“Nice to see you too, Kat.” But he leaned down and kissed the top of her head before making himself scarce.
Kat closed the door behind him, then moved to stand in front of Andrew. “Hi.”
He caught her hand and nudged her leg, knocking her down into his lap. “Hi.”
The world fell away, taking the pain of the last few days with it. Here, in this moment, it was her and him, and Nick was right. Life was about clinging to the beautiful parts. “So. Derek didn’t punch you in the face, it seems.”
“Mmm.” Andrew wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. “He was more interested in whether I plan on breaking your heart again.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that part of our lives is over, and we’re trying something new—being happy.”
They’d broken free of their endless loop. Finally. “Good answer. Especially since I’m pretty sure I already moved in with you, without either of us discussing it.”
He laughed and settled his hands on her thighs. “I did hear that Anna’s going to live with Sera.”
“I said it was okay.” Which had been a presumptuous move, she supposed, in retrospect. Enough of one for nerves to set her heart to racing. “I probably should have asked you first. I mean, asked you if you want me living with you for the rest of forever.”
“You mean like I should have asked before I informed your cousin that I intend to marry you as soon as you’ll let me?”
Now her heart was skipping beats, doing a funny new dance in her chest as she discovered a spontaneous interest in the institution of matrimony. “You could probably talk me around. Only if you come up with an awesome idea for a wedding, though. Mac and Jackson stole Vegas. If we do that now, we’ll just look like copycats.”
“Uh-huh.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “We’ll think of something. I mean, we’re creative people, right? And we’ve got time to figure it out.”
How could she have ever thought she was cold? He warmed her, even with the softest touch, and she knew now how easily he could bring that gentle heat to a boil. “We’re brilliant.” She murmured the words against his cheek, then kissed his temple. “We’ll get married eventually, but it doesn’t even matter. We’re Kat and Andrew. We just are.”
“You know, that’s exactly what I said.” And then he kissed her.
Soft lips, hard body, slow burn and a pleasure that transcended flesh. She melted into him, then took Nick’s advice and lowered her shields. Not so much, just enough to let his love flood her, to lift her up to a place beyond bad memories and pain.
It was beauty, and she seized it with both hands and savored it, drank it down until she was giddy.
Drunk. Until her fingers tightened on his shoulders and his dug into her hips, and even though they were panting and half-crazy, there was no shame in the loss of control.
No shame, and no fear. Just Kat, and Andrew, and together they were everything.
About the Author
How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. To learn more about this romance-writing, crime-fighting duo, visit their webpage at www.moirarogers.com, or drop them an email at moira@moirarogers.com. (Disclaimer: crime-fighting abilities may appear only in the aforementioned fevered imaginations.)