His Adam’s apple jerked up and down his throat. “I’m okay with that. I want it as well, and I’m okay with taking it slow and loose and easy, if that’s the way it’ll work for you, because any minute I get to spend with you is—”
She silenced him with a kiss.
She didn’t want him to think about minutes. She just wanted him to think about her, making love to him, holding him, being with him…
He groaned into her mouth, his hands going to the small of her back and drawing her closer to his body.
She kissed him, gave him everything, promised him everything, and let out a shocked yelp when something near his ass started playing the beginning “Darth Vader’s Theme” from Star Wars.
“Shit,” he said against her lips, staggering back a step. “That’s my—”
He shoved his hand into his back pocket, yanked out his phone, and stared at it.
Biting her lip, Bria watched him. His what?
His eyes darted over the screen. Back and forth. Back and forth. “Shit,” he whispered. “Shit.” He pressed a shaking hand to his mouth. “Shit,” he mumbled into his palm.
“Umm…” She frowned, trying to see whatever was on the screen at the same time she tried to read everything on his face. “What…”
Dropping his hand, he lifted his stare from his phone and turned the screen to face her.
Negative.
Negative? She read it. And read it again. And looked up at him. “Negative?” she whispered.
His phone played the beginning of “Darth Vader’s Theme” again, and another text popped up on the screen: Just thought you’d want to know while you’re over in the States. Biopsy is benign. Will discuss treatment for meningioma when you return to Australia. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
He looked at the new message and smiled. Beamed. Almost vibrated. “Negative,” he said. “Benign.”
Bria swallowed. “Is that from your…”
“Oncologist? Yeah.”
She stared at him. “And your results…”
“Are benign.” He wiped at his mouth again. “Negative for malignant cancer,” he said a little louder.
“Negative,” she echoed.
“Fucking negative.” He murmured, thumb tapping over the screen of his phone. The swoosh sound of an outgoing text message filled the air and then he grinned at her. “And now Mum and Tilly and Mick know as well.”
Her heart hammered in her ears. “That your results are negative?” She needed clarification. She needed to hear it aloud again. To be sure.
He laughed, elation flooding his face as he hauled her off her feet, spinning her around in the corridor. “Negative negative negative.” He kissed her. Pulled back. Grinned wider. “Fucking negative.”
“That’s awesome, Owen,” an excited voice called from behind them through the open door to Bria’s apartment. Elisa? Zeta? They sounded so alike. “Congrats.”
He laughed. “Thank you,” he called before spinning Bria around once more and kissing her again.
She laughed against his lips. “Negative.”
His phone burst into life in his hand but he ignored it, kissing her a third time, deeper and slower this time, and then, when her whole body began to thrum, he pulled away and gazed up into her eyes. “You are incredible.”
She laughed, returning her feet to the floor. “So are you. Do you want to answer your phone?”
He flicked the screen a quick look, smiling, and shook his head, drawing her closer to his body. “Everyone else can wait for a sec.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Can they?”