Page 114 of Oblivion

Penny’s blue eyes shone bright like the summertime sky when I set her down in the bathroom, and she smiled while panting for breath.

“Strip,” I demanded.

That single word, tight and gritty, portrayed just how crazy she made me.

CHAPTERFORTY-THREE

Penny

“So, when this is all over next week, what are your plans?”

My thumb halted halfway through a message to Lydia, thanks to Dante’s question. We hadn’t discussed what would happen after my lockdown ended, and I was alarmed to hear it was ending so soon.

“Next week!”

“Yeah. The election is only five days away. Aren’t you following it?”

I let out a scoff. “God, no. They’re boring as hell.”

Dante gawked at me as if I was insane. “You literally work with politicians. How can younotfollow what’s going on?”

“Now that I’m not living at home, I don’t hear about it every minute of every damn day, and I’m not sorry to be missing out on that.”

Turning my attention back to messaging Lydia, I pursed my lips and ignored Dante’s snigger.

His chuckle grew louder. “Don’tpout.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Looks like you’re poutin’.”

“Well, I’m not.” Finishing the message, I pressed send and set the phone aside. “Doyouhave plans?”

Happiness washed through Dante’s expression. “I’m gonna head up to Fort Campbell and hang with the guys next weekend.”

“You miss them, don’t you?”

“More than I thought I would.”

He started another set of crunches, making them look far too easy from where I relaxed on the couch.

I eyed him, assessing his mood while a single unvoiced question circulated through my head. Toying with the hem of my pullover, I waited until he stilled on the floor again.

“Where dowestand after all of this?”

Amber eyes locked with mine. He pursed his lips while thinking, and studied me intently.

“Let me get your file closed at work, and give it a few days for us both to readjust, then we’ll have a chat aboutus.”

That gave me zero reassurance. “A good chat, or a bad one?”

He smiled warmly. “A good one, Penny.”

I tried to school the reaction, I really did, but as soon as the blush hit my cheeks, I ducked my head to hide just how much the promise meant to me.

I’d grown to really like him in such a short amount of time, and thinking about moving out left hollowness in my chest.

Our real lives beckoned. Lives filled with work and commitments and socializing. And for Dante, a life that could take him away for days or weeks at a time.

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