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“You’re exactly right, Fox. Life is short. And I don’t think you need to explain it.”
I felt like I had to. “It’s just, I know we became official with the boyfriend title like ten minutes ago, but… I feel like we’ve been dating since the second we met. And for a dozen past lives before that.”
“I feel the exact same way. From the jump, I felt like I knew you. Like I could trust you with my life… and then I did. And you’ve helped me through some major shit in my life, shit that would have really ruined me if I let it. Through it all, none of my feelings for you ever wavered. They only got stronger. If I had met you after coming out, I would have asked you to be my boyfriend after our second date, hands down.”
“The Aladdin musical?”
“Well, I think that was our fourth. I was thinking that time we went to the beach, after Graffiti Graveyard.”
“Baby,” I said, smiling, pulling him close, “if that’s your idea of a date, I have to make us reservations at a five-star restaurant and show you a real night out.”
Jonah laughed, the sound echoing through me, his happiness making me feel grounded. “I’m considering anytime you and I went out by ourselves as a date… but I wouldn’t complain about fancy restaurant reservations either.” He came in for a kiss, both our lips curved into smiles.
I wanted to encase this moment into solid amber and never let time move on.
33 Jonah Brightly
I woke up to the gentle sound of waves, and to the not-so-gentle of Fox rustling through his backpack, searching for something buried deep in the bottom, socks and a pair of briefs falling out as he dug.
“Good morning,” I said, watching as he found his cell phone charger and pulled it out like a worm from a hole.
“Morning, babe.” He came over, smiling, the morning sun streaming in through the wide open glass doors. He only had on a pair of boxers that hung low on his hips, an obvious bulge swinging as he walked to my side. He sat on the bed, kissed me. “You ready for today?” he asked.
“More than ready.”
“It’s going to be risky.”
“Wouldn’t feel right if it wasn’t.”
Fox’s hazel eyes pinned me. “You can stay on shore, keep a lookout for anyo—”
“I’m going on that boat with you, Fox. And we’re going to find out who the hell is behind Dragon once and for all.”
“If it’s Lucien—”
“Which it most likely is.”
“If it’s him, then he’ll recognize us if we get to close. We’ll need to keep caps and sunglasses on, and if anything, absolutely anything, starts going south, then we get the hell out of there.” His hand found mine, rested on top of it, his thumb tracing the lines on my skin. “I don’t want anything happening to you, all right, Jonah? After last night, I feel like I’ve got the world in my hands. I don’t want to lose it.”
“You won’t.” I could feel my hands starting to shake. I focused on Fox’s touch, focused on the soft circles he painted with the pad of his thumb. “We’re going to be okay.”
Little did I know how badly I’d need that mantra in a matter of hours.
“All right, well, I talked to Enzo and he was able to email me a copy of that map. Check it out.” Fox sat down next to me. I rubbed residual sleep from my eyes and focused in on the screen in his hand.
“Judging from the message we hacked, if they’re still going by the plan, then the drug drop is going to be today in a couple of hours at Gemini Grove.”
“You don’t think they got wind of Dank69 getting arrested? Maybe they won’t be there.”
“Possibly, but it’s the only lead we’ve got right now. We have to follow it to the end, wherever that goes. If it’s another dead end, then we go from there. If it’s to an answer, then all the better.”
Fox’s attitude was inspiring. I looked out, the ocean serving as a temporary front yard. It was beautiful, serene. The air was fresh and revitalizing. I could make out the shape of a cruise ship getting smaller and smaller in the distance.
Fox’s thumb stopped tracing circles. His hand encased mine, squeezed. “We’ve got about an hour before we have to leave.”
My gaze shifted from the ocean to another beautiful sight: Gabriel “Fox” Morrison’s hazel-green eyes.
My boyfriend’s hazel-green eyes…
The thought, the title—boyfriend—it made me feel bubbly.
A grown-ass man feeling “bubbly.” That’s the kind of shit Fox did to me, and I loved it. Just as much as I loved him.
When he had said those words to me, my entire soul nearly jumped out of my body only to try and unite with his. I had been feeling the same exact way for him and was actually about to put it into words as well, but Fox beat me to it.
