Page 51 of Utah

I’d gone back and forth countless times concerning my true feelings for the man standing before me, but no matter how hard I tried to hide from it or deny it, I did love him. More than I’d ever loved anyone.

“I love you too.”

He winked at me, and my stomach erupted in butterflies. “I know.”

“You’re so arrogant sometimes.” I laughed.

He tilted his head to the side and smiled wider. He didn’t refute my claim.

“I’m gonna take a shower before bed.”

“You’re staying over?”

“I’m never leaving your side again. We’ll discuss the specifics later.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means, I’m tired, I’m in desperate need of a shower, and then I want to hold you as we fall asleep. Is that okay?”

My imagination ran wild with the possibilities of the future for us, and I grinned from ear to ear.

“Yes, that’s okay.”

“Good.”

We stared at each other for a moment, our mirrored expressions lighting my heart and soul.

29

“You can’t sleep either?” I asked, pulling Ria closer, her ass rubbing against me. If she wasn’t having an issue right now, I would’ve had her beneath me.

“No.”

“What’s bothering you?”

“I could ask you the same thing. We’re both still awake.”

I tightened my hold, careful not to squeeze too hard.

“Nothing is bothering me. I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

She turned to look at me, the soft plumpness of her mouth making my dick twitch.

“Care to give me an example?”

I stole a moment to compose myself. I wasn’t used to expressing myself and didn’t want to come off as desperate.

“I’m thinking about us. I’ve been given a third chance—”

“I was gonna ask what you meant by that.”

If I counted all the times in my life that I thought I was going to die, I’d been given more than a third chance at life. Butthe two most recent occurrences were the most impactful, so I focused on them.

“And I’ll tell you.” I kissed her temple, and she faced forward once more, pushing her ass further into me. She ran her fingertips over my forearm, and if I hadn’t been in the middle of talking, the motion would’ve put me to sleep. “I was supposed to die next to Crash, but my life was spared. And I truly believed I was going to die in Mexico, but luckily that situation worked out in our favor.”

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