Page 94 of Only This Once
Her words allowed him to gasp in new air. “Are you sure?” he asked.
Her hand shifted, brushing back the curl that flopped into his face. “I wouldn’t tell you if I wasn’t sure.”
“Oh God. I love you, Julia. So much.” Then he was kissing her, brief, frantic kisses because the adrenaline shooting through his body demanded it. He was floating again. “I’m so happy. I didn’t know it was possible to feel this happy.”
She laughed against his lips. Her hands settled on his face again, drawing him still so she could kiss him deeper. Her tongue stroked inside his mouth and pulled a whimper from him. He reached for her, trying to drag her closer.
She ended the kiss with a soft nip at his bottom lip. “Adorably sexy, like usual.” Her hands left his face to curl around his, tugging him up from the table. “Come on. Back to bed.”
Jesse swallowed, trying to focus. “We shouldn’t.”
“I’m taking you to bed to rest, with maybe a bit of snuggling.” She smiled back at him as he followed her into the hallway. “No matter how much you try to tempt me.” Her smile faded as her eyes strayed to the healing gash on his head. “I want you to heal more than anything. I know things happen, there are no guarantees in life, but the worst thing I can imagine is going back to a life without you in it.”
He sat gingerly on the side of his bed. “I’m sorry about the missed years.”
Her finger found his lips, pressing over them. “You can make it up to me from now on.” She climbed onto the bed, urging him to lie back and curling up behind him. The way her body spooned his soothed his lingering regret. Her arm curled over his waist, pulling their bodies tighter together.
Julia loved him and wanted to be with him. The reality of that made even his headache less painful.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she murmured in his ear.
“Anything,” he mumbled, his eyes closing. He hadn’t thought he’d be able to sleep, not after sleeping away the last few days, but her warmth made everything within him relax.
“Move in with me?”
His eyes popped open. He turned so he could search her face. “I don’t want to rush you.”
She huffed out a breath. “If anything, I’m the one rushing you. Do you hate the idea? You haven’t experienced much dating, so I should probably give you more time, but I don’t want to wait.” She leaned in, kissing him again. “I can, though, if you’re not ready for this step. Going back to my apartment alone will be hell, but we should both want it.”
“I want it,” he rushed out. “I just—are you sure, Julia?” He wanted to cling to her, but breathed through the need, his mouth going dry as he waited for her answer.
Her forehead pressed against his as her arms wrapped around him, holding him close. “I’m sure about you moving in. I’m sure about loving you.” Her eyes slid shut, and she shifted, burying her face in his neck. “I… I might not say it that often, though. The words feel foreign when I say them. Is that going to hurt you? If I don’t say I love you all the time?”
“No.” His nose pressed into her hair. Her strawberry scent had faded since she’d been staying with them, but there were hints of it. “Is it going to make you uncomfortable if I say it all the time?”
She let out a snorting chuckle that slid right into his heart. “I think I can handle that.”
“I really do love you, Julia. Just how you are.” His hands slid to the small of her back, rubbing there. “You’re straightforward, strong, but also really kind. You know what you want and aren’t shy about going after it. I should have remembered that. Of course I want to live with you.” His eyes closed as he absorbed the moment. The morning light streamed through the window and across his face, adding a soothing warmth. “There’s no one I trust more than you. I know you love me now, and I won’t doubt it, even if I don’t hear the words again for years.”
“It won’t take that long,” she muttered, tightening her hold on him.
He laughed. “We’ll see.” His body loosened as fatigue drifted over him. He was going to fall asleep in her arms.
There wasn’t anywhere else he wanted to be.
Chapter 28
“Are you and Jesse leaving together again today?” Charles asked, slipping his laptop into his bag.
Julia shrugged. “Of course. I’m starting to like these days at the hospital because of him.” More time with Jinx was never a bad thing.
“Don’t think I missed you two having lunch together.” Charles smiled at her. “I’ve never seen him happier than he’s been in the last couple of weeks.” He studied her face, his grin softening. “You, too. It’s good to see you happy, Julia.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s not that I was unhappy, not really.” Well, she was some days, her off days. She’d had one that week. Being with someone she loved didn’t make them disappear. Jinx hadn’t tried to fix things or told her how to get over it or anything like that. No, he’d just been with her, listening and holding her and letting her know she wasn’t alone. Having him was so much better than suffering through them on her own.
“Maybe tense is a better word than unhappy? Though with good reason.” He’d turned serious again, running a hand over his wavy blond hair that he kept much shorter than Jinx did. “Any problems today?”
“I’d tell you if there were.” Julia really would. Charles had proven he’d go to bat for her, even though she wished he didn’t have to. “I’m hoping the worst of it has passed.”
