“So, what’s the truth?” His heart thudded against his sternum. He had a good idea what her answer would be, but this was still the second most nerve-racking moment of his life.
“That I’d fallen for you. Hard.”
Relief exploded like a starburst, followed quickly by a wave of happiness, and all he wanted was to be as close to Addison as humanly possible. He pressed his mouth to hers and pulled her even closer. Her lips parted, her tongue sliding along his. His cock became rigid and pressed insistently against the front of his shorts.
Rolling her under him, he nestled his hips between her legs and pressed forward. After more than a week apart, it felt like coming home—familiar and comforting.
She groaned and wrapped her outer leg around his lower back, tilting her hips. Her heat permeated through the thin layers of their underwear, stoking his arousal.
A door opened, and someone coughed, then a door closed.
Addison froze and stared at him. “Do you have a roommate?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “It’s your brother.”
“Braedon’s here?” She pushed him off and rolled to her side, facing him again. “We can’t have sex if my brother’s in the next room.”
“Well, that’s going to put a damper on things. He’s moving in next month.”
She stared at him with wide-eyed horror. It must have been similar to the look he’d given Braedon when he’d pulled the same joke on him.
He grinned. “I’m kidding, but he did mention moving down here. He’s under the impression you’ll be spending a lot of time here.”
She bit her lip. “Would you be okay with me moving here?”
He leaned up on an elbow. “Addy, if I had it my way, you’d move in with me tomorrow.”
“I think moving in right away would be a mistake. We need to date and get to know each other before we move in together.”
“I know everything I need to know about you,” he said.
“Really? What if I squeeze my toothpaste from the middle of the tube? What if you leave your toenail clippings on the bathroom counter? What if I like really gross stuff for breakfast, like…like…? I can’t think of anything gross right now, but you get the point.”
“I know you don’t squeeze your toothpaste from the middle. I clip my toenails over the toilet. And as long as you don’t eat raw eggs for breakfast, it doesn’t matter. But, yes, I get your point. We’ll go as fast or as slow as you want.”
“I love you,” she said.
Relief surged through him, and he pressed his forehead to hers. “That’s all I want.”
Epilogue
“I’m impressed,” Braedon said, setting the box marked kitchen on the island. “You made it three whole months before you caved.”
Addison glared at her brother. “Shut up, I didn’t cave. It was my idea. I was sleeping here all the time anyway.”
“You lost me twenty dollars, by the way. I had you holding out for another week.”
“Who won?” she asked. Not that she cared. She got a kick out of all the pools Leonidas ran.
“Devon did.” He plopped on the couch, stretching his legs out on the ottoman.
“Did he really?”
He stared at her suspiciously. “Did you know what week he bet on? Is that why you agreed to move in?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “No, I didn’t know. I didn’t even know there was a pool.” She tossed a stress ball she found in one of the boxes at his head. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping carry in boxes?”
“I did.” He pointed at the box he’d carried in.
“One box is not helping. Go help!”
He groaned dramatically but pushed up from the couch. “But I’m retired.”
“Just because you retired from the Navy, doesn’t mean you qualify for AARP! Go!”
“Fine! You’re a horrible sister!”
She grinned after him as he stomped out the door. She loved having him so close. Even though they’d rented an apartment together not far from downtown, she had spent most of her time at Devon’s house—now their house. Moving her stuff from the apartment to the carriage house was a technicality.
“How can you have so many boxes of shoes?” Braedon asked, coming back in. “You wore a uniform for thirteen years. Why do you need all these shoes?”
“You realize I didn’t wear a uniform twenty-four seven, right?”
“You know Devon’s going to kick you right back out when he sees all your shoes.”
She rolled her eyes and continued to unpack the box she was working on.
“What am I going to do when I see all her shoes?” Devon set a box on the dining room table. “This is the last one.”
“You’re going to kick her out when you see all her shoes,” Braedon said.
Devon joined her in the kitchen, pressing her back against the counter and threading his hand through the hair at the nape of her neck. “I like her shoes.”
She grinned up at him. He always had his hands on her if they were near each other. It surprised her how much she loved it and how often she found herself seeking out his touch.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she raised her face for a kiss. He didn’t disappoint. He never did.
Braedon made gagging sounds, which made her smile even more. Before Devon, she’d never smiled and kissed at the same time.
“I’m interviewing contractors tomorrow,” Braedon called.
Devon lifted his head slightly—“Okay”—and went right back to kissing her.
“One of them’s a troll. He might demand your first-born as payment.”
Devon’s shoulders shook as he laughed.
“Okay,” she said.
“After that, I’m going to invade a small Caribbean country.”
“Make sure it has nice beaches,” Devon said.
“I’m going to puke.”
“Do that in the neighbor’s bushes, please,” Addison said.
“You guys are gross. I’m leaving.”
“Bye,” they both said.
“I’m happy for you, though!”
“Love you, too!” Addison yelled.
The door closed, and they stared at each other, then burst into laughter.
“Now that I’ve got you moved in how long do I have to wait to talk you into marrying me?” Devon asked.
Her smile felt like it was going to split her face. “That depends.”
“On?”
“How big is the pool on when you propose?”
“Well, the pool isn’t for when I ask, it’s for when you say yes. It was a fifty-dollar buy-in. Last I heard it was five hundred dollars.”
“Did you buy in?” she asked.
“They wouldn’t let me. Something about insider information.”
“Well, someone is going to be very happy tomorrow. Yes.”
He froze. “Yes? Really yes? You’ll marry me?”
She laughed. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Not tomorrow, but I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Shit. You know this wasn’t really the proposal. I expected you to tell me to try in a few months. I don’t even have a ring.”
“I don’t need a ring, Devon. All I need is you. Although, I do have this, if you can think of something to do with it.” She pulled out a length of silk cord from the box on the counter.
Devon pressed her harder against the counter, grinding his erection against her stomach. “God damn, I love you.”
That was the only truth she ever needed.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I want to thank the readers, bloggers, and romance lovers who make it possible to keep doing this.
To my fellow WWWW Authors: I love you! I’m so happy we’ve formed our little tribe.
Finally, my mom and my sister who have been so, SO supportive of this journey. They’ve encouraged me and pushed me and given me the ability to explore writing full-time. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them.
About the Author
Tarina is an award winning author who has spent her entire life in and around the military - first as a dependent and then as an enlisted Air Force member. She uses her life as inspiration for many of her stories, because truth is stranger (and funnier) than fiction.
Tarina is retired Air Force and a single mom of rambunctious twins. Her favorite hobbies are traveling and naps. You can find her trying to find the perfect writing spot with a cup of coffee next to her.
Stay Connected
Website
Email
Newsletter
Also by Tarina Deaton
The Combat Hearts Series
Stitched Up Heart
Half-Broke Heart
Locked-Down Heart
Rescued Heart
Imperfect Heart
Holiday Heart (only available to newsletter subscribers)
The Jilted Duet
Make Me Believe
Believe In Me (Coming Soon)
The Leonidas Corporation
Found in the Lost
Truth in the Lie (Coming Soon)
Truth In The Lie (The Leonidas Corporation Book 2) Page 19
