Page 72 of Searching for Bristol
“Good.”
“Yup.” A yawn snuck up on Rocky before he could stop it.
Bristol put a hand on his cheek. “You should go get some sleep,” she said.
“Did you sleep in my bed last night?” he couldn’t help but ask.
The blush returned to her cheeks. “Yes.”
“Can’t wait to smell your lemony scent on my sheets,” he told her.
She smiled and licked her lips. “Have to admit, being surrounded byyourscent last night was both relaxing andnotat the same time.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Tonight’s not the night…but I want to finish what we started last night before we were interrupted.”
“Me too,” she agreed without hesitation.
Rocky desperately wanted to make love to Bristol, but was content to wait. “I’m probably being presumptuous, but…any chance I can convince you to sleep with me tonight?” he asked. “Just sleep,” he added quickly.
Bristol stared at him for a long, heart-stopping moment before she nodded.
“I’m gonna go crash, but it’s probably too early for you. Join me when you’re ready,” he told her.
“Okay.”
“I’m beyond happy right now, Punky. We got the bad guy, I came home to a delicious meal. Learned you want to move here, and I’m gonna get to hold you all night. The day ended a lot better than it started, that’s for sure.”
She smiled at him.
Rocky lowered his head and kissed her hard. He’d meant it to be a short, heartfelt sharing of his emotions, but it turned out to be much more. Her hand slipped under his shirt, and he couldn’t stop himself from covering one of her breasts, then palming her ass as she sat on his lap. His cock was hard, and he hoped it wasn’t disturbing her. He didn’t think so, if the way she was squirming on him was any indication.
As much as he loved what they were doing, he could feel himself tiring. Not even his desire for Bristol could keep him awake for long. The adrenaline dump, the hot shower, the food in his belly, the contentment in his soul…it was a recipe for him to crash, and crash hard.
It was Bristol who pulled back first. “You need to sleep.”
He nodded in agreement. Moved his hands away from dangerous territory just as she did the same. He kissed her forehead gently.
“I’ll take care of the dishes before I go,” he told her.
Bristol shook her head. “No, you won’t. I’ve got it.”
“But your leg—” he began, and she interrupted him.
“My leg is fine. It actually feels pretty good. I’ve been putting a tiny bit of weight on it—not a lot, so don’t worry—and it doesn’t hurt. It feels great to be up and about and able to help out around here.”
“All right, but don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t. Rocky?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re sure you don’t mind that I’m moving here? I mean, things between us might not work out, and I don’t want anything to be awkward for either of us if they don’t.”
“I wish I could say for sure that any kind of relationship between us will absolutely last. That we’ll be together even when we’re in our eighties and have taken over Silas, Otto, and Art’s seats outside the post office. But I can’t. However, Icanpromise that no matter what happens between us, I won’t begrudge you making your home here. I can’t see you turning into a raging bitch and making me hate the fact that you’re here. Just as I’m not all of a sudden going to turn into an abusive asshole and make you regret uprooting your entire life to move to Fallport.
“With the way I feel right now, I can’t imagine you evernotbeing in my life, but we’ll take one day at a time. And I swear, no matter what the future holds, to respect the right for you to make this your home.”
Bristol sighed and nodded. “Thank you. And I’m not going to turn into a raging bitch. Promise.”
