My heart is doing this gymnastic thing under my sternum, like cartwheels and backflips and all kinds of strenuous athletic shit. I can hardly catch my breath. “And I want you to want to say yes to the question. But…”
She stops breathing and blinks up at me. “But?”
I stroke her cheeks with my thumbs and lean in even closer so my lips brush hers when I speak. “But there’s this little forbidden four-letter word I’m wanting to hear you say first.”
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! screeches the heart monitor.
Her voice shaking, she says, “Glove?”
I chuckle, shake my head. “You know very well that’s five letters. And to make it official you also need the word ‘I’ before and the word ‘you’ after. Proceed.”
“Um…I slove you?”
“Also five letters. And weird.”
“This is all weird.”
I’m trying to keep a straight face. “You’re telling me. Go on, I’m waiting. I haven’t got a lot of time you know. I’m elderly. Could kick the bucket any minute.”
She searches my face, stares deep into my eyes, inhales a slow, deep breath. Then she places her hands on both of my cheeks, and very solemnly says, “Connor Hughes, I loathe your sense of humor almost as much as I loathe your face. In fact, I loathe everything about you.”
My heart soars. “God, I love it when you talk in code,” I say gruffly, and crush my lips to hers.
In a few seconds, a nurse bursts into the room to find out what all the beeping is about.
Epilogue
A few months later
“You’re smashing me.”
“You’re complaining?”
“If you didn’t weigh three hundred pounds, I wouldn’t be.”
Lying naked on top of me in his bed on a gloriously sunny Saturday morning, Connor pulls his brows together and sticks out his lower lip, pretending to be hurt. “I am not three hundred pounds. Are you saying you think I’m overweight?”
I kiss his chin. “Excuse me, but I’m a delicate flower. You said so yourself, remember?”
He frowns and shakes his head. “No. I can’t believe I’d ever describe you as ‘delicate.’”
“Well, you did. Although it was right after we’d had sex, so you were probably just being abnormally kind.”
He chuckles. “‘Abnormally’ kind? So now I’m obese and cruel?”
I kiss his chin again, adding a nip because I know he loves it when I use my teeth on him. “Oh, definitely,” I tease. “You’re just a big fat meanie. Everybody knows that.”
His grin comes on slow and sultry. His hair falls into his eyes, his face is flushed with afterglow, and the man is so damn gorgeous it almost hurts to look at him.
“There you go talking in code again, woman. You’re lucky I like you, or I’d be forced to take countermeasures.”
My smile is huge. “Like me? Now who’s talking in code?”
Very softly, he replies, “Well, I suppose since you’re living with me now, I have to like you. Even though it’s hard because you’re such an ugly, unpleasant shrew.”
He presses a gentle kiss to my lips and gets the look he always gets when he’s feeling especially mushy, all misty-eyed and bashful. It’s absolutely fucking adorable.
“Speaking of hard.” I roll my hips, pressing my pelvis against his erection. “Are you taking Viagra? Because you’re pretty spry for an old man. Three times in an hour, and you’re still erect? This thing doesn’t quit. It’s like the Energizer Bunny.”
He adopts a superior tone and looks at me down his nose. “Thing? I’ll have you know Zeus isn’t a thing. He’s a cherished body part and a dedicated servant to your pleasure. In fact, I think you should show him some respect for all the joy he’s brought you and give him a kiss.”
I start laughing. “Zeus? Seriously?”
With total innocence, Connor says, “Of course. King of the gods and ruler of the world. What else would I call him?”
“You’re right. Zeus it is. Now get off me, jarhead, I’ve got stuff to do, and I can’t spend the entire day in bed with you.” I push at his shoulders, but it’s like trying to move a mountain. He doesn’t budge.
Inhaling, his eyes closed, he rubs his cheek against mine. He murmurs, “What stuff could be more important than spending the day in bed with me?”
“Oh, only meeting with the head of the NSA to discuss the future of this country’s cyber defense programs.”
Once I was debriefed by the CIA at the hospital, the NSA came in. And once I was debriefed by them, I not only had a migraine but also a job offer.
It’s funny how life works. One minute you’re steeling yourself for a nice long stint in federal prison, the next you’re being asked to consult with Big Brother on secret government spy programs. It’s a good thing I have a robust sense of humor.
Connor’s eyes blink open. “That’s today? It’s the weekend.”
“It’s not like they keep regular office hours, honey.”
“Hmm.” The mushy look creeps back into Connor’s eyes. “I’ll let you up on one condition.”
I raise my eyebrows, waiting.