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The guy made a damn good point.
Chapter Seventeen
Thatcher
Jordan carded his wet fingers through my chest hair as we reclined in the warm water. His right hand moved down to my stomach, sending a ripple of pleasure up my spine. “Be careful. Someone’s taking an interest.” I pointed to my semi-hard cock.
“Good. So, your next shift is Sunday into Monday, right?”
“Yes. I should warn you that when Cap, AC Moss, or I are out for whatever reason, we either borrow a higher-ranking officer from another station to oversee the crew, or the other two people split the shift. That means I might be gone for thirty-six hours instead of just twenty-four, but I’ll call you if that happens so you don’t worry.”
“As your roommate, I’d appreciate that. Also, if the fire is a big one that might be on the news, will you call me after it to let me know you’re safe?” Jordan asked.
“As my roommate? The fact that we’re sitting naked together in a tub of warm water and bubbles should qualify me as more than a roommate, shouldn’t it?”
Jordan laughed. “Why do you call me Jordan instead of JD?”
“I thought maybe only your friends called you JD. We didn’t know each other very well, so when I learned your first name, I called you by it. If you don’t want me to call you Jordan, just say so.”
“No, I like it. My grandparents insisted on calling me by my first name. Hearing it from you reminds me of them. My Grandma Elaine was my hero, you know.” His tone was sad.
“I’m sorry you lost her. I was livid and couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. “They didn’t deserve you, Jordan. I won’t ever let you forget how happy I am to have you in my life.”
His face lit up with a smile. “Does that mean you want to keep me?”
I laughed at how happy he seemed to be at the idea that I wanted to keep him. God, I wanted to keep him and more. “Yes, Jordan. I definitely want to keep you.” I leaned over and kissed him. The water had cooled, so we needed to get out before we froze our balls off.
“Let’s get out, honey. We’ll get something to eat and watch television or a movie. We can snuggle on the couch.”
“You like to snuggle?” He seemed surprised.
“I love to snuggle. I haven’t had anyone to do it with in a very long time. I was considering getting a dog.”
I’d gone by the shelter a few months before I met Jordan, but the woman asked me what I’d do with the dog while I was working a twenty-four-hour shift, and I had no answer for her.
“Oh, I’d love to have a dog. Grandma was allergic, and we couldn’t have pets in the dorms when I was in college. Since then, I’ve been busy with the band, so I never got one.”
I helped him stand and wrapped him in a towel before I secured the brace onto his hand again.
As I took his hand to lead him into the kitchen to feed him, he sidetracked me to the bed and pushed me down. “Show me how much you want to keep me.” He dropped his towel, and it was clear how much he wanted me to show him.
Reaching into the nightstand, I grabbed a couple of condoms and the lube. He was giving me the thing I wanted most—we’d made the connection he needed to feel attraction for me and our relationship. It was what he needed to find himself, and he was showing me that he had.
I pulled him closer and kissed his hip bones. “Get in with me.” Without hesitation, Jordan climbed into the bed while I stood and let my towel slip off to join his on the floor before climbing back in with him.
Jordan stretched out on the bed like a cat before he reached for me with his injured hand. “Don’t use your hand for anything, please. I don’t want you to hurt it and suffer a setback.”
He immediately peeled the Velcro apart and took off the brace, tossing it over the side of the bed. “I won’t get hurt, okay? I just want to touch you, Thatcher.”
His palms skimming over my flesh gave me chills. The feel of his hands on me was something I’d been craving since I found him on the beach.
We lay facing each other on my bed as I gently brushed the back of my hand along his soft cheek. “If you keep me, I want you to know that I won’t take you for granted. I will be even more careful at my job because I’ll always want to come home to you. I’ll teach you to surf, and we’ll go out every morning, weather permitting. We can get you a wetsuit to stay warm, and you can surf nearly year-round.”
Jordan giggled. “That all sounds very nice, but I can’t swim.”
His admission caught me by surprise, and my head fell back as I laughed hard. I was trying to be romantic, and he stopped me cold in my tracks by telling me he couldn’t swim. Jordan laughed with me and his lips met mine, making my heart pound like a herd of mustangs racing across my chest.
I reached for the lube and flipped the cap, squeezing a healthy dollop onto my fingers. “Lift your leg for me and hook it over my hip.”
