Page 79 of Utah

Cuddling into Utah’s side, I released an audible sigh. We still had time before either of us had to be up, and it was during these early-morning hours when I appreciated the new journey we embarked on together.

Before the stress of daily life kicked in.

Before the opinions of others invaded, solicited and not.

Before the worries of the future took hold.

As I lay next to him in the silence of the morning, there were infinite possibilities for the upcoming months, years.

Tilting my head, I studied his face like I’d done countless times before, both when he was aware and when he wasn’t. He looked so peaceful, as if nothing could ever bother him again. But as soon as he opened his eyes, all the contentment would slip away. The threat of the cartel had disappeared, but he replaced that worry with fussing over me and the baby. There were times I’d catch him staring at me, like he was on edge, waiting for something catastrophic to happen. It was only when I touched him that he relaxed, albeit fractionally. When I’d talked to my mom about it, she’d told me it was a normal part of becoming a parent and that it’d only get worse once the little one was here. I prayed that wasn’t the case because the stress alone would send him to an early grave, and I didn’t want to navigate life without him.

“Are you staring at me again?” The corner of his mouth lifted, but he kept his eyes closed.

“No.”

“Liar.” Amusement laced through his voice, and it was a sound I’d never tire of hearing.

I snuggled closer, kissing his chest before inhaling the scent of his skin. “You smell like my bodywash.” The aroma of vanilla was heavenly, even more so since my nausea had finally subsided.

“I ran out of mine, but if I smell like you, I’m fine with it.” In one quick motion, he had me on my back, his eyes now open, his gaze predatory. “I’d be okay if we smelled like something else, though.” The wiggle of his brows made me laugh, as there was no mistaking what he implied.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my ankles, my thighs falling open for him. As I gazed at him like I’d done ahundred times before, my blood sizzled beneath my skin. But my reaction wasn’t purely sexual. My love for him grew every day. Sometimes I believed it grew by the hour.

“Are you ready?” he asked, the smokiness of his voice lulling me into thoughts of what was to come. But first, there was something I needed to tell him.

“I am ready.”

“Me too.” He lined himself at my entrance, but I placed my hands on his hips to stop him.

“Not for that. Not yet.”

“What are you ready for, then?”

“For us to move in together.”

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t play with me, Ria.” He steadied himself on his forearms, putting a small bit of distance between us. “You know how much I want this.”

“I do too. And thank you for giving me the time I needed to make sure I was ready.”

He hadn’t mentioned the topic of us living together since he told me to take all the time I needed before agreeing. That was two and a half months ago. I didn’t want to waste another minute living apart.

If I held a sliver of hesitation about forging ahead with our new plans, the enormous and contagious smile on his face erased that shred of doubt.

“I think we should celebrate.” He ran his fingers through my excitement before slowly pressing them inside. He swallowed my moan with his kiss, and for the next thirty-eight minutes, we had the best celebration to date.

“This is the last of it.” Knox carried a box of my books. “Where do you want these?”

“Over there with the other ones.” I pointed toward a cornerof the living room. “Utah is building me a set of bookcases so I can have a reading nook.”

“You have enough of them.” My brother placed the box down and scratched the top of his head. “Have you read all these?”

“No.”

“Can’t you just get your books on a Kindle or something like that?”

“I’m surprised you know what that is. The only thing I’ve ever seen you read was the back of a cereal box.”

“Ha ha,” he faux laughed. “I’ve read plenty of stuff.”

---