And that’s why I’d wait forever to hear her say those words back.
Because I never thought I’d trust this way again, never mind love.
“Fuck, I love you,” I groaned as she came around me, milking my cock and urging me closer to my own climax. I buried my head in her neck, thrusting harder, deeper, because nothing ever felt enough with this woman.
“Theo …” Her breath hitched on my name as her fingernails dug into my waist. “Theo.”
“Yes.” I lifted my head, locking eyes with her. “I’m yours, Sarah,” I panted. “Are you mine?”
She nodded, grasping tighter to me. “I’m yours.”
The words triggered my orgasm and sensation coursed down my spine and legs as I emptied inside her. Giving her everything.
“Good God.” I rested my temple against hers as my cock pulsed. “I never knew …” I’d never known it could be like this. I’d had plenty of sex in my life, but until Sarah, I’d never realized how bloody hollow all those other times had been.
I pressed a kiss to her temple, then her cheek, another to her nose and then her mouth. Our kiss was slow, reassuring, and a sense of calm came over me for the first time since I’d told her I loved her.
She might not be able to say it back yet, but she’d admitted we belonged to each other. It was enough for now.
“How was your day?”Sarah asked Jared as we ventured into the kitchen to start dinner.
Like us, his hair was wet, suggesting he’d showered as soon as he returned home.
He shot us a look over his shoulder as he stirred milk into a coffee. He glowered at me, and I tried not to laugh. Clearly, he knew what we’d been up to. No one showers in the middle of the day unless they were a farmer returning from work.
“It was fine.” He leaned against the kitchen counter, near the sink, watching us as we moved around, pulling ingredients out of the fridge. “What’s happening?”
“We’re making dinner.” Sarah beamed at him. Her cheeks were still a little flushed from our earlier exertions. “Theo’s making fajitas and I’m helping.”
Jared eyed me. “You cook?”
“I do. I hope you like Mexican.”
“I’ll eat anything. Thanks,” he reluctantly added.
“I noticed a lot of prepacked meals in the fridge.” Sarah gave her cousin an admonishing look.
Jared scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. The man appeared exhausted. “Sarah, I don’t have time to cook for myself at the moment. The meals do in a pinch.”
Guilt clouded Sarah’s expression. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Not being here.”
He shook his head even as he reached out to pull her into his side for a hug. Jared kissed the top of Sarah’s head. “Never feel guilty for living your life.” He squeezed her. “I’m proud of you.”
I decided at that moment to forgive him his high-handedness when he’d barged in on us in Gairloch. It was clear the cousins shared a deep affection, and I was glad, after learning what Sarah had put up with in her early years, that she had Jared. I was maybe even a little envious of it.
As I chopped peppers, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I set the knife on the counter and looked to see who was calling. My agent. What on earth … “Fern?” I answered, sensing Sarah’s and Jared’s regard.
I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room that looked like something out of a cozy Christmas catalogue.
“Theo, sorry to call you during the holidays, but I thought you should know that an admin assistant here at the agency has come forward with some information that might relate to the Hangman murders.”
A chill skated down my spine. “What kind of information?”
“We just handed it over to the police in charge of the investigation. I’m sure they’ll be in touch, but I felt awful at the thought of leaving you out of the loop. Because …” She sighed heavily. “Theo, it’s fan mail. Addressed to you. You know when we usually receive fan emails, we either forward them to the intended or delete. These were actual letters, and the assistant thought they were odd, so she just filed the letters away to be forwarded to you later. Except she’s been doing that for two years.” She sounded angry. “The letters are disturbing. The person seemed to believe that he was Charlie King and wanted to thank you for bringing his story to life.”
