Nate chuckled at the faint pink tinge on her cheeks.
“When did you become so filthy?”
“I’ve always been this filthy. I just didn’t show it when I was chasing you, but now that I’ve caught you, I’m revealing my true nature.”
She slanted him an arch stare. “Caught me, huh?”
“Yep.” He was all smiles and smug male satisfaction. “Same as you caught me. We’re two fish in a net, tangled together for—” He caught himself before he said “forever.” “For a long, long time.”
Kris dissolved into laughter. “That is theworstmetaphor I’ve ever heard.”
“Perhaps we should do less talking and more doing, then?”
“Smooth,” she drawled. She propped herself up on her elbow, her expression turning serious. “But first, I have something to tell you. Well, two things. One, I have brunch—realbrunch—scheduled with Courtney tomorrow, so don’t think about tying me up in bed all morning.”
Nate actually pouted. “Goddammit.”
“Two—” Kris hesitated, and wariness prickled the back of his neck. “I spoke with Susan last week.”
“Okay…”
Nate knew Kris was still volunteering with MentHer, albeit remotely. She had a gift for marketing, event planning, and fundraising—probably because she’d attended so many fundraisers herself. She knew exactly how to reach out to donors and squeeze the green from their wallets.
“The organization is growing, and grants aren’t enough to sustain all its operating costs. They need to step up their fundraising efforts, and they’ve created a new role. Director of Fundraising and Development.” A pause. “She offered me the job.”
Surprise, excitement, and pride bloomed in Nate’s chest. “That’s incredible!”
Kris had always talked about how dissatisfied she was with standard public relations—for Hollywood, for corporate, even for fashion. But she loved MentHer, and this was the perfect role for her.
Plus, MentHer was in Los Angeles.
His heart skipped at the thought. It was almost too much to hope for, but… “Did you accept?”
Kris’s lips curved into a smile. “I did. I’ll continue to volunteer next semester, but my official start date as a paid employee is in June. Enough time for me to graduate and move.”
“To L.A.”
“To L.A,” she confirmed, her smile now a full-blown grin.
Nate wanted to say something along the lines ofholyshit areyoukiddingmethisisawesome!but he was afraid it would come out a jumbled mess, so he did the next best thing: he kissed Kris silly. After that, he alternated between fucking and making love to her until they were both so exhausted, they couldn’t move.
He’d been willing to do the long-distance thing with her for however long it took. He hadn’t taken it for granted that she would move to L.A. after graduation—her family was in Seattle, and what if she found her dream job elsewhere?
It was hell not seeing her every day, but she was worth the frustration and lonely nights.
However, Nate hadn’t known how much their physical separation weighed on him until Kris confirmed she was moving to Los Angeles.
“I love you,” he said, tangling his fingers in that thick, gorgeous mane of brown and caramel and mahogany that he adored so much.
Kris’s huge brown eyes blinked up at him, as tender as he’d ever seen them. “I love you, too.”
They sealed their words with a searing kiss that warmed Nate to the bones.
Yes, they had another six months of long-distance left, but six months was nothing compared to forever.