Page 86 of Redemption

I melted at his words and the sincerity and tenderness in his eyes. I leaned in and kissed him, craving his touch as much as the connection.

“What about Hudson?” I asked.

“I was thinking…”

“Uh-oh. That’s dangerous,” I teased, a smile playing at my lips. He narrowed his eyes at me. “Okay.” I smiled, a full one this time. “What were you thinking?”

“Won’t Greer think it’s strange when you show up in Puerto Rico with someone else?”

I scrunched up my face. “Good point. I hadn’t considered that.”

But I had been thinking about how it would look if Jackson asked for a reassignment. How it might reflect poorly on him. I didn’t want my decisions to negatively impact Jackson’s career.

“What if…” He sighed. “What if I stayed on until Puerto Rico?”

“And then what?”

“And then—” he lifted my hand to his mouth, kissing each of my fingers “—we’ll reevaluate.”

“We can’t sleep together if you’re going to stay on as my bodyguard.” I brought his hand to my cheek, sinking into his touch.

“I know,” he said. “It won’t be easy. But it’ll be nice to have the time to get to know each other again without sex confusing matters.”

I arched my brow. Part of me had expected him to fight me on that.

He chuckled, still touching me. Always touching me. “Why? You don’t think I can do it?”

I let out a puff of air. “I don’t know if I can.”

He laughed then stood.

“Hey.” I grabbed for him, not ready to stop cuddling. “Where are you going?”

“Breakfast then boat repairs.” He pulled on a shirt. “Staying in bed is only going to tempt me.”

I flopped back on the bed with a groan. I knew he was right, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it.

“Come on.” He yanked on my leg. “I’ll make you breakfast.”

“You know you don’t have to cook for me, right? We can have the private chef come over, or we can order room service.”

I stood, and he pulled me into a hug. My body melted into his hold, his touch conveying so much more than even his words. I love you. I’m here for you. I’ve got you.

“I like cooking for you.” I smiled at his words. He released me and headed for the door. “I’ll give you some privacy to get changed.”

I could hear Jackson moving around in the kitchen as I got ready for the day. I didn’t know what the future held for Jackson and me, but that was okay. All I had to do right now was focus on taking things one day at a time.

When I joined Jackson in the kitchen, he was cutting up vegetables. “Whatcha making?” I leaned against the counter.

“Omelets.” He placed his hand on my lower back as he reached around me for a spatula. “Sound good?”

“Sounds great.” I felt a zing race up my spine just from that simple touch. “What can I do?”

“You want to cut up some fruit while I do the eggs?”

“Sure.” I went over to the fridge. There was something relaxing about being in the kitchen together. We fell into an easy rhythm, sharing tasks and making conversation.

“What did you want to do today?” he asked.

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