“Do it without me,” Luke said. “Continue it.”
“I don’t know how to do the biology,” Ash said. “And you came up with the idea. I can’t steal your research—that’s not fair to you.”
Luke shrugged. “Then write a computational paper. You truly have my blessing. If I’m not doing it, someone should. And maybe one day, I’ll reference your paper in mine.”
Before Ash could speak, Luke pressed his lips to theirs, and suddenly, everything fell into place. Ash no longer worried about the guilt eating them alive. This, what they had with Luke, was all that mattered.
Chapter thirteen
Epilogue
One year later
Ash leaned against the counter and wiped the sweat from their brow with the sleeve of their t-shirt. A cardboard box sat at their feet, nearly bursting with weight. Ash surveyed the small kitchen, with its new countertops and gas stove. A small, circular table was still disassembled against the wall, but Ash could pictureexactlywhere it would go.
Cardboard boxes littered the living room and spilled over into the kitchen.Fuck—Ash hadn’t realized how much stuff they had until they started packing. Sweat beaded on Ash’s brow and neck; they had to figure out where the controls to the air conditioning were.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around Ash’s shoulders from behind, and Luke’s stubbled jaw pressed against Ash’s cheek with a kiss.
“Welcome home,” Luke whispered in their ear.
Ash let out a soft laugh. “Thanks for suggesting we buy a house.” Luke had traded his rented house for a brand-new condo five minutesaway from the university; his new pharma job came with aheftyraise and sign-on bonus.
“It’s not like we didn’t already spend most of our nights together,” Luke said. Ash couldhearLuke roll his eyes as he kissed Ash’s neck right above their collarbone.
A shiver went through Ash. “I’m all sweaty, and we still have six more boxes in the car.”
“Screw the car,” Luke said before pressing another kiss to Ash’s neck. “Let’s see if we both fit in the shower.”
Now it was Ash’s turn to roll their eyes. They already knew the answer to that particular experiment, but Ash wasn’t going to turn down sex.
As Luke pulled Ash up the stairs, a single thought ran through Ash’s mind: between the job, the man, and the research, theydidhave it all.
