He grinned at her. “I’ve got a few of those, Sky.”
“I don’t need anything but your love.”
“You have it, Sky.” He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, and then lifted back up to look at her again. “I do love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.”
Then he pulled out and fell to his back on the bed beside her. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her close. They lay that way for a long time, her head tucked under his chin, her cheek on his chest. His fingers stroked lightly up and down her back, and her fingers moved over his chest, tracing idle patterns.
“Babe, how’d you end up in such a big house like this?”
She smiled remembering how Shades always liked pillow talk. When she’d stay at his place and they’d make love, afterward he always liked to talk, about h
is day, about hers, about something funny one of the guys did. It really didn’t matter what the topic was, but they’d murmur back and forth for a long time before one or both of them would drift off to sleep. She’d always loved that about him. And she’d missed it.
“A friend is letting me stay here,” she replied.
“Huh. A friend, eh?” She felt him tense under her.
“A friend of my boss.”
“Your boss?”
“I needed a place to stay when I came back to town. Eric made a call for me. His friend had this place, and it was standing empty, so he told Eric I could use it for the summer.”
“Eric, huh?”
“Jealous?”
“Maybe. Do I need to be?”
“Hardly. He’s gay.”
“Thank you, Lord.”
She giggled.
“It’s a nice place. I like this big bed.”
She grinned. “I’m sure you do.”
They were quiet for a minute.
“Shades?” she whispered.
“Hmm?”
“I’m scared.” She felt the hand stroking her back go still.
“Of what?”
“I’m afraid this is all going to be taken away again.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
“You don’t understand. My whole life has been about letting go. I’ve had to let go of so many people, Shades. Every time I got attached, let someone become important in my life, I’ve had to learn to let them go. It’s hard to let anyone become important after that. But I let you become important. And you tore my heart out. And I’m afraid it’s going to happen again.”
Shades was quiet for a long moment, and then he started talking.