Page 118 of Sugar Rush
Even though we were permanently linked to each other by way of our mate bond, I was still learning new stuff about him all the time. And every new trait I discovered only made me feel more infatuated with him. He was adorable, always trying to seem so grumpy and scary on the outside, but a squishy, lovesick marshmallow on the inside. And I was the only one lucky enough to get to experience all that sugary, gooey sweetness.
“I’m sorry everything will be kind of tough for a bit, but it’ll all be worth it once I’m finished,” I promised, leaning in to rest my forehead against his.
“I know,” he said. “You have to kick ass now so we can have money later. Just in case I… I mean, I know it’s kind of a long shot for me to get rich doing tattoos, so…”
“I never thought that,” I responded honestly. “I just want a career that doesn’t make me miserable, where I can help people. I’ve always known you were going to get famous with your art. Money would be the last thing I would ever think to worry about, being with you.”
He let out this shocked little noise from his throat, the sound he made when he was shocked and happy but didn’t know exactly how to express it without revealing too much of himself.
“Seriously?” He asked, the warm brown of his eyes going dark. “You don’t ever worry that it won’t work out?”
I was sure that concept was completely foreign to Kieran James, the supreme king of expecting the worst in every situation and still feeling disappointed with the results, so I only shook my head.
“You are the most talented person I know, Kieran,” I answered softly, brushing my lips over his brow before pressing small kisses to his cheeks and then his lips. “Your art is weird and special and perfect, just like you. The world really needs that kind of thing right now. And other people can tell when they look at it. I’ve always known that.”
He let out a deep, shuddering breath, his Adam’s apple quivering a bit as he swallowed, his hands tightening on me.
“I love you so much, Jordy. I can’t believe I actually get to be with you. I never thought I would be as happy as you make me. I didn’t thinkanyonecould be as happy as I feel when I’m with you,” he added on, and the deep emotion in his voice tugged at my chest. “I don’t know what I would do if you hadn’t… You know, kind of forced me into this,” he finished, sounding somewhat chastised by the reality of our situation. If I hadn’t pushed and pushed and pushed, who knows how long it would have taken us to end up together?
“I love you too,” I murmured, arching into him when he gave me a kiss so long and deep that my lips were tingling and my pulse was fluttering. “I’ve always known you would be the perfect person for me, and I was right. Like always,” I tacked on, making sure to use my extra annoying singsong voice.
He tried to summon up a dry look for my antics but fell woefully short, the depth of his love and absolute affection for me ringing clearer than a bell through our mate bond.
“Always,” he finally admitted. “You always know exactly what I need, Angel.”
“Anyway, I’m sure you would have given in to your feelings for me eventually,” I said. “I have complete and total faith in you.”
And my complete and total faith in him would never waver for a single moment.
KIERAN
EPILOGUE - SIX YEARSLater
Candles flickered and sent shadows dancing onto the walls of the house Jordy and I had only just closed on two days prior. Sidestepping one of the many stacks of boxes still laying around, I shoved the lighter in a drawer and closed it. One less item out making a mess. It didn’t bother me much, but I knew the chaos was already starting to drive him a little insane.
When I glanced at the time on my phone, I determined he would be pulling up from picking up our takeout any minute now, though the pop-up thunderstorm had delayed him a little bit. It’d been clear when he’d left, but the weather could be so erratic at the end of summer.
As if to support my thought, a bolt of lightning flashed nearby, drowning out my romantic candlelight for a brief moment. I used to wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming about storms like this one, but I hadn’t had a nightmare in years.
I’d pretended to need to finish up some inventory stuff for work, so he’d go and pick up the food himself, leaving me a chance to set up for my plan. Nothing extravagant or over the top, just low key and sweet, which is what he liked. He’d always take a night at home cuddled up on the couch with me over a fancy restaurant or extravagant show date.
Watching from the big bay window we hadn’t gotten around to putting up curtains in front of yet, an interesting mix of nerves and relief bloomed up in my stomach as his car pulled into our neat little driveway. Nerves because of what I was about to do,and the automatic sense of comfort that came from having him close to me.
His four years of university had turned into six when he’d decided to pursue his master’s in social work. We’d spent as much time together as we could during the school year, and then stayed attached at the hip every summer. Now that he’d finished up and gotten his degree, he’d moved back home.
It had only taken a couple of months for us to find a place we both liked, and near enough to our parents that they wouldn’t collapse under the weight of empty nest depression. We’d coped with the constant on-and-off periods of separation as gracefully as possible, but now all that was over and we finally had our own private little sanctuary together. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d craved this, and how it felt like we were finally starting our lives together.
I pushed open our front door and stepped aside so he could rush in with the food, though the heavy sheets of rain had already started soaking through his clothes by the time he made it in.
“Jesus!” He complained, panting a little as he made his way in and set the dripping bag down on our kitchen counter. “Did the power go out?” He wondered, glancing around.
“Ah, no,” I answered quickly, coming up behind him with the towel I’d already had ready and ruffling it over his crown of blond hair. “I just… Thought it would be nice. That’s all.”
“Oh, okay,” he acknowledged. When he pulled the towel down to reveal his face, he was smiling this sweetly radiant smile that made my heart do a quick tumble in my chest. Even if I’d seen that expression on his face a million times now, it was too beautiful to get used to.
“Here,” I said, grabbing the hoodie I’d specifically set on a stack of boxes next to the door so I could put it on him when he walked in. I stretched it out to let him back into it and push hisarms through the sleeves, hoping he wouldn’t dig around in the front pocket until I was ready for him to.
“Mm, thanks,” he said, with a little shiver. “That rain wascold.” Of course he hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella when there’d barely been a cloud in the sky when he’d left the house.
