Page 71 of Marrying the Gardener
“I can close my eyes, and you can do whatever you want to me.” I clear my throat. “Afterwe’re remarried the correct way.”
“Right,” she drawls. “There is that little prerequisite.”
“Very little. Miniscule, even.”
“Only roughly a year, an entire divorce, and an entire proper wedding stand between.”
I smile.
She also smiles, then she eases, then she sinks. Sighing, shecloses her eyes as she snuggles against my chest, kissing the marks she dredged into my shoulders. Ireless, she murmurs, “I hate this.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re loving it.”
“I really, really am.” Balancing myself better, I wrap both my arms around her and squeeze. “You’re falling for me.”
“Yep. I’m tumbling unceremoniously into a pit of vile lust. I’m going to drown in the bogs of desire. It’s only a matter of time before I lose all civility and throw myself begging at your feet for relief.”
“I’m sure I’ll not take that much coaxing.”
“You are refreshingly steadfast, Kaleb. I’m sure you’d take a great deal of coaxing should I break before we’re remarried.”
I brush my lips against her forehead, whispering, “If it becomes inconvenient for you that I want our first night together to be in our wedding bed, I’m certain I’m notthatstrong.”
“Wedding bed,” she echoes. “I’ve never once thought I’d look forward to one of those.”
Heat swells in my chest, compelling. Overwhelmed by it, I murmur, “I love you, Crimson.”
She doesn’t pull away. Tucking her forehead against my neck, she gently scrapes her nails down my bicep and murmurs back, “I’m getting there, Kaleb. Please be patient with me.”
For her, I’ve already waited my entire life.
And, for her, I’d be happy to do it again.
Chapter 22
?
Ice cream solves all the world’s problems.
Crimson
“You seem rather dazed lately,” Ava suggests while I’m—apparently—sitting in the kitchen, eating chocolate ice cream directly out of the cartoon with a soup spoon.
Blinking at the circular silver stuck in the pint I’m almost certain was full just minutes ago, I say, “Oh?”
“Pregnancy,” she offers, “can change a woman.”
I forgot I was pregnant. Am I allowed to have a pint of ice cream while I’m pregnant? I know I’m not supposed to have caffeine, which explains why I’ve been having herbal teas with my breakfast…but…how much caffeine is in chocolate, anyway? It’s not like the caffeine content is listed on this.
Right?
I turn to the ingredients.
“Is everything all right with your husband?” she asks, and a bolt of heat zips down my spine.
Ignoring the ingredients, I stuff another spoonful in my mouth. “Yes, of course. Why?”
