Tacker (Arizona Vengeance 5)

I had some foresight, though. After the great air mattress bursting debacle, one thing I did this past weekend was order a bed. It would take a few weeks to come in, but I did manage to get a box spring and mattress to my apartment in the back of my truck. We’d at least be sleeping more comfortably than in a recliner.

Can’t say there was a whole lot of sleeping Monday night. The prospect of not seeing each other for several days apparently gave us both an excess of energy that needed to be expended.

All I can say is sex with Nora is out of this world. The connection is near to perfect, almost as if she were made to fit me. Despite the small twinges of guilt that I’m leaving MJ behind for another woman, my time with Nora is more than I ever expected. It continues to feel right.

It continues to feel like I’m still on the right path.

My relationships with my teammates are flourishing. Laughing is actually quite easy now, and the moments of sadness and guilty reflection are fewer.

I feel like I’m actually entitled to be happy. Frankly, a lot of the credit for that goes to Dr. Dumfries, who I’m still seeing a few times a week. He continues to encourage me to live my life, and he now has me confronting some of the more traumatic events of the crash. I have to give the man credit—he’s nowhere near the douche I had originally assumed him to be.

While I’m as open as I can be with him, I have outright lied to him as to why I’ve returned. There’s no way I could ever tell him about Nora and me because it could put her at risk for some type of censure. So I lied and told him the drive to her place was too inconvenient.

Luckily, our conversations haven’t even gotten close to discussing my readiness to date or open myself back up to romantic relationships. But because it’s team-ordered therapy, he tends to concentrate on what’s needed to better my relationships with my teammates and coaches, and that’s fine by me.

Nora and I are doing just fine.

More than fine—she’s simply amazing to me. I’ve missed her greatly this week.

I was gone Tuesday through Friday, playing games on the East Coast. I have one more road trip next week to Dallas to play my old team, then it’s playoff time. Our team plane landed late last night, but I was up early this morning. Nora took the day off, and we’re going to spend it together. It didn’t even take her a lot to convince me to go on a horseback ride with her to start out, and then we’d figure out what to do after that.

Not sure if it dings my man-credibility or not, but the fact Nora’s waiting for me on the porch stoop when I pull up in front of her ranch house makes my chest constrict a bit. She pops up, leveling a broad smile as I bring my truck to a halt.

She’s at my door waiting for me when I open it and then to my utter fucking delight, she’s climbing up on the running board to wrap her arms around my neck and press her mouth to mine.

MJ never would have done that. She was more reserved by nature. Very loving and affectionate, but usually in a responsive way.

I don’t let myself feel guilt for making that comparison. It’s natural, and Nora has validated that for me. She’s also not threatened by it, so I let it ride, choosing to appreciate the difference instead.

I can’t say I would ever mind Nora climbing on me.

Just as one hand is going to her ass, she manages to pull away slightly to look me right in the eye. A woman who is not afraid to express her feelings, she says, “I really missed you this week.”

“Same,” I mutter, ridiculously overwhelmed by the emotion in her voice and feeling completely lacking in giving it back. Not that I don’t want to, but it’s hard… uttering feelings.

Nora knows it, and she purses her lips in a cute smile. “Ready to ride?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say.

She hops off the running board, letting me exit my truck, and continues to chatter. “After, I thought I’d make us some lunch. I got a bunch of great deli meats and I can make some hoagies or something. And then after,” she winks at me over her shoulder, “there’s something wrong with my bed. I could use your help in figuring it out.”

Chuckling, I grab her hand, halt her forward progression, and pull her into me. Our arms go around each other, and Nora grins up at me. “I’ve missed having you next to me at night.”