Page 90 of The Promise Of Rain
Panting, he dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around me, and pressed his forehead to mine.
“Holy moly,” I gulped, my hands pinned to his chest.
“We didn’t do anything we haven’t done before,” he murmured, his voice soothing me as his hands ran over my back.
I sucked in a breath then snickered.“We didn’t do it like that.”
He held me tighter.
“Next time I want to taste you.”I inhaled deeply, filling my senses with all that was him.
He smelled like peace and home and safety.
His big hands splayed across my back, and he pulled me closer.“I love you, Jenny.”
I flinched.
“You don’t have to say it,” he murmured.“Just know I do.”
I couldn’t say it.Not yet.
Saying ‘I love you’ was tantamount to raising the white flag, rolling over onto my belly, falling to my knees.
And not in the way I was now.
“I can’t—” I dug my fingers into the muscles of his chest.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, his big, warm body countering the sudden chill in mine.“When you feel safe enough, you will.I look forward to that day.”
I swallowed past the tightness in my throat and pushed in closer.
“Me too.”
17
Pussies
Jenny
He drove me home Sunday night like I wanted, though I questioned my sanity as I slid into my cold bed without him, but he came back early the next morning.
Monday was perfect, a peek into what our life together might be if we could make it through the gauntlet.
We drove to Peppergrove and dropped by the mall, went out for dinner, and picked up groceries.Before heading home, we dropped into St.Michael’s for a surprise visit to check on Ansel and Darlene.
I should have made them some soup.
Abby blew me a kiss as we walked through the door.“Hi beautiful!”
“I think you’re just after my cookies,” I teased.
She laughed.“I’d take you over your cookies any day.”
Hannah, the head nurse, grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze as she zipped past.“You’re worth so much more than your cookies.Now, your brownies?They’re a different story.”
She winked, then got serious.“Keep the visit short, okay?They’re pretty wiped out and need to rest.”
Both Ansel and Darlene were worse than they were the day before.
