by L. A. Witt
My heart quickened. “Oh.”
“Was that, uh, more than you had in mind?”
“Not at all. I just didn’t think you’d want to go there quite yet.”
“I do.” He ran his thumb along the side of my leg. “I mean, if we’re living in the same town, do you really think we’ll be spending many nights apart?”
“Huh. Yeah. Good point.”
“Exactly. So why pay for two places?” He patted my leg. “Besides, I want to. I want to live with you.”
Heart fluttering, I smiled. “Me too.”
“That said, you do know I could get transferred someplace before I retire, right?”
“Like where?”
“Wherever there’s a base that needs a chief master-at-arms.” He paused. “I get some say in my orders, but it’s not always guaranteed.”
“I can live with that. And, I mean, if I end up getting a good job in Oregon, we can always do the long-distance thing temporarily until you retire.”
“True. But for the foreseeable future, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” I glanced at him again. “Because Anchor Point is starting to grow on me.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
We exchanged smiles, and I kept driving toward my place. When we got there, we hurried inside, and as soon as the door was shut, he dropped his bag at his feet and wrapped his arms around me. “God, finally.”
“I know, right?” I pulled him into a kiss. It wouldn’t be long before we were in my bed, naked and fooling around like a couple of teenagers, but we weren’t in quite such a hurry this time. The sex would happen. For the moment, I was happy to be with him again. The thought of living in the same place? Seeing him every single day after work? Sleeping in the same bed every night?
Whoa. Just . . . whoa.
Noah drew back and smoothed my hair. “I’m serious, by the way. I know the whole process won’t happen overnight, but I want us to live together.”
I smiled. “Me too.”
“And I know I say this a lot,” he said, caressing my cheek, “but thank you. For sticking by me through this.”
I pushed myself up and kissed him. I almost hadn’t stuck with him, and I couldn’t put it into words how grateful I was that he’d been persistent. That he’d come to Denver in a last-ditch Hail Mary to apologize, and that he’d really, truly been trying to both straighten himself out and make us work. Maintaining a long-distance relationship was enough of a headache. Sobering up was hell for any addict. Doing both at the same time? If ever I’d doubted how strong Noah really was, I didn’t anymore. I admired him. And I was grateful for him.
If I started telling him that, though, I’d wind up falling apart, and right now, all I wanted was to be with him and enjoy our visit. So I just met his gaze, smiled, and whispered, “I love you, Noah.”
“I love you too.”
Then I grinned and gestured down the hall. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you into the bedroom for your scheduled orgasm.”
Noah burst out laughing. “Scheduled? Doesn’t that kind of take the fun out of it?”
“Of course not.” I took his hand and tugged him with me. “Because if we get close to the deadline, then we have to pick up the pace. Adds to the excitement, you know?”
“Huh.” He followed, chuckling. “Never thought of it that way. But I’m not sure I believe you, so you’re going to have to prove it.”
I glanced back and winked. “Game on.”
Explore more of the Anchor Point series: riptidepublishing.com/titles/series/anchor-point
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Anchor Point series
Just Drive
Afraid to Fly
Rank & File (coming soon)
Bad Behavior series, with Cari Z
Risky Behavior
Suspicious Behavior (coming soon)
Kinky Sprinkles
Rain Shadow (a Bluewater Bay story)
Starstruck (a Bluewater Bay story)
Running With Scissors
Roped In, with Marie Sexton
Finding Master Right
Static
Covet Thy Neighbor
Where Nerves End
Writing as Lauren Gallagher
Stuck Landing (a Bluewater Bay story)
Razor Wire
Writing as Ann Gallagher
Lead Me Not
All the Wrong Places (a Bluewater Bay story)
Writing as Lori A. Witt
The Tide of War
See L.A. Witt’s full booklist at: gallagherwitt.com
L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn't lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don't tell Lauren. And definitely don't tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .
Website: www.gallagherwitt.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @GallagherWitt
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