However, it did bring back a flood of memories fromthat night.
Fortunately, Jäger kept his mind from wandering. The puppy realized they’d reached their destination and hopped up from his bed in the back seat, peeking over the console, panting softly.
“Yep, we’re here, boy,” he told the dog as he turned off the truck.
Jäger let out an excited yip and tried to put his front paws on the console. He was still getting his legs under him, but it wouldn’t be long before he was getting where he wanted to go without help from anyone.
“You good?” Nico asked, reaching for Stevie’s hand.
“Yeah. You?”
He nodded.
“You jealous?”
“No.” He huffed a laugh, releasing her hand so he could open the door. “I intend to have you in my bed from here on out.” He got out of the truck. “What’s there to be jealous about?”
Nico walked to the front of the truck to wait for her to get Jäger out, his rumbling stomach reminding him of the reason they were there. It had been an incredibly long day. Probably because yesterday had bled right into it, and they were still going after an eventful night.
“I hope you’re—” Nico cut himself off when he realized Stevie was no longer smiling.
“Did you mean it?”
He figured now wasn’t the time to play dumb, so he turned to face her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her against him. This was Stevie, so he knew what she was referring to. It was obvious she’d been thinking about it ever since he said the words a short time ago.
“When I said I love you?”
“Or was that your way of—”
He cut her off. “I meant it, Stevie. Both times I said it. I love you. It wasn’t about me bein’ jealous.”
“You sure?”
“Definitely.” He tipped her chin up as he leaned in. “Didyoumean it?”
“Yeah.” Her smile was shy. “But don’t let it freak you out, okay?”
“Why would it freak me out?”
“You’re a guy. Shit like that sometimes freaks you out.”
“Shit like that?”
“You know, emotional crap.”
“You say the sweetest things,” he teased, using the phrase she used on him so often.
“I try.”
Nico pressed his lips to hers. “You said you trusted me.”
“I do.”
“Then know I’ll never lie, and I’ll never run.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. He didn’t mean to paint a target on Stone, and he knew that was the fastest way to get Stevie to question what they were doing with him. It wouldn’t take much for her to reconsider or, worse, let her fears get the best of her. Nico wanted this, and so far, Stone hadn’t given them any reason to doubt his intentions.
Granted, Stone had been back for a whopping three weeks, so Nico wasn’t sure he could make that determination. What he did know was that he wasn’t interested in fighting this. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was happy.
