Page 71 of Last Resort

“For starters, yes.”

“I don’t think you’ll have any problems.” Alessia gave a knowing smile. “The chief is very…receptive…to good ideas.”

Ben knew Alessia’s ethics didn’t let her toy with people’s minds, but he suspected that giving someone a nudge in the right direction skirted the rules.

“Thank you. I look terrible in orange.” Erik looked to Ben. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. Let’s go home.”

TEN

ERIK

Two weeks later

“Nowthisis a vacation.” Erik sank deeper in the steaming hot tub until the lavender-scented water lapped his chin. Ben sat beside him, enjoying the view from the climate-controlled conservatory that housed the tub.

“No argument on that from me,” Ben replied, sounding equally relaxed.

The historic bed and breakfast was blissfully ghost-free, and Erik hadn’t picked up any negative resonance from its antique furnishings. The food was as good as reviews bragged, and the location made it convenient to walk to shops and attractions.

“I’ve lived in New Jersey all my life and I’d never been to Point Pleasant before,” Ben said. “Guess I was missing out.”

“My parents had friends who raved about vacationing here. I came once a long time ago and liked it, so I was overdue for returning.”

“What have you liked best?” Ben asked. For now, they were alone in the hot tub, but since privacy couldn’t be guaranteed, they both wore swim trunks. Ben had promised a more intimate encore in the large soaking tub in their bathroom.

“Hmm.” Erik let the jets massage his back. Ben laid a hand on his thigh.

“Besidesthat?” Erik covered Ben’s hand with his own. “All of it. The mini-golf was fun without the summer crowds. I enjoyed the aquarium and the boardwalk. I’m looking forward to the riverboat dinner cruise tomorrow night. And it was nice to just walk a different beach for a change. How about you?”

Ben leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “All of that. Being away from the shop and the rental office for a break. And I seriously want to find out what brand of linens this place uses because they’re awesome!”

“Maybe we can come back here next year,” Ben said. “Make it an anniversary tradition.”

Erik’s breath caught at the implication of a future together.

Ben’s eyes went wide as he seemed to realize what he had said, and for a moment, he had a deer-in-the-headlights look as if he might have said too much.

“I’d like that,” Erik said quietly. “Anniversaries. Lots of them. With you.”

He felt giddy and terrified at the possibility, and his stomach swooped like he was on a rollercoaster, but the essential rightness gave him courage.

“I’d like that too,” Ben replied in a whisper, just before he met Erik halfway in a kiss.

Chief Hendricks had cleared them to leave town fairly quickly after the shootout at the Pine Barrens. Alessia and Monty teamed up to banish Tom Raines’s ghost and do an in-depth magical cleansing of his rental unit to get rid of the last traces of his death. The feds took Edwin’s treasure of gold bars and silver coins, accepting Hendrick’s story that it had been found by anonymous hikers.

The skeletal remains of eight men were found in the Pine Barrens, picked clean by scavengers. Carr’s bones were identified, and the other men proved to be known associates of crime families in Atlantic City. No shell casings were found. The deaths were officially chalked up to a private Mob war.

The last Susan heard, Dolores Quinn was expected to make a full recovery from her injuries.

“I’d really love it if we could have a nice, quiet autumn,” Erik replied. “It’s probably too much to ask, but I can dream.”

“We’ll make it work,” Ben assured him. “And for the record, I love living together. I hope you haven’t had any regrets.”

Erik squeezed his hand. “None at all. It’s gone more smoothly than I expected. Feels like you’ve always been there.”And I hope that you’ll always be there.

He suspected the easy transition came from both of them making an extra effort, not wanting to relive any mistakes from the past. Whatever the reason, Erik wasn’t going to second-guess the decision.

“Yeah,” Ben agreed. “I love how comfortable it feels just being together.” He gave Erik an exaggerated lustful grin. “As well as the hot sex.”

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