Page 73 of Searching for Bristol
Rocky couldn’t resist kissing her once more, but he made sure to keep this one light and easy. Then he stood with Bristol in his arms, ignoring her protests that she could walk and carrying her back into the kitchen. It was harder than he thought to leave her standing next to the counter with her crutches nearby. But it helped to know that she’d be sleeping next to him soon.
Four hours later, Rocky heard Bristol come into the bedroom. It didn’t matter how quiet she was, his SEAL training prevented him from sleeping so deeply that he didn’t hear when someone was nearby.
She gently lifted the sheet and blanket and slid underneath. Rocky immediately pulled her into his arms. She sighed and snuggled closer. He’d kept his T-shirt on and a pair of boxers, and she was wearing the T-shirt he’d given her that she loved so much.
Her hand landed on his chest and her head on his shoulder. Once again, Rocky marveled at how well they fit together.
“You good?” he asked quietly.
“Perfect,” she whispered back. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Rocky didn’t respond verbally, just kissed the top of her head.
She sighed once more, and he could feel her warm breath even through his T-shirt. He wished they were skin-to-skin, but that time would come. For now, he was going to soak in the feeling of her being in his arms.
His eyes closed and he let himself drift off once more.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
A week later, Bristol had to laugh at how every single person she met while she was out and about in Fallport gave her advice about which house she should purchase. Word about her staying had spread fast, and now everyone seemed to be a housing market expert.
It was hard to get irritated with anyone when she was feeling so damn happy. She and Rocky hadn’t made love yet, but they’d slept in each other’s arms every night since he’d returned from his latest search. They’d also gone just a little further and further each night, exploring each other physically.
The night before, she’d slept in only her underwear after Rocky had taken her shirt off and made her come with his fingers and mouth. Sex had never felt so good before, and Bristol was more than ready for the real thing.
Tonight was going to be their night, no matter how much Rocky tried to put the brakes on. She knew he was doing it because he wanted her to be sure of their relationship, of him. And she was. Hell, she was going to move to Fallport, that’s how sure she was.
It was time.Pasttime. And Bristol couldn’t wait.
Today, Rocky was working with his brother on a house that had a leak, and black mold had completely overtaken one wall of the home. He’d had to take the wall down to the studs to completely remove the mold, and now he was building it back up. When he’d taken out the wall, he’d discovered that whoever had built the house years ago had taken so many shortcuts when it came to the electrical wiring, it was a miracle it had passed inspection at all. So Ethan was there to work on that part of the remodel, while Rocky did the drywall and the other reconstruction.
Bristol had seen Doc Snow a few days ago, and the x-ray of her leg showed the fracture wasn’t quite healed and she would need another few weeks in a cast, but he kindly cut off the old one and gave her a brand-new, bright pink cast to wear for the remainder of the time. Not only that, he agreed that she no longer needed the knee walker or crutches at all times, and could put weight on her foot, as long as she didn’t overdo it.
So while Bristol wasn’t thrilled she still had to wear the cast—it made things in bed with Rocky a bit more cumbersome—she was happy with the progress she was making and the fact she could hobble around without the crutches.
Today, she had some errands to do, including picking up a package at the post office filled with more materials for her jewelry, as well as some colored glass she’d seen online and hadn’t been able to resist. The urge to create a stained-glass piece was pushing at her hard, and Bristol was looking forward to the time when she could get back into a workshop.
Rocky had asked Drew to pick her up and take her where she needed to go today. She was glad for the ride, but soon it would be time to arrange to get her own vehicle to Fallport. It was sitting in her garage in Kingsport, and now that she could walk, she didn’t want to put anyone else out by having to drive her everywhere.
A knock on the door alerted her to Drew’s arrival. She limped to the door and opened it. “Hey! I’m almost ready,” she told Rocky’s friend. She hadn’t hung out with the former police officer much, and was looking forward to getting to know him better.
She turned to grab her purse and make sure the lights were off in the apartment, and when she started for the door again, noticed Drew was still standing just outside on the walkway.
“Why didn’t you come in?” she asked as he backed up to give her room to close and lock the apartment door.
“I wasn’t invited,” he said simply.
Bristol frowned up at him. “Yes, you were,” she said in confusion.
“Just opening the door and saying ‘hello’ isn’t inviting me in,” he said calmly, without any trace of irritation in his tone.
“Well, it was implied,” she insisted.
Drew shrugged. “I don’t do implied.”
At that, Bristol had what seemed like a million questions. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate his respectfulness, she just wondered what had made him so…cautious.
He opened the passenger-side door of his black Jeep Wrangler and helped her get settled, then walked back around to his side.
