Page 106 of A Bloom in Winter

Now she blinked for a different reason. “I’m sorry—you just . . . went to prison?”

“Yeah, the bakery was getting a little boring. I figured I’d spice things up, so I just walked on in. Think of it as adventure tourism at its best. That’s how I met Apex.”

“You . . . well, I’m a little bit surprised. But better than you being a criminal.”

“You know, that’s what everybody says. And it’s the God’s honest. Just ask Apex.”

“I suppose you have seen a lot of . . . things.”

“When I tell you I can handle myself, I’m quite serious.” He shook his head. “But we can stop talking about that. Let’s stick with four-letter words that start withL.”

She took a deep breath. “I won’t hold you to this. You know, if you wake up tomorrow night and we’ve had sex twelve different ways—”

“Made love.” He slipped his hand under her shirt and kept it on her stomach. “This is not sex, at least not for me.”

“Me, neither.”

“And I accept your doubts, but I’m a bonded male—it happened quick, just like they always said it would. So I’m just going to hold us together until you find the faith in who we are. Take your time. I’m good.”

“I really think I love you,” she whispered.

“And we’re going to keep talking—afterward.”

“Afterward, yes,” she said as he started to kiss her again.

There was more unclothing, and then he was running his lips down the side of her throat, and onto her breasts. Arching up into his mouth, she moved her hands into the long hair at his nape.

“Now . . . I know . . .” she gasped, “what mullets are for—”

As she gripped those blond waves, the joining was everything she had ever wanted, deep and complete. And as they started moving together, she did what he had taught her worked best. She went with the flow.

Which in their case, was another word . . .

For true love.

CHAPTER THIRTY–SEVEN

Of course everything was done right.

As soon as Apex had fired up the security system, all feeds were a go—and the images and sound were routed to the three places he’d requested. No problems, no delays. No malfunctions.

Which was why he’d brought Mayhem on to the project, he thought as he left the big house an hour later.

The male could drive a person up a wall, but his tech skills were unparalleled.

Although fine, maybe Apex himself was a little on the touchy side.

As he followed the footsteps he’d made before, he was aware of a heavy weight on him. The windows were still dark on the second floor of the garage, and he imagined that Callum had already left when his proverbial back was turned.

Just like before.

Would it be another thirty years before their paths crossed again? He couldn’t say he had a lot of hope.

Going around the truck and the disengaged plow, he opened the garage’s side door, and the motion-activated light in the stairwell came on. He stared up the steps. Before he’d come over here, he’d put his duffle by the front door of the big house. Repacking hadn’t been hard. He’d never unpacked. No sleeping, either.

He had brushed his teeth.

Maybe he should be the one who just left? It was a good theory to try out, but come on. He didn’t have it in him—

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