Page 72 of #Starstruck

“Have you here and not touch you.” He pulled me against him, and I rested my head in the hollow between his neck and shoulder, laying my hand over his chest. My whole body let out a sigh of relief, saying,This is where we belong.

“I don’t think this is how the Amish do it.”

“Well, I don’t shun electricity or travel by horse, so I’m taking some liberties. I can put the pillows back later. For now, I want to hold you. It’s been a long day, my girlfriend picked a fight with me earlier, and I’d just like to relax.”

My heart beat so hard I was sure he could feel it against his rib cage. “Girlfriend? You’ve never called me that before.”

He kissed the top of my head. “I haven’t? You are.” He said it so matter-of-factly that it calmed any doubts I might have been harboring.

His breaths started becoming longer and deeper.

I touched his neck. “Chase, I thought we were supposed to stay up and talk all night.”

“In a minute,” he mumbled.

His breathing grew slower, more rhythmic. I should have let go of him and moved back to my side of the bed. But I wasn’t willing to give up this warmth that had spread through me. This contented, happy, peaceful feeling was because of the man whose strong arms held me tightly.

I’d move back to my side. Like he’d said. In a minute.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I woke up to the sensation of butterfly kisses on my face. Chase kissed my eyelids, my cheeks, my forehead, the tip of my nose. I opened my eyes, and he smiled at me. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” I said with a yawn. I became aware of the fact that at some point during the night I had kicked off my covers, and I was now seriously intertwined and entangled with my boyfriend (which I could now officially call him).

It sent heat careening around my body, making me super aware of how good it felt to be so close.

He studied my face as he ran the back of his hand along my cheek.

“What?” I asked in a panic. Had I drooled, and there was some physical evidence of it near my mouth? I reached up to check.

“I was just wondering how I got so lucky.”

“It helps that you’re really hot.”

He laughed and kissed me but not for too long. Which was probably a good idea, given our current situation.

His blue eyes looked so bright in the early-morning sun. I stroked his face, a mixture of smooth and rough where his stubble had started growing in.

“I was also wondering if this is what marriage is like.”

My hand stilled. The only time he ever talked about marriage was to disparage it. “What do you mean?”

He turned his head to kiss my palm. “Marriage always seemed so big. Such a commitment. But maybe it’s not about the big things but the little day-to-day, mundane, real-life stuff. About being together like this. Waking up together. Wanting to be with you and missing you when you’re not here. Maybe it’s about meeting the right person.” He paused. “And lots of sex.”

I laughed as my heart leaped up in my chest, causing me to hope in a way that I hadn’t for a long time. I’d just ignore the fact that he had possibly called me mundane. “I think that is what it’s about. Finding someone you want to be with. Someone you’re willing to make a commitment to and fight for, no matter what. And I’m sorry.”

“For what?” His arms tightened around me as he rubbed one of his bare feet against mine.

“For asking you to be a monk. I know this can’t be easy for you.”

“You don’t have to apologize for your choices. I was a monk long before we met. I needed to focus solely on my sobriety, and that’s all I’ve done for the past couple of years. Besides,” he added with another kiss, “you’re worth the wait.”

In that moment I realized something I never had before.

I loved him.

I was completely head-over-heels, buck-wild, madly in love with Chase Covington. My breath rushed out of me, my cheeks felt hot, and it was a struggle to keep the words inside.

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