Page 107 of Class Clown

I laughed. “I had you worried, huh?”

He rubbed my back lightly. “You didn’t fall without a fight.”

I sighed and playfully punched at his back where my hands were still resting. “Yeah, well, I’m still learning to read your mind.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Eventually we’ll become telepathic and annoy others with our connection.”

I laughed. “That actually sounds kind of awesome.”

His voice dropped low and intimate, and he pressed his mouth to my forehead, speaking against it. “I’m gone for you, Bee. I’m yours, totally. Forever.”

“Okay.” I smiled. “Forever.”

I leaned back to kiss him some more, because, hi, declarations of love deserve some kisses to seal it, but Meredith’s voice interrupted us before we could indulge more than a few pecks.

“The cookies are getting cold!” she cried.

I laughed and released my hold on Nico.

“Please feel free kick the door closed and kiss attack me any time,” he mumbled as we headed out of the room.

“Your wish is my command,” I replied with a wink.

Chapter 25

Three months later

Ruby’s Truth: Trust the zing.

Five o’clock in the evening was my favorite time of day. It was the time when a freshly-showered Nico would knock on my apartment door and greet me by snagging me around the waist, pulling me up against his chest, and kissing me like he hadn’t seen me for weeks. His hair would still be slightly damp and curling at the tips, and the smell of his shampoo and laundry detergent would wrap around me as tightly as his arms.

He’d perfected this move to the point where he could also kick my front door closed behind him and walk us to the kitchen before putting me back on my feet and saying something like, ‘Missed you, Bee’ or ‘Hey, Bee’ which was somehow ten times more romantic than any flowery poem.

A full three months into our life in Logan and I could tell you with fervent commitment that it did not get old, and that I still wanted to pinch myself over the massive change in him. How was this the same person who was so quiet and stilted in our past life? Now he was warm and affectionate, open and communicative. It wouldn’t be fair to say he’d entirely changed, because when we were with others he’d become the wallflower once more, but with me he was everything I’d wanted and a few things I hadn’t known I needed.

“How was your meeting with the admissions advisor?” I asked him as I smiled up, still holding on to shoulders that had only broadened after a few months working construction.

He grinned. “Everything is in order for me to start classes with the winter semester in January. They accepted my application.”

Waiting to find out if he’d get into Utah State University had been hard on him, even if he’d pretended that time took care of all things and we’d know soon enough. He’d been a little fidgety leading up to this meeting and it was my turn to grin.

“I knew they would. You’re a veteran, a rule-follower, a smarty pants, and all sorts of other things they’d be lucky to have at their school.”

“I think what really sealed the deal was me telling them my girlfriend says they’d be idiots to not let me in.” He tickled my sides and I scurried backwards, bumping up against the fridge.

“You’re welcome to drop my name any time. The people of Logan love me.” I stuck out my tongue and popped open the fridge to snag two drinks. He was always thirsty after work, and I made sure to have drinks on hand. “How was work?” I asked him, handing him a cranberry juice – something I’d teased him about endlessly. “Any body parts get nailed to something today?”

“It’s disturbing that you ask that with hope in your voice,” he replied, popping open his bottle. “Work was busy, and no one was injured. It’s nice that the snow stopped last night.”

“Don’t get too excited. You’ve been warned about Logan winters, right?” I asked, opening my diet cola and taking a swig. “You’re going to be missing Texas before January is over.”

He shrugged. “I’ll be cutting back to part time when school starts, so it’ll be fine.”

“Did you do an ice cave deployment you never told me about?” I asked. “You seem awfully unworried about frostbite.”

He took another big swallow, and shook his head. “Weather doesn’t scare me, and I happen to know a nurse who would treat any frostbite.”

“With kisses,” I wiggled my eyebrows and he chuckled.

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