Page 68 of Second Go-Round

“I’m sure I’ve got two black eyes from my broken nose and my breath probably reeks,” I whispered, “but I would really love if you’d kiss me right now.”

Jarod pressed his lips softly against mine, and I sighed, melting into a puddle of contentment.

He pulled back way too soon and threaded his fingers through mine, resting our hands on my chest. “I don’t think I ever told you how I feel about you,” he said, peering down at me.

I bit back a smirk, remembering some of what he’d shared with me while we’d been buried alive. “Meaning you’re more than fucked?”

“Meaning I’m falling in love with you, Christine Gemberling.”

God. There it was out in the open between us. The “L” word.

I stared at him, my chest tight even though my heart felt like it flew through bright sunshine. “Is there a cure for such a thing, Nurse Zimmerman?” I asked rather than replying with the canned response most people would expect—what I realized was absolute truth with having Jarod all up in my space again.

“Sure as hell hope there isn’t,” Jarod murmured, his thumb rubbing over my lower lip.

“Then I guess we’re doomed.”

His slow smirk heated me regardless of the morphine attempting to numb the cells in my body.

“So.” I shifted to relieve the sweet ache between my thighs, pressing a leg against his groin. “When I get out of here, want to play doctor for real?”

His huff of laughter shook my hospital bed. “I’ll play whatever the hell you want if it means hanging around long after you’d usually kick a guy to the curb.”

“I can live with that,” I said and lifted my head to kiss him again.

Chapter 29

Jarod

My finger, sprained knee, and shoulder healed long before Christine’s leg. She’d been through two surgeries to fix the damage to her upper thigh and its shattered bone, and she’d been lucky the rest of her leg had completely escaped injury in the pocket beyond the beam that had held her down and kept her from bleeding out.

I sat in the waiting room while she worked with her physical therapist, my thoughts scrolling through the weeks since the explosion that had toppled the building around us. Nightmares occasionally haunted both of us, but waking in the other’s arms brought the solace we needed.

We hadn’t officially moved in together, but I spent more time at her place than I did my own, sleeping beside her warmth every night since I couldn’t bear to be away from her when the lights went out.

Oftentimes, we fell asleep with our hands clasped. We woke that way too with my body a protective shield wrapped around her. She had told me the night before that she never thought she would like having someone in her bed but now couldn’t imagine sleeping without me.

I switched up my hours at the children’s hospital, cutting back to four ten-hour shifts so I could spend the bulk of my time with Christine. Still on crutches, my woman hobbled around and definitely needed assistance with daily tasks. While she remained stubbornly independent, she allowed me to shower with her and pamper her in whatever way she required to be comfortable.

You are my comfort, she had told me the night before.

The memory of finally giving in to her begging for my cock slid through my blood like an infusion of heat.

Leaning forward, elbows on knees, I closed my eyes and relived slowly pressing into her slick warmth. Her body had welcomed me, wrapped around me the best she could with one healing thigh.

Becoming one with her after weeks of not being able to sink into her heaven had tripled the emotional tether between us. We had shared breaths, our mouths hungry and searching. Staring into her eyes while burying balls deep and giving her everything I had filled me with such potent feelings…

A shudder rippled down my spine, and I swallowed hard.

She’d come so damn hard around my dick, her pussy a pulsing vise that had made my balls detonate to the point I saw literal stars. Then she’d cradled my body in her softness when I sagged atop her.

I’d thought for sure I would get the I love you I’d been dying for in response to my declaration, but she teased the same as always, hinting at how she felt without actually saying it.

Stubborn brat.

Snickering, I shook my head and sat back, well aware I wouldn’t want her any other way. A heavy inhale and slow release filled and emptied my lungs. I couldn’t help the grin on my face. I could live without the words. Christine showed me with her actions and every lingering gaze exactly how much she loved me.

Things hadn’t been perfect since the rescuers had pulled us from the wreckage of what had once been O’Neill’s, but we’d meandered our way through, ending every argument with physical affection and words of thankfulness for our survival. Having the chance for another day with one another.

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