Page 112 of Last Fall

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Zoe

The Stunning Brunette Wearing Erik Cassidy’sNumber

We spentmost of the weekend in bed. My bed. His bed. We moved based on where we were that day and what we were doing. Then Tuesday morning he announced we were going to ahotel.

“Ahotel?”

“I booked us a suite at the Don Cesar. I wanted a day of total luxury, privacy, and you.” Then he shrugged all nakedandsexy.

How was I supposed to say no to that? I wasn’t. So here we were with room service spread across the bed, a Wild Card game on in the background, and no clothes anywhere to befound.

“How confident are you?” I asked as he ran a hand down mythigh.

“Pretty confident. We’ll win the division. If we face San Francisco for the League Championship it’ll be a slugfest but I think wehavethem.”

I took one last French fry and rolled onto my back so I could look up at him. “So you’re hoping San Francisco slips up and gets knocked outnextweek.”

“Hell yeah. If nothing else I can’t hit off Suarez to save my life. It’ll be an embarrassing playoff showingforme.”

I shook my head. “There you go, talking down about yourselfagain.”

He packed up the trays and set them back on the cart, then he crawled into bed beside me. “You know what else I’m confident about?” He ran his hands over mycurves.

It took my breathaway. “What?”

“That I’m in lovewithyou.”

A room had never been more deafeningly silent in the moments after Erik said he loved me. Not even my heartbeat dared interrupt the gravity of theoccasion.

I’m in lovewithyou.

“Justlikethat?”

I kind of expected him to scowl or at least be put off by my comment but instead he smiled. “I’ve been in love with you for a very long time, Zo. I just didn’t get a chance tobe in lovewith youuntilnow.”

“I like yourconfidence.”

His hand drifted back up to my breast. “Yeah? Does it turnyouon?”

“Yes. But it also makes mehappy.”

He blinked and gave me one of his really happy lopsided grins. “I like making you happy. Your laugh is one of my favoritesounds.”

My goodness I loved this man. He was everything I ever hoped for in a real life hero. “I love you too,youknow?”

“Yeah, but it sure is nice tohearit.”

He sank down on top of me, pulling my leg up so he fit better. “I think this means we should havecelebrationsex.”

“We just had sex before dinner.” Not that I wascomplaining.

He kissed down my neck to the spot I was oh, so sensitive. “I like thechallenge.”

* * *

Friday morningthe natural alarm clock in my brain woke me at six like it did every other day. At first I tried to go back to sleep. I was comfortable and ridiculously happy in Erik’s bed. He was a funny sleeper, though. He liked to sprawl on his stomach. Luckily he had a king-sized bed. I’d woken up with his forehead pressed between my shoulder blades and a small percentage of the mattress incomparison.