Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
He nodded minutely and gathered my arms around his neck, and then he deepened the kiss. Finally, finally, finally. He had to be mine. I couldn’t fucking cope with the alternative. Our tongues met teasingly, like the sweetest fucking reunion. For once, neither of us was in a hurry. We needed each other’s affection a whole lot more than a quick fuck.
“Spell it out for me,” he murmured. “Tell me what changed. Tell me what you want. Lord knows I can’t fucking move on.”
I didn’t hold back.
I spoke in between languid kisses and took off his ball cap so I could get my fingers into his hair. “I wanna be happy with the love of my life. That’s what I want.”
He shivered and gave me the tightest hug, and I couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, ’cause Jake was gonna be Jake. He wanted a hand on my ass.
“I won’t leave her until she’s back on her feet, but she’s not my forever,” I said. “You are.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear. I can be patient.” He kissed his way down my neck, and I let out a breath as rivers of contentment flowed over all the aches. “I need time too. I gotta find the balls to confront my folks before I can put them behind me.”
I nodded and angled my face, wanting his lips on mine again. He complied, and we kissed hungrily, deeply, and tightened our holds on each other.
Mine, mine, mine.
He flicked the tip of his tongue against my upper lip. “I love you, by the way. I’m so fucking in love with you.”
I sucked in a breath as a surge of relief and unbridled joy coursed through me. Good luck wiping that smile off my face now.
I had a future again.
“It’s you and me,” I said. “It has to be.”
“I—yeah. That’s…” He took a breath and pressed our foreheads together. “I’ve been trying to come to grips with everythin’ so I can…you know. I’ve come out to a few people.”
I smiled and touched his cheek. He was downright adorable sometimes. “Yeah? Who? Aside from Greer…and I guess fuckin’ David.”
He chuckled silently, his eyes closed. “Yeah, those two. And Nikki and Joel.”
“Jesus—all your exes and admirers.”
“Your jealousy is givin’ me a much-needed ego boost, but you got nothin’a worry about.” He kissed me quickly. “Joel has his own issues. We’re just buddies—in a way. We text sometimes, that’s all.”
I was already relaxing, and I shook my head, because I didn’t want him to feel like he had to explain himself. “You don’t owe me an explanation—”
“I know, but I want to.” He opened his eyes again and cupped my face in his hands. “This past year since San Diego, we haven’t talked much. We see each other every day, but we’ve distanced ourselves from everything that might bring us closer. Does that make sense?”
Of-fucking-course it did. It was called self-preservation.
“You know it does,” I murmured.
“Right. So I don’t want that distance between us anymore.” He slipped his hands to the back of my neck and kissed my nose. Too fucking endearing. “You get me like nobody else does, Roe. You’re the one I wanna rant circles around when I can’t find the right words.”
I smiled, overwhelmed by how fucking light I felt for the first time in years. “I love you.”
He smiled back. “I love you too.”
Christ, what a high.
Maybe the hurt was finally over. Except for in my hand. My hand really fucking hurt.
“We have to get this place now,” I stated. “I’m emotionally invested. We already have memories.”
He grinned and let out a laugh. “I agree.”
Well, of course. We were the best duo America had ever seen.
God-fucking-dammit. I wrenched myself off the couch and winced as my whole body popped like a firecracker. I was thirty, not sixty.
Down the hall, the front door opened, and Sandra’s mom arrived. Right on time. Five in the goddamn morning.
I righted my sweats and tee, then left the living room to meet her.
She took one glance at me and sighed. “Did she kick you out of the bedroom again?”
Uh, yeah. But to be fair, I hadn’t really tried to fall asleep in there anyway. I’d just kept her company while she’d read Casper a bedtime story.
“It’s for the best these days,” I replied. Then I yawned and aimed for the coffeemaker. We had a big day ahead of us. September 29th marked the last interview Jake and I were doing for promotional reasons where Currahee was concerned, and it was our very own podcast. Nikki had hooked us up with the mother of all A-list actresses, who’d agreed to come on our show for a special episode.
While I waited for the coffee, I went to get dressed, and I made a half-assed attempt to tame my hair. Cargo shorts, a nice tee, socks, brand-new All Stars. I was such a fashion icon.