Page 102 of All In
“Sure, I’ll miss my friends,” I said, “but I can visit them. I can miss them, but I can’t miss you anymore.”
“It means telling Oscar and my mom.”
I nodded. “I know. But I’m not afraid. They love you and they want you to be happy. Are you, Teddy?”
“God, yes. I never thought…”
I grazed the back of my fingers down his cheek. “What, baby?”
“That this was for me. That I'd have something like this. This feeling… I can’t explain it.”
“You don't have to. We’ll go back and tell your mom and dad the truth. We didn't plan this. We’ve spent too many months living apart. Too much time on the phone. Our first kisswas on the phone, Teddy.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, it sure was. But it counted.”
I laughed as he nuzzled my neck, kissed my throat, then bit my earlobe.
“When do we need to go back?” I asked. “Not soon, I hope. I want you all to myself for a few more days. In this house before I sell it.”
“You’re really going to move to Las Vegas?”
“Yes. But I won’t have anywhere to live. Can I shack up with you until I find a place?”
Theo looked about to say something, then took the words back. A small smile appeared. “You can shack up with me permanently. If you want.”
“I want.” I ringed his neck with my arms. “I want that a lot.”
I kissed him softly, then deeply, my body waking up to him. I fell back into his arms, as we tried to satiate the need that always burned between us. After, we pulled on the bare minimum of clothing, and we headed to the kitchen to satisfy our hunger for actual food.
Theo cooked us scrambled eggs and sausage. He ate standing up on the kitchen side of the counter, while I sat on the stool opposite. Outside it was raining again.
“I’ll miss that too,” I said.
“What?”
“The rain.”
Theo looked thoughtful a minute then said slowly, “You sure you want to move back?”
“Yeah, I am,” I said.
“You told me Vegas is filled with too many memories.”
“It is,” I said. “But I love those memories now. They don’t haunt me anymore. They remind me of the gift Jonah gave me.”
I slid off the stool, went into the kitchen and slipped into his arms. “I didn’t know what love was until Jonah. I’d given up on looking for it. I thought the comfort of a man’s body was the best I could get. But Jonah saw past all that. He showed me I was worthy of love and that I could love someone in return. I could give all that I had for someone else. He gave me that gift, and then he showed me how to use it.”
I reached up to stroke Theo’s cheek. “I know what I feel now. I know my heart. It’s been forever altered, but it’s not broken anymore.”
“God, Kace.” He shook his head. “Jonah… You know, he…”
“What, baby?” I asked. “You can talk about him. Let’s talk about him. For the first time, it feelsokay.”
“It is,” he said. “Finally, it is.” He looked like he was about to say more when his phone buzzed on the counter,Eme Takamura - Wynn Galleriaon the display.
Theo frowned as he answered “Hello? Hey, Eme.”
“Tell her I said hi,” I whispered. My smile faded as Theo’s face morphed from concern to shock. His features folding in, his own smile vanishing and his eyes filling with fear.
