“In that case…” He rolled over, putting her on top of him. “I want you to be comfortable. Not crushed.”
She sighed into his neck. He was going to pretend he hadn’t heard forever. Thank God. She didn’t want to be clingy. Whiny. Needy.
She didn’t want him to know she’d fallen so hard for him. So completely. So irrevocably.
Instead, she pressed a kiss to his ear. To his cheek. Inhaled his scent. Held it in her lungs so she could memorize it. She had to let him go, but she never wanted to forget how he smelled. Tasted. Felt against her skin.
Her eyes prickled, knowing he would leave. Sooner rather than later. But she wasn’t going to think about that right now. Wasn’t going to think about anything but how wonderful Nico’s skin felt against hers. How his body fit hers perfectly. How he knew exactly how to kiss her. How to touch her.
She wouldn’t think about how much she’d miss him. She knew they didn’t have long together. So she was going to live every second of it to the fullest.
After her skin cooled and her heart slowed, she lifted her head. Smiled down at him and memorized his answering smile. “You talked a big game, Nico Elliott. Is that all you got?”
* * *
Nico sighed as Julia slept beside him, curled into his side. Her hand rested over his heart, and one of her legs was twined with his. He was pretty sure he’d never been this happy.
They hadn’t left the hotel room for forty-eight hours, but she had to go into Madeline’s tonight. He glanced at the clock. Noon. She’d want to get there early, since the restaurant had been closed on Wednesday and she didn’t go in on Thursday. He’d been shocked when she’d called Delia late Tuesday afternoon and said she was taking Thursday off. But Julia’d merely smiled at him and pushed him down on the bed.
They’d missed dinner that night.
Rolling to his side, he brushed a kiss over her mouth. Smoothed a hand down her side. “Time to get up, bae,” he whispered. “We have to take showers and go to work.”
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, emerald green in the light streaming in the window. “Work?” she mumbled.
“Yeah. It’s Friday.”
She shot up in bed, staring at him. “Oh, my God. You’re right.” Spots of color stained her cheeks. “I lost track of time.”
“I did, too, Jules,” he said.
“I need to shower.”
“You go ahead. It won’t take me as long to get ready,” he said.
She frowned at him. “You’re not coming in with me.”
“Of course I am. I’ll work as a busser, too. You haven’t had a chance to hire someone to replace me.”
She swallowed. Looked down at her hand, still resting on his chest. Drawing it away, she said, “Thank you. I’ll need to hire a new busser, but I’m happy you’re coming to work with me today.”
“And every day that I’m here,” he said easily.
She met his gaze, and it was easy to read her expression. She knew it wouldn’t be much longer. And she wanted to spend every minute with him until he left.
He wanted the same thing.
The memories they’d created together would have to last a lifetime of living without Julia.