Page 88 of Can't Get Over You
“Easy. I always want to be with you.”
The humor left her eyes, and sadness pinched her features.
“Hey.” He shifted closer, cupping her cheek. “What just happened?”
“I don’t know. I just…I would’ve gone a lifetime without this.” She curled her hand around his wrist. “Do you feel it?”
If she meant the current that ran up his arm, across his shoulders, and down his spine, then yeah. If she meant the connection that set his pulse pounding, that made him feel as fully awake and alive as cannonballing into a glacier lake, then yes. Absolutely yes.
She gave him a pleading look. “If you hadn’t shown me what I was missing, I’d have lived with that same emptiness my whole life.”
The strange thing was that he understood. He’d never experienced the kind of touch that sparked on his skin. That awakened the softer side of him. That stirred his heart. “Since I know exactly what you mean, I have to say yes to all your terms.”
She smiled. “You haven’t heard the others.”
He made a rolling gesture with his hand.Carry on.
“Number three, you have to cook. Unless you want a steady diet of pumpkin bread with chocolate chips, snickerdoodles, brownies, and peshwari naan.”
“Peshwari what now?”
She laughed. “It’s an Indian bread with rose syrup, honey, cashews, pistachios… It’s pure heaven.”
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to make that. But I can grill anything. Meat, fish, vegetables. How about I get the real food, and you handle the treats?”
“You’re a lot more agreeable than I’d have imagined.”
“There’s very little I wouldn’t do for you.” He settled back down. “And that text went to my dad.”
“At three in the morning?”
“I told him I’m not going to work nights while I’m in town.” He powered down the phone and settled in next to her. “If he needs me, I can help him with admin or show up on a busy night, but other than that, I’m here for Cody.”And you.
“Oh. Okay. That’s great.” Her demeanor changed, and she grew agitated. She pulled the blanket up to her chin. “I guess you won’t be needing a nanny anymore, which is fine. I can pay you back in, like, monthly installments or something.”
“Fee, we’re not changing anything.” He reached for her, pulling her into his arms. “We’re in this together.” If it didn’t work out between them, it’d hurt like hell, but he’d squeeze thejoy out of every moment they had together. “I want you as much as Cody does.”
“But you won’t be working. Won’t this put you in a financial bind?”
Always looking out for me.“I do more than mix drinks. I flip bars, too. I have a nice savings.”
“You flip them?”
“Yeah, I buy a rundown bar, give it a facelift, and then sell it. Been doing it since I got out of the Marines.”
“So you own the one in Florida?”
“No, but I was thinking about it. I work in them first to see if they’re worth flipping.”
“And is it?”
“Might be. But only if I can buy the apartment complex next door. There’s a lot of shady shit going on over there, and it’s keeping people away.”
“If you buy it, does that mean you’d move Cody to Florida?”
“You asked if it was worth flipping. Not whether I was going to buy it. For now, I’m staying here. I have to see where things are going with Cody.”
“Okay, that’s fine then. I’ll be your concubine.” She snuggled in closer. “This’ll be fun.” She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest. “Cody’s so lucky to have you.”
