Page 142 of The Storm Boys Series Collection

But they did that for me.

No one had ever defended me before.

The bathroom light switched off and the silver outline of Tully’s naked form crossed the room before he climbed into bed. My phone screen illuminated him when he snuggled into my side. “Whatcha watching?” Then he saw the screen. “Oh.”

“I hadn’t watched it until now.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I kinda lost my shit. I’m sorry you saw that.”

“I’m not.” I switched my phone off and slid it onto the bedside table. The room was now completely dark, and I tightened my arm around him. “No one’s ever defended me or my work before.”

He sighed and manoeuvred his arm under my neck so he could hold me instead. “Get used to it from now on.”

I settled in against him, his warmth and strength everything I needed. So much had happened today, it was hard for me to get my head around the gravity of it. From the footage on TV, the phone call with my dad, Tully dropping everything to be with me, his rant at the media, then dinner with his family.

Him telling me he loved me.

Yeah, it’d been a day, that was certain.

And tomorrow was day one. Tropical Cyclone Hazer would begin its descent into Australian waters tomorrow, and we’d begin to see rain, winds, sea swells, and rising waters by tomorrow night.

Then it’d be a full twenty-four hours of hell, probably.

As if his mind had taken him to similar places, Tully tightened his arm around me and kissed the side of my head. “Get some sleep. We’re gonna need it.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

TULLY

Jeremiah wasin the shower early; it wasn’t even five. He’d slept fitfully at best, tossing and turning most of the night.

I know this because I did too.

I went downstairs, flipped the light switch and sighed when I saw the view to the ocean was gone, boarded up.

The reason for the lack of sleep...

Hazer was coming.

I filled the water tank on the coffee machine and turned it on and set about makin’ two coffees. And some eggs on toast. I knew there’d be little chance of Jeremiah eating today, so I had to put some food in his belly.

He came down the stairs just as I was plating it up. “Oh,” he said, looking at the spread on the table. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to,” I said, putting our plates down. “For my boyfriend, the man I love.”

He sputtered and blushed and sat down, speechless apparently.

“I told you I’ll tell you all the time,” I said, givin’ him one of those grins I knew he secretly loved. “Eat up. You’ve got a big day.”

“We all do,” he said quietly. “It’s not too late to leave, you know.”

I ignored that and squirted tomato sauce over my eggs.

The utter silence from across the table made me look up. Jeremiah was gawping at my plate. Horrified.

It made me laugh. “He who has not tried it shall not judge.”

“I’m trying very hard not to judge,” he said flatly. “Though I’m beginning to question your taste.”

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