Page 126 of Better Late Than Never

Out in public enough that I wouldn’t make a scene, but far enough away from Rota and Sanlúcar that no one would care anyway? Well, at least he hadn’t waited until we were on one of our trips or something. That would suck ass, taking a train clear out to Toledo or Barcelona or wherever just to get dumped. Just doing the walk of shame out of Cádiz would be humiliating enough, thank you.

Eventually, the optical illusion waned, and the Castillo actually got closer. There was a small walled-in area before another walk would take me to the larger fortress where the lighthouse stood.

I didn’t have to go that far, though. I found Connor leaning against the stone wall, gazing out at the Atlantic. He didn’t notice me right away, so I paused for a second just to memorize the sight of him. I was tempted to whip out my phone and snap a photo, but that would be a little weird if he turned around just then.

My memory would have to do. As if I could ever forget this gorgeous man, the wind ruffling his dark hair, shorts, and T-shirt.

My throat tightened. I was about to lose him, wasn’t I? I was completely, stupidly, irretrievably in love with him, but that didn’t matter, did it?

Right then, he turned, and even his sunglasses couldn’t mask the apprehension in his expression.

Fuck me.

This is about to be over, and I never even got to tell you I love you.

I called on the same poker face I’d maintained while facing off with Tobias, and I plastered on a smile as I closed the last bit of distance to Connor. I swallowed hard, and when I spoke, I tried to keep my voice casual, as if I hadn’t clocked that there was something off about this meeting. “So, uh, why the change in venue?”

The way his face fell made my heart drop. He rested his palms on the stone wall and stared out at the water with unfocused eyes. “I got called into the Captain Tucker’s office today.”

My stomach flipped. “Oh. Fuck. I… assume it wasn’t anything good.”

He shook his head slowly. “No.” Facing me, he spoke so softly, the wind almost swallowed his voice: “Someone told her you’ve been seen coming and going from my house.”

The panicked feeling I’d had when Tobias had made his accusation had nothing on theoh shitthat surged through me just then. “They saw… fuck.”

“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck and exhaled. “I told her you were helping me with my Spanish.”

“With your—” I blinked. “Whoa. Way to think on your feet.”

He gave a quiet, threadbare laugh. “She bought it, too, so… there’s that.”

“Good. That’s good.”

“Yeah.” He sobered and met my gaze through his dark lenses. “But she also said we couldn’t be meeting at my house for Spanish. It’s… The UCMJ is…”

“I know,” I whispered. “That’s one of those excuses we can only use once.”

“Exactly.” His shoulders sank. “If we got caught again…”

Goddammit. My eyes stung, and I was grateful for my own sunglasses. I didn’t want him to see me tearing up. He’d probably decide dumping me was an even better idea once he realized what an emotional tool I was about all this.

I cleared my throat. “So I guess we can’t…” I watched my thumb tracing a crack in the stone because I couldn’t look at Connor.

“We’ll have to be a lot more careful,” he said. “Do things a lot differently.”

This time I did look at him. “We—what?”

“If we have to start meeting in shady hotels, then… fine. If we have to start burning through leave and traveling all over Europe… fine.” He took off his sunglasses and looked right in my eyes. “But I’m not giving this up. Not unless you want to.”

I stared at him, disbelieving. “You… Wait, you’re still in? Even if?—”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Yes, I’m in.” He must’ve read my incredulity in my face, because he put his hand over mine on the sun-warmed stone. “It’ll be hard. I’m not pretending it won’t be. But you’re worth it.”

“I… really?”

He laughed softly and touched my face. “Yes. Absolutely.” And right there, out in public—even if we were far from town with almost no one around—he kissed me. Not just a light peck, either. He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me like he fuckingmeantit.

When he finally came up for air, he was as breathless as I was. “I want this. Everything we’ve been doing. All of it. And not just the sex.” He ran his thumb along my cheekbone. “It’ll be complicated for a while, but it’s worth it.”

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