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He stood there and stared as if he couldn’t believe she was there. Then he and Baxter finally came hurrying down the stairs.
“You’re here.” He didn’t try to kiss her. So she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
He pulled her against him. “God, I missed you.”
“Me, too.”
Once inside, he pulled her against him. She leaned her head on his chest. His bare skin felt so good.
“Oh, I forgot.” She ran outside, snatched the bag, and hurried back in and handed it to him.
No sooner had the bag left her fingertips when she remembered what else she’d bought.
“Wait!” She snatched the bag back. Unfortunately he still held it and it ripped open. The twelve-pack of condoms and the bakery container fell to the wood floor.
Chase looked down. Della snatched the condoms. But not before he saw them.
“Don’t you dare say a word, or I’ll change my mind.”
“Not a word,” he said, but he had a silly grin on his face. “You know, I had some.”
“Oh, you thought you’d need them, did you?”
“I hoped I’d need them. So why did you buy them? You collect them or something?”
“I … Forget it.” She grinned.
He laughed, then picked up the bakery box that Baxter had started to sniff. When he opened the box, his smile vanished. He glanced up, and he looked … not sad, but serious. “Snickerdoodles?”
Holding the condoms behind her back, she nodded. “You … you said they tasted like love.”
He put the cookies on the table and kissed her—a warm soft kiss. “They do.” He reached for a cookie.
“Taste one,” he said. He reached back and held on out.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I tried one last week and it tasted terrible.”
He laughed. “Well, that’s okay. I tried French onion soup and I puked. It could have been the wine, though.”
She laughed and leaned in, setting her chin on his chest. “We don’t have to love the same kinds of foods. Just each other.”
“I do,” he said. “Love you.”
“I love you, too.” She put one hand on his chest. The one not still hiding the condoms behind her back. “I’m sorry I was a bitch. I was scared, and confused.”
“You’re not a bitch,” he said and put his hand on top of hers.
“No, let me finish. I need to say this.” She swallowed. “All I could think about was that if my father got convicted, it would be my fault. And while I knew you considered Eddie like a father, I never really took into consideration that you were just as scared about him. I mean, I sort of knew it, but I was being selfish and—”
“Stop,” he said and brought her hand to his lips. “You are the least selfish person I know.”
“I pushed you away,” she blurted out. “I didn’t want to admit how much I cared. And it’s not just the bond, Chase. Steve set me straight about this. He told me that I was crazy about you before you ever gave me your blood. And he’s right. I was … crazy about you.”
He smiled. “I’m crazy about you, too.”
Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft, sweet, but quickly moved into hot. And Della became more and more aware that she was holding a pack of condoms behind her back.
Somewhere in his cabin she heard a clock hand move, counting down seconds.
