Page 126 of Interference

“Absolutely,” I breathed.

Anthony smiled again. “That’s how relationships work, you know? Sometimes one person needs more than the other. Then later on, the other needs more. I’m not keeping score. I just… I want to be here for you right now and give you what you need. Because I care about you. Not because I’m expecting you to reciprocate or because I think you owe me. You don’t.” He kissed me again, letting it linger for a few heartbeats. “I’m happy when I’m with you. That’s what matters to me.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. “Being with you is the closest to happy I’ve been in a long, long time.”

“Perfect,” he said, and claimed my mouth.

God, I really was the luckiest man alive.

The thought almost made me laugh, if only because I didn’t know how else to react to it. With everything I’d been through, with everything I was still going through, “lucky” hadn’t been an adjective I’d have picked to describe myself. Not for a very, very long time.

But standing out here in the arms of a man who’d saved my life…

Holding him in the warm light of my childhood home on Christmas Eve…

Knowing my dog and I would be spending yet another night safe, warm, and fed…

Fuck yeah. I was the luckiest man on the damn planet.

I touched my forehead to his. “Thank you again. I know I keep saying that, but…” I ran out of breath. “Just. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Anthony carded his fingers through my hair, which I loved. “I’m serious, by the way. There’s no quid pro quo here. What I want is you, and for you to be happy. Full stop.”

“Is that really enough?” As soon as the words were out, I cringed, because Jesus Christ, that sounded pathetic.

He just smiled, though. “Honestly? It’s exactly what I need and what I want. I’ve been with someone who has money and buys me expensive cars and…” He shook his head. “That’s not what I wanted then, and it isn’t what I want now. I’m getting everything I want and need out of this. I promise.”

I searched his expression, sure there had to be a catch or that he wasn’t being completely honest. But all I found in those beautiful brown eyes was sincerity. “You’re amazing. You know that?” He opened his mouth to respond, but I put my finger to his lips. “Don’t argue with me. You are. So just live with it.”

He blinked, but then he laughed, and he nudged my hand away so he could kiss me again. I grinned against his lips before losing myself in that kiss.

We needed to go back inside and rejoin the family, and we would. A few minutes of this wouldn’t be the end of the world, though, so I wasn’t in any hurry to see this moment end.

Holding him like this with everything he’d said echoing in my ears, I couldn’t help thinking this had felt inevitable from the start. Of course it hadn’t even crossed my mind to hook up with him, never mind start dating him or having all these feelings for him, until we’d known each other a while. Still, in hindsight, it just seemed like this had been the road we were on from day one, even if neither of us had realized it.

It was hard to believe we’d known each other for less than two months. He was one of those people who landed in my life and seemed like he’d been here forever.

And although it was far, far too soon to be thinking about the long term…

I hoped he’d be here forever.

Chapter 35

Anthony

Wyatt warned me when we got back to the hotel that it would probably be a rough night. I wasn’t surprised. Though the time we’d spent with his family had been happy and fun, there was that undercurrent of stress and worry that was impossible to ignore. His dad was sick. His mom was exhausted. And something kept passing between Wyatt and Jon that reminded me of Simon and me—when two people were resolutely refusing to talk about something that was going to fester until they did talk about it.

By the time we made it back to the hotel, exhaustion had been radiating off Wyatt. He’d even given the minibar a longing look, though he hadn’t indulged.

And it was no surprise at all when a nightmare had us all wide awake.

Lily was the first to react. She switched on the light, and she jostled me out of a sound sleep when she ran over me to get to Wyatt. By the time my brain had caught up, she was already on his chest and licking his face.

Wyatt, thank God, was awake, too. His eyes were closed, but he was petting Lily with trembling hands.

I slid closer to both of them. “Hey. You okay?”

Eyes still closed, he swallowed hard and nodded. His voice came out hoarse as he said, “I’m good.”

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