Page 248 of Smooth Sailing

He did.

“When I lost Ma, I didn’t know what I was heading into, and that was shit, but more, I did it alone, and that made it impossible to maneuver. That’s why I got stuck in it. I didn’t know how to pull myself out, and I didn’t have anyone to show me the way.”

My poor baby.

I continued to stroke his beard.

“Losing Pete isn’t any less shit,” he carried on. “Having lost someone before and knowing how bad it’s going to be isn’t any less shit either. The difference is havin’ my brothers, my family.” His hands stopped roaming my back. “And havin’ you.”

I melted into him.

Or, I was pretty melted into him, so I oozed into him.

“Babe, your dad, Nic and Larry showing was all kinds of cool,” he whispered.

“They like you,” I whispered back.

“Yeah,” he grunted.

“No, they really, really do,” I teased, but it was still the truth.

He slid his hands to the cheeks of my ass and gave them a squeeze.

I smiled at him. It wasn’t beaming but it was genuine.

Then I took a breath and let it flow.

“And I love you,” I said.

Hugger went solid under me.

Then he rolled us so he was on top.

“Say it again,” he ordered.

I smoothed the hair away from his handsome face, gazing into those warm, intense, beautiful brown eyes, and I whispered, “I love you, Harlan McCain.”

He slanted his head and kissed me, hard, wet, long and deep.

When he broke it, my lips were bruised but my eyes were stinging with tears because Hugger was a tremendous kisser, but that was the best yet by far.

And I knew why it was.

But he was my Hugger.

So he told me.

“Love you too, baby,” he said.

A tear slid out of the corner of my eye.

Hugger caught it with his thumb, dipped to rub his nose against mine…

Then he kissed me again.

And we made love again, long, slow, sweet and beautiful.

We fell asleep in each other’s arms in the Compound on Chaos.

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