Page 81 of Long Time Coming

A light knock on the door has me look over my shoulder. “Come in.” When Tagger enters, I smile at the sight of him. Sleep still shapes his expression; his eyelids hang a bit lower and broodier, his lips freshly licked, which I get to enjoy at the tail end, and his hair a reckless mess on top of his head. It’s grown out a little since I last saw him. It’s not so tamed these days. I approve of this look on him. Very much. “It’s your apartment, you know?”

“I didn’t want to intrude if you wanted time alone.” Dressed in boxer briefs, he sits on the floor next to me.

I rest my arm over the side of the tub. He takes it as the offering it’s meant to be and holds my hand between both of his. “I can ride a horse all day long, and nothing is tender. I ride a cowboy, and I’m sore for days. Make it make sense.”

“I think we’re using different muscles.”

“I think you’re right.” I roll to the side, resting my arm on the edge of the tub to pillow my chin as a heaviness comes over me. Exhaustion? The lying to everyone back home weighing on me?Or . . .

He runs his hand over my neck to my shoulder and massages. It feels so good that I close my eyes, enjoying the distraction from the aches and pains, but it doesn’t clear my head. “How are you feeling, babe?” His voice is lower, befitting the early morning hour.

He calls me babe like it’s my name. And I gobble it right up every time, savoring the sound of it for when I’m not here.

“Everything is picture-perfect, and that’s not how life works. I’m on top of the world, but the clouds still threaten.” I glance away, searching for clarity on how to explain it. I’m not sure I find it, but I’ll still try. “I’m treating this like a vacation, and you’re acting like this is our home.” I look at him, hoping I don’t hurt his feelings. He’s a tough guy, but words can sting sometimes, even if unintentional. “It’s confusing. I’m wearing silky dresses and high heels, eating at fancy restaurants, and acting like this is normal for me because I want to fit into your world so badly.”

“You already do,” he says, grazing the tips of his fingers over my cheek. “You don’t need to change for anyone, especially not for me. I love you, Christine.”

CHAPTER 29

Christine

“Why did you say that?”I ask, sitting upright and staring at him.

“I love you? Because I do.” Tagger is unshakable and not a regret is heard.

My emotions are twisted. I’m not sure what to think about this. “No. The Christine part.”

He chuckles. “So let me get this straight,” he says. “I tell you I love you for the first time, but that’s overshadowed because I used your real name?”

“Yes. It’s Pris. That’s who I am with you.”

With a gentle smile creasing his cheeks, he kneels beside the tub and leans over to cup my face. A kiss to the head is followed by one placed gently beside my eye, then he kisses my cheek and ends the tour on my lips. This one lingers as I lean my head against his. He says, “I love you, Pris. I’m so in love with you.”

Words I never believed I’d hear are said with such fervency that I have no doubt they’re real. Cupping his neck and sliding over the scruff of his face, I pull back to see his eyes so brilliantly alive with color and honesty. “I love you, too, Tagger. So much it hurts.”

“I’ll be gentler then.”

I smile. “No, don’t change a thing.” I kiss him and then sink back into the water to soak in his love, which I’m bathing in. “I love who we are together.”

“Me too.” He breathes a sigh of relief as he gets to his feet. “Hungry?”

“Famished.”

“I’ll take you out to breakfast. No rush, though. We’ll leave when you’re ready.” Walking to the door, he says, “I’ll shower in the other bathroom so you can have some privacy.”

“I don’t need privacy from you, babe. I mean,” I say, wobbling my head back and forth, “you’ve kind of seen everything. Well, not everything, but you’ve been inside me, so I think it’s okay if you see me putting on makeup or doing my hair, drying, and whatever else I’d get up to in here.”

“I love listening to how your mind works,” he says. “You talked me into showering here.”

“Not going to lie.” I start cleaning my body, wanting food sooner than later. “It was for purely selfish reasons.”

“I’m good with that.” He strips off his boxers, freeing his dick from the confines. I’m pretty certain his body part shouldn’t be that attractive. It doesn’t surprise me since it’s him.

Just over an hour later, I’m wearing one of my favorite sundresses and a pair of sandals while walking the streets of New York holding hands with my boyfriend on a beautiful Saturday morning. It’s early, but restaurants overflow with the brunch crowds, and the lines to get a table already extend longer than we’re willing to wait.

“How about we go to the deli and eat in the park?”

“I think that would be better than any crowded restaurant.”

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