“How many times have you done that?”
He runs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know, probably about a dozen times now.”
And that’s why I know I’m going to marry this man someday.
He kisses me softly. “Is that okay?”
I nod, my fingers pulling him closer. “I think it’s amazing.”
He kisses me then smiles at me. “So, what’s the big surprise? You’re not naked, and when you asked what I wanted for dinner, I told you, I want your ass.”
I shake my head and laugh. “My ass isn’t edible.”
His eyes instantly run over my body, that heated gaze he always has that changes his whole demeanor. “I disagree.”
I push him away gently. “Okay, don’t freak out.”
“Ah, the words that every man loves to hear right before they’re told something bad.”
I laugh.
“Don’t start with that and I won’t freak out,” he warns, dragging his nose down my throat before biting gently on my collarbone.
I thread my fingers through his dark, black hair, tugging lightly until his mouth finds mine. The kiss is slow but possessive, an unspoken claim in the way his lips move, in the way he tastes me like he’s making up for lost time.
For a long time, I forgot how good this is. The waiting. The yearning. The slow, delicious anticipation of two people being apart all day just to end up desperate and tangled together again when you finally reunite.
TheI miss yous.
TheI love yous.
TheI need you so much I can’t breathe. Can’t wait to be inside you when I get home.
The text messages he sends that have my body aching long before he touches me. And when he finally does, he always comes through.
His job has been consuming most of his free time over the past month that we made things official, but he still makes time to make love to me every night. With April just around the corner, the first residential apartments are almost finished and ready to be furnished.
From what he’s shared, people have already expressed interest, they just can’t start showings until they hire a better designer and a realtor.
It’s not surprising to me. Prime location, great price, new upgrades and a transient city have them demanding more. But I see the stress behind his eyes, the weight of it in the way heexhales at the end of each day. They’re going to make a profit. Employees are getting their checks. This is just the beginning. More buildings, more expansion, more opportunity is his plan. He’s finally working for himself and he’s happy. And I’m so proud of him. For building something that’s his. For getting everything he deserves after working his ass off for so long. Even if it’s exhausting.
“I have a private investigation gig tonight,” I finally say, right as his lips latch onto my neck, sending a jolt of heat straight to my core.
The shift in the room is immediate. His grip tightens. His whole body stiffens against mine. I haven’t taken a job in well over four weeks, been too focused on soaking in every spare moment with him. But a monthly scan of my finances and outstanding debt tells me that I really need the extra cash.
Now that we’retogether-together—dating, learning each other in ways that go beyond sex and focus more on emotional intimacy—I feel even more motivated to pay off my divorce loans. To close that chapter of my life completely so that I can start fresh without bringing any more baggage to the table.
The last thing I want is to be a burden to him and Eden. And I’m already living here for free though I know that doesn’t bother him or her even a little.
“Why?” His voice is deeper.
“It’s important to me that I pay off my divorce debt,” I say, softer this time. “You’re already covering everything else for me—rent, bills, groceries. It’s too much. I need to do this for myself.”
A low growl rumbles in his chest, his hands gripping me harder. “It’s never too much. You’re mine. I take care of what’s mine.”
I slide my hands up his chest and around his neck, kissing him slow, letting him feel that I see him and understand how he’sfeeling. That Igethim and his need to take care of the people that he loves. His hands lock around my hips, possessive, unrelenting, like he’s trying to convince me to let him bear the weight I refuse to put on him. I’m not letting him take this thing from me. I’m not adding one more thing to his load. This isn’t his mess to clean.
“I know,” I whisper. “And I love how much you love taking care of me. But this… this is something I need to do on my own. I’m putting all my teaching paychecks into the debt, the work from the PI gig and the bar will only help me get out of debt faster. Without any other bills, I’m projected to pay it off by the end of this year. That’s way sooner than I could have ever imagined, Gabriel.”
