Page 88 of Renewal After Dark

She put her arm around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Tell me.”

He gathered her into his arms and reached for a blanket. She was always cold. It was one of the things he found so adorable about her—that she was always looking to him to warm her up. There was nothing he’d rather do than keep her warm.

“I was the one who found Jim Sturgil.”

“Oh. That must’ve been awful.”

“It was.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“Part of the job.”

“People think being the harbor master is such a fun job.”

“Most of the time, it is.”

“You’re probably also thinking about how close you came to a similar fate.”

“That’s crossed my mind.”

“It’s all I can think about.”

“Don’t do that. Everything is fine.”

“It’s going to take me a while to get over the terror of those hours when you were missing in a hurricane.”

“I’m sorry I did that to you.”

“I’m sorry it happened to you.”

“All I thought about the whole time was you. I swear you kept me alive out there.”

“I’m glad I was there with you to keep you safe.”

“You’re always with me. Every minute of every day. If Blaine knew how much time I spend dreaming about you, he’d dock my pay.”

Julia laughed as she tightened the arm she had around him. “Being married is the best thing ever, isn’t it?”

“Hell yes. It’s better than anything.”

“Maybe it would get your mind off things if you took your new wife to bed and reminded her how much you love her.”

“Does my wife need reminding?”

“Your wife never says no to reminders from her husband.”

“In that case…” He scooped her up and was on the way to their bedroom before she figured out what he intended to do.

“How about some warning next time?”

“What fun would that be?”

Their dog, Pupwell, looked up from his bed and let out a sound that indicated his annoyance at being disturbed in the middle of the night.

Deacon helped her out of the T-shirt she’d worn to bed, dropped his own shorts, settled her on the bed and then came down on top of her, holding himself up on his arms.

Julia loved to comment on the muscles in his arms, and as she caressed them, he decided that this would be the memory he’d refer back to any time something more disturbing tried to take over his thoughts. Her gorgeous face was illuminated by the night-light they left on so they wouldn’t fall over the dog, who liked to “sleep around,” as they put it.

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