Page 235 of The Liar's Reckoning

“What if we don’t make it?”

“I think we will,” I say.

“I’m gonna have to lock my dick up again.”

“You make it sound like you don’t want to. You and I both know you love it.”

“Loveisn’t the right word…”

I lower my voice. “But it suits you, puppy.”

It’s dark, but by the way he drops his head, I can guess he’s blushing. When he looks at me again, his eyes are bright and shining. “Because I’m Catholic?”

“Because you’re a bad Catholic.”

He laughs. “I just take what I like and leave the rest.”

“I like the way you think,” I tell him, moving close again. “I promise I won’t make you miss me any more than what’s absolutely necessary.”

“Necessary for who?” he asks, clearly pouting.

“It’s three years potentially, like you said. I’ve gotta make sure you keep coming back.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Then you shouldn’t worry, either. I’m yours. We’re gonna be together. For as long as you want me.”

“Forever then,” he says.

I nod. “That’s my goal. Meanwhile…let’s make a plan.”

His relief is evident in the smoothing of his forehead and theway his tense shoulders drop. “We will. After we see what the hell my sister wants.”

“Sounds good.” I wrap my hand around his and give it an affectionate squeeze.

He glances at me and smiles. I return it. Together, we head west, leaving the Upper East Side behind us.

EPILOGUE

Silas

Three Years Later

Tampa, Florida

“When was the last time you checked the app?” Graham asks as I grab two more sandbags from my trunk.

“Two seconds ago. You wanna check yourself?”

“If we need to evacuate, I’d like to know as soon as possible.”

“It’s still optional,” I assure him. The path of the hurricane is pointed at Naples, well south of us. They’re under evacuation orders, but here by the bay, it’s only a flood watch. Hence the sandbags. I would have skipped them, but Graham wants to do this by the book.

It’shisfirst hurricane, not mine. He’s stocked the fridge and bought enough candles to burn down the house along with a comical amount of lube.

Fish, our one-eyed rescue Golden Doodle, named in honor ofGraham’s celebrity crush and the guy who wrote the prize-winning article that set the empowering tone of our coming out to the senate and the country, barks at the window, demanding to be let out.

I learned Fish can’t be trusted around sandbags the last time I had to do this.

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