Page 88 of Fire Island
“Evie . . .” His throat works.
I’m scaring him. Shit, I’m no good at this. So I blurt out, “I’m not going back to the city.”
He frowns, confusion working his face over.
“I mean, my lease comes up soon, in a couple of months... and I don’t know if I renew it or...” Now, I search his expression for any hint of how he feels about me staying.
“You’re letting your apartment go?”
“Am I?”
His face shifts like the wind changing in a wild storm, cheekiness lining it now. “Are you?”
I growl at him, tugging him closer by the front of his shirt. “If you’re waiting on me to decide what I want and demand it, then... I’m letting my apartment go.”
The most gorgeous smile splits his face. A beat later, I’m hauled onto his waist and his warm hands run up my back. “You and me, tell me what we are.”
I huff a soft, emotional laugh and whisper, “Nonnegotiable.”
“You got it.”
I slide my hands over his jaw and into his hair, claiming his mouth.
Claiming this stoic, steady, and incredible man as mine.
Meeting my hunger with his own, Cal devours me. I can’t breathe. I can’t get enough.
I never want to be anywhere else but right here in his arms. Right here on our little island. In our huge old wrought iron bed. In our little world, growing food, writing books, watching the weather, and being in each other’s orbit.
And it hits me... Cal isn’t the only one who never thought he’d never have something like this.
I didn’t either.
Not after Joshua.
Not after Timothy . . .
I’d resigned myself to hiding away, staying as antisocial as possible to avoid involving anyone else in my disaster of a life. Even now, with those two men still out there somewhere, I will never relax. Every time Cal’s late or I’m by myself, I will worry Timothy kept his word and be looking over my shoulder.
Cal knows everything, and he’s not fazed—in the slightest.
This doesn’t remove my fear that something will happen to him again. But at least with him knowing, the odds are stacked in our favor now.
We haul our bags into the house, and Cal totes them upstairs while I rummage through the refrigerator for a snack. Finding cheese, some sweet cherry tomatoes, and crackers, I put together a plate. I toss some ice cubes from the freezer into two glasses and fill the glasses with tap water.
Cal winds his way down the stairs slowly as I carry the glasses to the coffee table. Sinking onto the sofa without a word, he’s caught in his head. I sit beside him and pluck up some food. Handing him a glass, I tilt my head. “Spill it, McCreary.”
He chuckles but clears his throat. “Evie?”
I close my lips around a tomato and suck it into my mouth. “Mhmmm?”
I bite down, the red sphere exploding with delicious juices.
“Mo ghràdh, will you go on a date with me?”
I swallow the tomato and smile, shifting to his lap. “Absolutely.”
He presses his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. “This kind of feels backward. We’ve already... But I want you to have every good experience I can give you.”
