“He’ll be out soon.” With good behavior, Angelo’s sentence won’t last more than another six weeks, and Connor is already working with the FBI to stage the man’s “death.”
Nash’s shoulders heave with a heavy breath, and he pulls me tighter against him. “He doesn’t have to live in Seattle, does he? Maybe…Portland? Or San Francisco?”
Every month, Nash drives two hours south to the federal prison in Olympia to see his father, but despite a hell of a lot of therapy, he still hasn’t made peace with what Angelo did twenty years ago.
“We can set him up wherever you feel comfortable, darlin’. He’ll be a free man. If you decide after a spell you want him closer, we’ll make it happen.”
“You’re sure? Y’all have given me so much already—”
The laugh escapes before he can finish his thought. “Y’all? And here I thought you didn’t know a bit from a butt. I’m rubbin’ off on you.”
All his stress melts away as he kisses me again, long and hard, like it’s the very first time and he can’t get enough of me. Even after six months of makin’ a home together, fightin’ over paint colors and teachin’ the world’s most stubborn puppy that the rug is for nappin’, not pissin’, we haven’t cooled one bit.
“You can rub—”
“Stop right there, Nash Grace. Dinner’s fixin’ to be ready in twenty minutes, and Ripley needs her walk first.” I slap his ass, and he pinches mine before he lets me go. “Now git outta my way. This chicken ain’t gonna cook itself.”
As the credits roll on screen, Nash brushes his lips to my neck, just below my scarred ear. “You’re right. The original Halloween was pretty awesome.”
Most nights, if I’m not on mission, we end up here. On the couch, the cat and dog curled up in Ripley’s bed at our feet, watchin’ TV or workin’ on some project—like the new banister that went in last week. I worried, for a time, that Nash would get tired of stayin’ in one place. That he’d want someone who was always up for an adventure. But after moving around for more than half his life, I think he craves this—home—as much as I do.
He slides his hand along my hip, setting my core on fire. “Ready to turn in?”
“If by ‘turn in’ you mean ‘ready for you to strip off all my clothes and have your way with me,’ then yes. I am.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Upstairs, he backs me against the wall, his rough palm skimming over my throat to my jaw. Raw need flashes in his eyes, but behind it, there’s so much more. “You’re everything I never knew I wanted, Raelynn. My home. My heart. I love you.”
“Then kiss me, darlin’. Because I love you too.”
