Page 68 of Love Potion

A tear slides down his cheek, and I step forward to brush it away with my thumb.

“If it’s what you really want, I’d be honored.”

“I’m not doing anything I don’t want to do.” He cups my face. “I can’t make any promises about how long it will last or if it’ll be good for you, but I want to be with you.”

“None of that matters. Being with you is all I care about. We’ll figure it out together.”

Jerryn’s expression softens as he smiles. “I’m not even nervous.”

“That makes one of us.”

He laughs softly. “Don’t be. This is us, Bane.”

“You’re right. I just want to make it so good for you.”

“It would be impossible not to.”

“Your expectations are high.”

He shakes his head. “No. My only expectation is that it’s you and me. Took us long enough.”

I laugh, feeling the nerves dissipate. “It did. Better late than never?”

“Yep.” Jerryn glances over his shoulder toward my bedroom. “I’m ready, Bane. I’m so ready.”

I nod, leaning in to kiss him briefly. Jerryn is in love with me too and he wants to take things to the next level. I promised him he’s not dreaming, but if we are, please never let us wake up.

TWENTY-ONE

JERRYN

I’m not nervous.Not at all. I’m always nervous when relationships turn sexual, but not this time. Not with Bane.

I pull my t-shirt over my head and toss it onto the armchair beside the bed. Bane looks at me like I painted the sky, slowly pulling his shirt off too.

“How about a quick shower?” I suggest. “That will help us relax.”

He nods, flicking his tongue out to wet his lips. “Good idea.” He clears his throat. “Be right back.”

“I’ll be here.”

Bane hurries off to the bathroom while I take off my jeans and socks. I’ve been thinking about this moment for hours, especially after what happened in the office. Bane is in love with me. I almost can’t believe it, but when I look back at all the ways he’s been trying to show me, it makes so much sense. I just couldn’t see it, too busy convincing myself that there was no possible way. All this time, I thought he indulged my need to cuddle because he was a good friend, nothing else.

I chuckle softly. Twenty years we’ve wasted. I shake my head at that thought. No. We wasted nothing. We were together the whole time. We’ve lived an amazing life, and all of it,every experience, led us here. If I hadn’t done the recent soul searching, we might still be dancing around it all.

Bane appears in the doorway to the bathroom wearing just his briefs. It’s obvious he’s excited about what’s going to happen, and I am too. Hopefully my body will decide to join the party, but if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be okay. Like he keeps trying to tell me, there are lots of things we can do together.

Bane crooks his finger at me, inviting me to join him. I hop up and walk over to him as more memories flood my mind.

“Do you remember that weird-ass shower we took together right after we moved to Seattle?”

Bane chuckles. “How could I forget? Not gonna lie, I spent most of it thinking of very unsexy things so I wouldn’t pop a chub in front of you.”

I shake my head. “I was so oblivious.”

“I was bummed when the landlord fixed the water heater. A lukewarm shower with you was better than a hot one by myself.”

Smiling, I let my eyes roam down the length of his body. “Are you still worried about popping a chub in front of me?”

---