Coda Books 04 - Strawberries for Dessert (MM)

relaxed in my arms completely. He leaned back against me with a soft sigh of surrender, and I knew then that I had won. “Jonathan,” he said quietly, “I love you too.”
    All of the fear and anxiety I had felt coming here, and the nervousness at seeing him, and the relief of getting to hold him again, and the happiness at finally hearing those words and knowing that I had him back—it was all too much. Suddenly I was the one fighting not to cry, and he must have sensed it, because he turned around and pulled me close.
    “I haven’t missed you at all,” I managed to say in a hoarse whisper.
    “I haven’t missed you either,” he said quietly. “Certainly not every single minute of every single day.” His arms were tight around me and mine around him. His skin was soft and warm, and his hair smelled like strawberries like it always did. And everything about it felt right.
    “Please don’t leave me again,” I begged, and my voice broke on the words.
    “I never wanted to leave you at all, love.”
    “Then why?”
    “I couldn’t stay. And you were too proud to come with me.”
    “But….” I had to stop and think about that, and it helped me calm down. It helped me get my bearings again. He was right. He had asked me twice to come with him. But I was too proud to allow him to support me. And with a regular office job, I would have been tied to Phoenix. I never would have had the freedom to come after him if it weren’t for the job I had, working for him. I pulled away enough to see his face. “But you gave me the job—”
    “It was sheer luck that Chester decided to retire, but I hoped it would change your mind.”
    “Why didn’t you just say so?”
    “I felt like it had to be your idea.” He shrugged. “Maybe it was foolish. But I was afraid you would think I was using the job to manipulate you, and I really did want you to take it. I knew I could trust you, whether you came after me or not.” He put his arms around my neck and brushed his lips over mine. “I’ve been waiting for you for ages, love,” he said. “I’d almost given up. What on earth took you so long?”
    I couldn’t help but laugh. “Either I’m an idiot or you really need to work on your communication skills.”
    He smiled. “I suppose it could be a little of both.”
    “I met Raul today.”
    “And?”
    “I may have to fire him.”
    He laughed. It was so good to hear. Already, I felt like we were back to normal. Like everything was perfect. I put my arms around him and I pulled him close. I kissed his neck, and he tipped his head back to give me better access to the soft skin there. “I made you dinner,” I said as I kissed him.
    “Oh my,” he said jokingly. “Is it frozen pizza?”
    “I wish I could say it was sautéed pasta with lobster. But it’s actually sloppy joes.”
    “And the wine?”
    “I bought the Arbor Mist Peach Chardonnay.”
    “Well that’s just dreadful, darling. The Blackberry Merlot is obviously the better choice.”
    “They were sold out.” My hands were wandering now. I pulled up his shirt just to feel the smooth skin of his back. I pushed him back so he was sitting on the dresser behind him, and he wrapped his legs around my hips and let me push against him. “I know you’re probably starving, and I should let you eat. But I can’t wait to get these clothes off of you.”
    “I’m not sure what to tell you,” he said. “I am rather hungry, but
    I’m quite sure I smell your sloppy joes burning. I suspect they’re quite inedible by now.”
    I unbuttoned his pants as I kissed him. I pushed my hand into his open fly, caressing the bulge in his briefs. “There’s always frozen pizza.”
    His breath caught for a moment, and then he said breathlessly,
    “How about we skip dinner and go straight to dessert?”
    “Strawberries?”
    “What a perfect choice, love.”
    “I haven’t been able to eat them since you left.”
    “And do they still have the same effect on you?” he asked with a wicked grin.
    “As a matter of fact, they do.”
    He laughed as he put his arms around my neck and pulled me close. “I’m incredibly happy to hear that.”

Date: September 30
    From: Cole
    To: Jared
    Good lord, Sweets, can you please stop being so smug? If you gloat any more I imagine you’ll become absolutely unbearable. Tell that big angry cop you live with that I’m sorry I turned his sweet loving partner into such a know-it-all. As if he didn’t hate me enough already.
    Yes,