“Thanks, Murph.” I smile so wide my face hurts.
“Anytime,” he says, returning the gesture.
Stuffing the newspaper clipping back into the envelope, I make a run for it, sifting through the crowded halls that wrap around in a circle, feeling as though they go on forever. By the time I reach the place where I stole nachos from Jamie’s tray, I am out of breath. I hunch over to collect myself, sucking in some air.
Once I come to a standing, I search the sea of people, the air around me humming with energy. Strong arms wrap around me, his breath warm against my skin, as Jamie pulls me against his chest. I know it’s him before he even speaks. I would know that manly scent and his muscular body that contours around mine anywhere.
“Hey, Foxy,” he whispers into my ear, leaving chills down my spine. “I see you got my message this time.”
Resting my head on his shoulder, I look up at him, staring into his eyes. “You named your company after me.” I can barely speak the rest of the words, so overcome with emotion, but I manage to finish. “And your software. You named it after me. You never name anything. I thought it was bad luck.”
“Not anymore.” His grip on me tightens, hardening my nipples, and his touch goes straight between my legs. “I realized something while we were apart. I should have named the games I wrote, but I didn’t want to get too attached, only to turn them over. The one thing I never told you was how I grew up, and why it’s so important for me to do things on my own.”
“I know about you and Coach, if that’s what you mean.”
“Right,” he says, “then you also understand that’s why it’s so hard for me to let go of things. My parents had given me a name, and then, they gave me away, or at least that’s what it had felt like when I was a kid. I did the same thing with my first video game. It was becoming a vicious cycle, one I had repeated for a long time before I stopped bothering to even name the games I was coding. But I realized, because of you, that was also the reason why I couldn’t finish the game for TGS.”
“Did you ever hand it over to that company?”
“No, I made them buy the license from me. I still own the software.”
Holding my hand over his, the warmth of his body spreads throughout mine like wildfire. “I still can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“I’m sick of losing things that are important to me. You are too important, Regan. I lost my parents when I was twelve. I lost my game when I was twenty. And I lost you when I was twenty-seven. I’m done with all the loss. I need you in my life, Regan. I love you. I’m so fucking in love with you that all I could think about for the last month was how much you would love this game. How it was made for you. How you are made for me.”
“We are made for each other,” I say, wiggling free of his grasp, so I can face him. “I love you, too, Jamie. I have for a while now.”
“How come you wouldn’t return my calls?”
“Because I wanted you to get your head out of your ass. I’m glad that my plan worked. You did far more with our time apart than I had ever imaged. I wasn’t so sure you would change at all. You were too stuck in your ways. I can’t live my life around your work schedule. You have to make time for me.”
“I will never make that mistake again,” he says, against my lips. “Move in with me. This time, say yes. I want to fall asleep with your head on my chest and wake up with you in my arms. I need you, Regan. This company needs you. I am building this for us, for our future.”
Wiping the tears from my face, I flash him a smile. He looks as though he’s holding his breath from the beat that passes between us before I finally mutter, “Okay. Yes, I’ll move in with you this time. But things will be different.”
“It will be. I promise.” His lips graze mine, and he tugs at my bottom lip, taking it in his mouth. “I love you, Regan,” he whispers between kissing me. “I love you so much.”
My heads spins from each kiss. We devour each other as if no one is around us when the halls are packed with screaming fans. But nothing matters at this moment. Only our love for one other and the future we will plan together. Nothing in my life felt complete until I met Jamie.
Consumed by his love, his kisses grow softer, more tender. I want to strip him of his clothes. Until I stop myself, recalling our surroundings.
Breaking away from his lips, I say, “How about we finish this in my office.”
“I thought we could go home.”
Home. Our home. Where I belong.
“That sounds great, but I can’t just leave in the middle of a concert. I have a job, you know.”
“Not anymore. Foxy Developers needs someone with your skills.”
“I seriously cannot believe that you named your company Foxy after me.” I shake my head at him, laughing. “You’re such a nerd, Jameson O’ Connor.”
“Say what you want but this nerd just made a fortune because of his nerd superpowers, so laugh it up, babe, because I laughed all the way to the bank.”
I tug on his shirt to pull him closer. “A nerd wouldn’t fuck me the way you do. While I might have missed your brain, I missed your body even more.”
“Is this the part where you make another Star Trek reference because that would be such a turn on right now.” He chuckles, as he says the last part.