Page 36 of R for Rough

I lifted my brows, unaware he’d been troubled by something. “About what?”

“Your work trips.” He shifted in his seat to face me better. Too bad it was dark out. I couldn’t see his features clearly enough. “You mentioned when we had lunch that you travel a lot—every other month or something like that. I remember you did that before too, and you were gone for so long.”

I reached over and grabbed his hand. “I also said those trips won’t be as long anymore, didn’t I?”

He nodded. “A week or two. But still. I’m gonna miss you and maybe die.”

I didn’t like the way he said that. I furrowed my brow. “First of all, I don’t have anything planned until before Christmas. I have four days of meetings in LA. Then I’ll be back. Second—”I squeezed his hand “—Adam needs another chef at Coho. And once he’s found someone, I’ll be the first to convince you to take time off every now and then to come with me.”

He seemed to perk up at that. “Really?”

Could I allow myself a sigh of relief yet?

“Really.” I threaded our fingers together. “I also happen to be my own boss, so I can plan my trips when they suit your schedule better.”

He let out a breath and leaned closer so he could hug my arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so dramatic, but now that I have you, I guess I’m a little scared it’s all gonna go away. I don’t wanna lose you.”

Fuck, my damn heart.

I kissed the top of his head and followed Madigan up another dirt road. Maybe it was much too soon to talk about these things, but screw it.

“You’re not going to lose me, baby. Hell, I was just thinking about how being with you makes me feel alive again. This week has been some of the best days in my life.”

He squeezed my arm and pressed his face against it. “Same for me.”

I smiled to myself and swallowed a wave of emotions. Hope was a powerful drug, and fuck me if I wasn’t high on it. It was all his doing.

“We’ll find a way to make it work,” I murmured. “The goal is always for us to be together.”

“Best goalever.”

I grinned. His happiness was infectious, and I had half a mind to pull over to the side and kiss him stupid.

I’d do it later.

Tracy released a breath and kept hugging my arm. “I guess it’s okay to be a little insecure in a new relationship.”

It sure as fuck was. Lord knew I was too.

“We’ll navigate those insecurities together as well,” I answered.

He nodded and rested his cheek on my shoulder. “You better say something cruel, Sir. I wanna put on jammies and cuddle.”

Oh. Well, then. Even though that sounded incredibly appealing, we had fantasies to bring to life tonight.

“All right.” I cleared my throat. “Chocolate sprinkles are nasty.”

He gasped and instantly glared up at me.

I did my best to contain my laughter.

“Oh, and my eggs are better than yours,” I finished.

“What the fuck!”

As we approached Ryan’s property, I could see torches lit up, forming a circle around an area of just gravel in the middle of the forest. We drove through the gate and parked along the side, and Tracy was all but buzzing with anticipation.

I told him to go join his friends.

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