imagined his lips against hers. Her thoughts shifted to last night and the passion they'd shared. She murmured.
"Did you say something?" Nate asked, his arms poised over her head to fluff her pillows.
Asia couldn't wait one more second. She needed to feel his lips on hers. Now. This instant. She didn't give a hoot about her injuries. If the stitches broke, she'd live with a worse scar. Her heart was speaking and the message was clear. You love him. You've always loved him. There's no other man for you. He's the one. She put her hand against the back of his head and drew him downward until their mouths were aligned.
"This is not a good idea, Asia."
"Why the hell not?" she asked, unable to remove her gaze from his lips, kissable, perfectly shaped lips. She applied pressure to his head, urging him to surrender.
He didn't budge. "Your wounds. The stitches. They might come loose."
"We'll have to be careful, then." This time when she pushed his head downward, he didn't resist.
Hallelujah.
***
Nate wakened to Asia nestling into the crook of his arm, reminding him of their pledge years ago.
"We'd have made beautiful children."
They'd argued on the number. He'd wanted eight. She wanted four. After much discussion, they compromised and split the difference. Not caring the gender, they'd joked their kids would inherit her strawberry blonde hair and freckles and his blue eyes and dark complexion. Anything was possible, nothing too far-reached where they were concerned.
She murmured. "We would have."
He could feel her eyelashes brush against his chest. "Is it too late?" he asked.
"I'm not over the hill yet." She punched him.
"So there's a chance?" He smiled when she nodded. He wondered the odds but wouldn't spoil the moment by asking.
A sharp, short rap came from below them.Reflexively, Nate jerked upright. Any little noise spooked him these days, but that one sounded like someone's knuckle hitting hardwood. He wasn't expecting anyone. His first instinct was to grab his firearm, but refrained from doing so for the moment. If he hadn't already, he didn't want to unnecessarily alarm Asia. Only God knew what damage she would inflict on herself if she became reckless.
"What is it?" she asked, pressing herself hard against him.
He cocked an ear toward the open doorway. "I thought I heard something. Probably the house shifting."
Asia listened along with Nate. When a squeaking noise came from downstairs, she said, “The kitchen door squeaks when it opens.”
He threw back the covers and took hold of his gun beneath the pillow. "Lock the bedroom door after me."
She nodded. "Get some clothes on."
"Hello?" a male voice called from the first floor, the sound coming up through the register vent in the hallway. "Anybody home?"
Nate recognized the voice and jumped from bed. "I'll be right down, Chief," he yelled as he threw on jeans and shirt.
Asia giggled. "Doesn't that bring back memories?"
"Yeah." He yanked on his boots, studying her. Now that she knew who was downstairs, she relaxed.
"Remember the time your father came home early from his shift and almost caught us in his water bed." She laughed. "I nearly broke my neck climbing out the upstairs window and down the sycamore."
He brushed a kiss across her lips. "We were hardly teenagers at the time."
She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "And we're way past young adults now, yet here you are, all worried and embarrassed."
"Am not."
"Are too." She smiled. "But you're lucky. I don't happen to mind."
"That's good, because I have a feeling we'll share more of these times." He buckled his belt. "Stay put."
Nate found Carter sitting at the kitchen table, mukluks on the mat at the door and his balaclava warming his knee, hair as unruly as always. He knew by the rigid set of the Chief's jaw that he'd learned something, something Nate wouldn't like hearing.
"Coffee?" Nate pointed to the thermos Madge had brought with their breakfast.
"Wouldn't mind some, if
"Did you say something?" Nate asked, his arms poised over her head to fluff her pillows.
Asia couldn't wait one more second. She needed to feel his lips on hers. Now. This instant. She didn't give a hoot about her injuries. If the stitches broke, she'd live with a worse scar. Her heart was speaking and the message was clear. You love him. You've always loved him. There's no other man for you. He's the one. She put her hand against the back of his head and drew him downward until their mouths were aligned.
"This is not a good idea, Asia."
"Why the hell not?" she asked, unable to remove her gaze from his lips, kissable, perfectly shaped lips. She applied pressure to his head, urging him to surrender.
He didn't budge. "Your wounds. The stitches. They might come loose."
"We'll have to be careful, then." This time when she pushed his head downward, he didn't resist.
Hallelujah.
***
Nate wakened to Asia nestling into the crook of his arm, reminding him of their pledge years ago.
"We'd have made beautiful children."
They'd argued on the number. He'd wanted eight. She wanted four. After much discussion, they compromised and split the difference. Not caring the gender, they'd joked their kids would inherit her strawberry blonde hair and freckles and his blue eyes and dark complexion. Anything was possible, nothing too far-reached where they were concerned.
She murmured. "We would have."
He could feel her eyelashes brush against his chest. "Is it too late?" he asked.
"I'm not over the hill yet." She punched him.
"So there's a chance?" He smiled when she nodded. He wondered the odds but wouldn't spoil the moment by asking.
A sharp, short rap came from below them.Reflexively, Nate jerked upright. Any little noise spooked him these days, but that one sounded like someone's knuckle hitting hardwood. He wasn't expecting anyone. His first instinct was to grab his firearm, but refrained from doing so for the moment. If he hadn't already, he didn't want to unnecessarily alarm Asia. Only God knew what damage she would inflict on herself if she became reckless.
"What is it?" she asked, pressing herself hard against him.
He cocked an ear toward the open doorway. "I thought I heard something. Probably the house shifting."
Asia listened along with Nate. When a squeaking noise came from downstairs, she said, “The kitchen door squeaks when it opens.”
He threw back the covers and took hold of his gun beneath the pillow. "Lock the bedroom door after me."
She nodded. "Get some clothes on."
"Hello?" a male voice called from the first floor, the sound coming up through the register vent in the hallway. "Anybody home?"
Nate recognized the voice and jumped from bed. "I'll be right down, Chief," he yelled as he threw on jeans and shirt.
Asia giggled. "Doesn't that bring back memories?"
"Yeah." He yanked on his boots, studying her. Now that she knew who was downstairs, she relaxed.
"Remember the time your father came home early from his shift and almost caught us in his water bed." She laughed. "I nearly broke my neck climbing out the upstairs window and down the sycamore."
He brushed a kiss across her lips. "We were hardly teenagers at the time."
She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "And we're way past young adults now, yet here you are, all worried and embarrassed."
"Am not."
"Are too." She smiled. "But you're lucky. I don't happen to mind."
"That's good, because I have a feeling we'll share more of these times." He buckled his belt. "Stay put."
Nate found Carter sitting at the kitchen table, mukluks on the mat at the door and his balaclava warming his knee, hair as unruly as always. He knew by the rigid set of the Chief's jaw that he'd learned something, something Nate wouldn't like hearing.
"Coffee?" Nate pointed to the thermos Madge had brought with their breakfast.
"Wouldn't mind some, if
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