the covers.
My skin was still humming from the massage and darkness was pulling at the edges of my vision. I wanted to bask in this moment, but my exhaustion was too much. “I think I’m going to fall asleep,” I confessed with a thick tongue.
He hummed and tucked me against him, curling his body around mine. After a beat, he laid a soft kiss along the back of my neck, then threaded our fingers together and rested our hands over my stomach. In and out, in and out, our breathing was matched.
“Sleep,” he said after a while. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Love you,” I said one last time for good measure.
He breathed against me, nosed through my hair, then whispered just as I was letting go, “Love you too. So damn much.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CREEK
A few weeks prior, I’d had one session with Morris, the job counselor Glenda had referred me to. He’d been kind and positive and constructive, and we’d made a list of my options. I’d promised to think about them, but it was hard. Morris had said my best option would be to go to college and get a degree, but the thought of being stuck inside all day terrified me. I wasn’t a theoretical person. I learned best by doing, which I had told Morris.
He’d then suggested several blue-collar jobs that offered on-the-job training, like becoming a car mechanic, a plumber, or a welder. I wasn’t opposed to those on principle, but it would mean being inside all day. Was there really nothing else I could do that would be more physically active? That would offer me the opportunity to spend time outside?
And so, for the first time, I’d done some research myself. I didn’t know what had changed that made me more willing to face my recovery. Maybe the weekly sessions with the Army shrink were helping. I still hated going, but I couldn’t deny I’d made progress. Slowly but surely, my anger was receding.
Or maybe the quiet support from Nash and especially from Heath, was giving me the courage to face the future. My strategyof sticking my head in the sand had worked while it lasted, but time was running out, and I needed alternatives. It was time to take matters into my own hands rather than let someone else decide for me what I was gonna do with the rest of my life.
My research had revealed something unexpected, something I hadn’t considered, and so I had requested a meeting with Glenda—the first time we’d had one at my initiative.
“What brings you in today, Sergeant Middleton?” she asked, sending me a warm smile.
I pulled the printed paper I’d brought with me out of my pocket and put it on her desk so she could see it. “I did some research, and I came across this article.”
She picked up the paper and scanned it, then lowered it and met my eyes. “Interesting.”
