A Perfect Storm
Page 121
With him being so tender, her knees felt like noodles. “Yeah, okay, knock yourself out. If you want to play nursemaid, it’s no skin off my—”
A longer, softer kiss quieted her defensive chatter.
When he lifted his head, she felt herself swaying. Get a grip, Arizona. She cleared her throat, more baffled and flustered by the moment. “I—”
“I’m selling my house.”
“You’re what?”
Instead of explaining, he pulled her in closer again, tucking her against his chest. “I accepted the job offer. Are you okay with that?”
Joy exploded, making her flinch. “Ow, damn.” A hand to her head, she pushed away from him. “Yeah, I’m okay with it. Shoot, I’m thrilled.” She rubbed her temples.
Spencer caught her wrist and led her to sit on the edge of the hospital bed. “Will you partner with me?”
Agog, she stared at him. Good thing he’d gotten her to sit down before dropping that bomb. “Come again?”
“I’m taking the job with a caveat that you work with me. And I’m selling my house because, as of right now, I’m too well-known in it. Too many trails that lead to too many details.”
“Oh…well, yeah. Maybe.” But his house? He loved that house. Shoot, she loved that house. “All of your wife’s things, I mean, it was your house with her—”
“Shh.” He kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose. “I figured we could buy new things and put them in a new house. Our house.”
Her stomach bottomed out. “Our…?” She wagged a finger from him to her and back again. “Meaning us?”
He gave a firm nod. “Us. You and me. Partners.” He stepped between her legs and pulled her in against his chest.
He did seem to have a thing about keeping her close. “I love all the stuff your wife put in the house to make it a home.”
“I love you, Arizona.”
Whoa. She struggled out of his tight embrace to look up at him. “Did you get hit in the head, too?”
“No. I woke up and you were gone and I knew I’d been an idiot. But actually, even before that, I knew it. I realized that I’d been trying to…” Self-disgust tightened his mouth. “I wanted to help you get beyond the past.”
“Yeah, and you did. I’ve been making all kinds of progress—shoot, except for getting slugged in the head, I’d be about ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”
He didn’t laugh. “If you decided to, I’ve no doubt you could figure out how.”
“Eh…it was a joke, Spence.”
He smiled. “You must be feeling friskier if you’re back to butchering my name.”
“Friskier?” She narrowed her eyes, but not much because that hurt.
The smile widened into a grin. “You are so beautiful.”
“And you’re acting really weird.” Had he really said he loved her? Like, maybe he loved her the same way Jackson did? Only, Jackson hadn’t slept with her. Jackson hadn’t made her melt with wild pleasure. Jackson hadn’t—
“I love you, Arizona. I want to be with you.”
“You mean as…partners, right?” Because really, none of this was making much sense. But she really wanted to work with the guys. It’d be like a dream come true.
“And lovers.”
If he hadn’t been holding her, she might have slid right off the side of the bed. “Seriously?” She had no problem with that. “That’d be awesome! I was sort of hoping, but I didn’t want to push…and then I had to do this thing with Quinto, and I sort of figured that’d queer the deal, ya know? But if you—”
His hand covered her mouth.
“Whether we work with the dynamic trio or not, I want to partner with you.”
“And have sex with me,” she reminded him.
He nodded but added, “In sickness and in health.”
Her eyes flared. No way. That sounded like some sort of…proposal. Not that she knew jackola about proposals. She gave a nervous snicker. “Does that mean…?”
Spencer lifted her chin, bent and kissed her once more. “I thought you were too young for me.”
She snorted. “That is so dumb.”
Another kiss, this one ticklish because he laughed. “God, I need you, Arizona. No, you’re not too young. You’re perfect. For me. And I love you.”
There it was again! Flat-out. And Spencer said it as if he meant it and not in the same way that Jackson said it. “I wasn’t sure—”
“I am. Very sure.” He wrapped her close so that her nose was against his chest, and she breathed in his wonderful scent. “I thought I wanted to help you get beyond a past so tragic, it shredded my heart.”
“You did! I am past it. Mostly anyway.” Spencer deserved full disclosure. “I still have nightmares, probably always will.”
“But from now on, you won’t be alone when you do, because you’ll be with me.”
“Oh. Okay.” Yes, she was forever changed by the past, but she no longer felt wounded, not if… She peeked up at him. “You accept me as I am?”
“I love you as you are. I hope you’ll show more caution, but—”
“I’m always cautious!”
He gave her a stern frown. “No more leaving me notes. No more sneaking off without me.”
A longer, softer kiss quieted her defensive chatter.
When he lifted his head, she felt herself swaying. Get a grip, Arizona. She cleared her throat, more baffled and flustered by the moment. “I—”
“I’m selling my house.”
“You’re what?”
Instead of explaining, he pulled her in closer again, tucking her against his chest. “I accepted the job offer. Are you okay with that?”
Joy exploded, making her flinch. “Ow, damn.” A hand to her head, she pushed away from him. “Yeah, I’m okay with it. Shoot, I’m thrilled.” She rubbed her temples.
Spencer caught her wrist and led her to sit on the edge of the hospital bed. “Will you partner with me?”
Agog, she stared at him. Good thing he’d gotten her to sit down before dropping that bomb. “Come again?”
“I’m taking the job with a caveat that you work with me. And I’m selling my house because, as of right now, I’m too well-known in it. Too many trails that lead to too many details.”
“Oh…well, yeah. Maybe.” But his house? He loved that house. Shoot, she loved that house. “All of your wife’s things, I mean, it was your house with her—”
“Shh.” He kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose. “I figured we could buy new things and put them in a new house. Our house.”
Her stomach bottomed out. “Our…?” She wagged a finger from him to her and back again. “Meaning us?”
He gave a firm nod. “Us. You and me. Partners.” He stepped between her legs and pulled her in against his chest.
He did seem to have a thing about keeping her close. “I love all the stuff your wife put in the house to make it a home.”
“I love you, Arizona.”
Whoa. She struggled out of his tight embrace to look up at him. “Did you get hit in the head, too?”
“No. I woke up and you were gone and I knew I’d been an idiot. But actually, even before that, I knew it. I realized that I’d been trying to…” Self-disgust tightened his mouth. “I wanted to help you get beyond the past.”
“Yeah, and you did. I’ve been making all kinds of progress—shoot, except for getting slugged in the head, I’d be about ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”
He didn’t laugh. “If you decided to, I’ve no doubt you could figure out how.”
“Eh…it was a joke, Spence.”
He smiled. “You must be feeling friskier if you’re back to butchering my name.”
“Friskier?” She narrowed her eyes, but not much because that hurt.
The smile widened into a grin. “You are so beautiful.”
“And you’re acting really weird.” Had he really said he loved her? Like, maybe he loved her the same way Jackson did? Only, Jackson hadn’t slept with her. Jackson hadn’t made her melt with wild pleasure. Jackson hadn’t—
“I love you, Arizona. I want to be with you.”
“You mean as…partners, right?” Because really, none of this was making much sense. But she really wanted to work with the guys. It’d be like a dream come true.
“And lovers.”
If he hadn’t been holding her, she might have slid right off the side of the bed. “Seriously?” She had no problem with that. “That’d be awesome! I was sort of hoping, but I didn’t want to push…and then I had to do this thing with Quinto, and I sort of figured that’d queer the deal, ya know? But if you—”
His hand covered her mouth.
“Whether we work with the dynamic trio or not, I want to partner with you.”
“And have sex with me,” she reminded him.
He nodded but added, “In sickness and in health.”
Her eyes flared. No way. That sounded like some sort of…proposal. Not that she knew jackola about proposals. She gave a nervous snicker. “Does that mean…?”
Spencer lifted her chin, bent and kissed her once more. “I thought you were too young for me.”
She snorted. “That is so dumb.”
Another kiss, this one ticklish because he laughed. “God, I need you, Arizona. No, you’re not too young. You’re perfect. For me. And I love you.”
There it was again! Flat-out. And Spencer said it as if he meant it and not in the same way that Jackson said it. “I wasn’t sure—”
“I am. Very sure.” He wrapped her close so that her nose was against his chest, and she breathed in his wonderful scent. “I thought I wanted to help you get beyond a past so tragic, it shredded my heart.”
“You did! I am past it. Mostly anyway.” Spencer deserved full disclosure. “I still have nightmares, probably always will.”
“But from now on, you won’t be alone when you do, because you’ll be with me.”
“Oh. Okay.” Yes, she was forever changed by the past, but she no longer felt wounded, not if… She peeked up at him. “You accept me as I am?”
“I love you as you are. I hope you’ll show more caution, but—”
“I’m always cautious!”
He gave her a stern frown. “No more leaving me notes. No more sneaking off without me.”
