Page 31 of The Arrangement

“Damn right I do. First off, there’s absolutely nothing embarrassing about having PTSD. I mean it. Look at me, Gallagher.” I waited for him to reluctantly meet my gaze. “Nothing. Do you hear me?”

“Heard, Spec. Weathers,” he said with a huff of laughter as he transitioned to preparing the other cup of coffee.

“And second, if coming in your shorts is embarrassing, then I’d have to be embarrassed too, which I wouldn’t be. So, there.” I smacked a kiss on his mouth, then spun to grab his essence of sugar creamer, and my milk. I set them on the counter by the steaming cups and raised an eyebrow in challenge. “What do you think of them apples?”

His rich laughter wasn’t full-bellied, but it still filled the small kitchen and my chest. Before I could react, he’d cradled my head again in his ridiculously large hand and stolen an achingly sweet kiss. “I think I’m really glad Jones bailed.”

I’d commit actual murder before admitting to anyone who wasn’t my twin, but I completely melted. Like “left a chocolate bar on the dash during the hottest day of the summer for the whole day,” melted. Because yeah, me too.

JD stepped away, leaving me with my happy floating hearts to finish topping off the coffees. “Drink up, baby boy. Pretty sure there’s a delivery today and someone slept in.”

“Oh shit! The refrigerator.”

His laughter followed me as I bolted into the bedroom to change. It wasn’t until I was hopping out, trying to put my last sneaker on, that I realized I’d never shut the door. I doubted he would have watched me change without an invitation—perving was apparently my thing—but surprisingly I found I wouldn’t have minded. Ilikedthe idea of getting naked with JD. I liked that idea a hella of a lot.

I flashed JD a smile as I accepted the to-go cup he’d put together for me. Before I could second-guess myself, I planted a kiss on his cheek, earning myself a brilliant grin. On cue, my phone chimed with a notification. I was still bouncing on my toes when JD finally caught up with me at the bottom of the stairs.

“I have literally never seen anyone so excited about a refrigerator.” He laughed to himself and took a position beside me with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Shut your face. That’s because you’ve never seen a totally kick-asswalk-inflower refrigerator.” I checked my watch and debated stepping outside, you know, in case the delivery truck needed me to flag them down or something.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “If you say so.”

“I do say so. Now stop raining on my parade,” I clapped back, leaning to peer out the propped-open delivery door—again—despite the increasing humidity. Without warning, a pair of strong, hairy arms wrapped around my middle, and my feet left the ground. “What the hell!”

When JD deigned to let my feet touch the floor again, we were several feet back from the open delivery door. “Not raining. I like seeing you excited.” His husky voice so close to my ear sent a shiver racing down my spine and had goosebumps prickling my arms. Then the fucker went and bit my earlobe. “It’s fucking adorable.”

I groaned, officially so turned on it was a problem. No one had the right to sound that sexy. Especially not when I was due to get a delivery that I’d basically been waiting on for over four years and couldn’t act on all the sexy things his voice promised. “You’re. Evil.”

He chuckled, sinister asshole that he was, nipped the side of my neck and stepped back. I shot him a glare. Where I expected more teasing, he pointed back toward the delivery bay. I turned back around to where a guy in a uniform was holding a clipboard and glancing expectantly between us. Oh, I wassogetting JD back for this.

Thanks to all the work we’d done getting the place cleaned up and the preemptive electrical update, the installers had a relatively easy time installing the unit, which was perhapsambitious in scale. I signed off on the work, bid the crew goodbye after recommending some good eats in the area, then fiddled with the unit to my preferred settings. At last, I stood back and stared at it with pride.

“Explain to me again why you needed one so big,” JD said as he stood beside me, arms crossed over his impressive chest. I was beginning to think that had more to do with what it did to his muscles and less to do with it being a comfortable position to stand. He glanced around the back of the shop. “It takes up over a third of the space back here.”

Okay, that was fair, but it was only because the stairs were sort of in an awkward place. Mostly. “Because while it might take a bit to ramp things up from simple arrangements and general bouquets, eventually we’ll be doing all kinds of events. Sweet sixteens, graduation ceremonies, anniversary parties, weddings. God, I can’t wait for us to do weddings.” Excitement filled my chest until I thought I might explode from it. I turned to JD, who was giving me his usual indulgent smile when I went off about flowers. “Seriously, do you have any idea how muchfunweddings are?”

“Oh yeah, I hear bridezillas are a real treat to work with.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, bridezillas can be a lot, but they can also be some of the best. Because when you get it right, when youreallyget it right, she’ll remember them forever. We can help preserve her bouquet so it becomes a memory she can cherish and revisit again and again. For future anniversaries, we’ll always know exactly what flowers brought tears to her eyes. There’s something unbelievably special about being able to give someone that.”

JD stepped closer, a sweet smile on his face, and brushed his thumbs under my eyes. Shit, I hadn’t realized how emotional I’d gotten. Oh well, I doubted it even surprised him at this point. “That sounds beautiful, baby boy. I hope you get all of that.” Heplaced a kiss on my nose, then stepped away, adding belatedly, “What do you say we grab a bite to eat before you drag me to all the shops on your list?”

I replied by rote, but I couldn’t have told a soul what I actually said, because it wasn’t until then that I realized in my excitement I’d said “we” and I’d meant it. Even though it was hella presumptuous and didn’t make a lick of sense, when he responded with a very clear “you” it was as if he’d stabbed me with that knife after all. Needing to rebalance and knowing Alex was busy with a presentation, I went with an equally suitable alternative.

“What would you say to bringing said bite to Aunt Petunia?”

“I’d say, what the hell are we standing around here for? Let’s go.” He smacked my ass as if nothing was wrong, because nothingwaswrong.

Chapter 18

James

When Marc said “we” while discussing his plans for the flower shop, I could have called my CO right then and there and told him I had zero plans of re-upping. I wanted that dream more than I wanted my next breath. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know shit about flowers. I’d learn. I’d find other ways to be helpful. But Marc was… Marc. He was passionate. Of course, he was excited about the future of the shop. He’d never wanted to be in the army.Thishad always been his dream. He didn’t mean “we” as in “him and me”. It was more of a royal we, the “we” of future staff. A “we” of a future that didn’t include a summer dalliance, an experiment, a secret.

Because that’s all I ever was. Even with the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” most soldiers kept their sexuality quiet. Not hiding per se, but not broadcasting either. I certainly didn’t. Which meant secret hookups. Often it also meant I was a safe person for someone to explore their sexuality. Not for a relationship. Never for that. It had been fine in my twenties, orthat’s what I told myself. Now? Now I knew it for the lie it had always been.

I swallowed past the lump that had formed in my throat. I needed to get the fuck over myself. What did I think this would be? That I’d—what—kiss Marc, and he’d fall head over heels in love with me and ask me to stay, to give up the Army? That for once I wouldn’t have to watch someone else get their happily ever after?