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Yes, he’d had sex before, of course. But this was something…more. She was more.

When they came back to earth, he pulled her into his arms while their damp bodies cooled. He covered them with the sheet, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. He could feel her breathing return to normal, and his own heart rate slowed as well.

Her fingertips danced over his arm, stroking and tickling, so he captured her hand and brought it to his lips.

“I love you.”

He certainly hadn’t planned to say it. Hell, he hadn’t planned to say anything at all, but the words had tumbled out of his mouth without so much as a caution sign. Yet, he couldn’t deny the truth in the statement.

Sam had fallen in love with Alli.

“I love you, too.”

She replied so quickly that he hadn’t even had time to panic about what he’d said. This could have been an incredibly awkward moment, but instead, it was something far different.

It was love.

He’d always thought that maybe love was for other people but not him. He’d never seen himself as the kind of person who would fall in love, get married, have kids, and a dog. But now it was all he could think about with Alli.

The future could belong to them.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” Alli asked Sam the next morning as he was filling her plate with scrambled eggs and toast.

She’d insisted that he didn’t need to cook breakfast for her, but he’d insisted. How could she say no? It was a sweet gesture, and food always tasted better when someone else made it.

“I’m fine with it,” Sam assured her, sitting down next to her at the kitchen island so they could eat. “Go meet with Gabe. I have to get used to you not being in the office, and I might as well start now. It’s going to be tough when I can’t spend all day with you.”

He was giving her that look that sent tingles again all the way down to her toes. After last night’s declarations of love, she hadn’t been sure what to expect this morning. But clearly, he didn’t want to take it back.

Neither did she.

“Good, then I’ll go home and get changed and then meet with him to get all the new hire paperwork filled out.” The toast was just right. Golden, but not burnt. “Is HR working on replacing me?”

“They’ve posted the job, so I expect I’ll be interviewing soon. Honestly, I’d like to promote from within if possible.”

“Why didn’t you do that last time?”

“Because there was something about you that made me want to hire you immediately,” he teased. “I couldn’t say no.”

He wasn’t a man to lean into the playful mode too often, and it was lovely to see it this morning.

“I am irresistible,” she sighed. “It’s such a burden.”

They quickly finished their breakfast, and Sam drove her back to her house.

“Maybe we can meet for lunch,” he suggested.

“Text me,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before climbing out of the car. “I’ll see you later.”

She almost threw in an “I love you”, but then didn’t. While they’d said the words, and they hadn’t taken them back, she wasn’t sure about saying them out loud in the light of day.

“Hey,” he said, capturing her hand before she could close the door. “You look beautiful this morning.”

She didn’t. She was a bit rumpled, and her hair was scraped back into a bun because she needed to shower before her meeting with Gabe. But damn, if he didn’t look like he totally believed it. Her heart flipped in her chest, and she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face.