Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,72
over her swollen clit. She cried out, and I followed her over the edge as my release whipsawed through me. I held her close while my thundering heartbeat gradually slowed.
After we hastily put our clothes back in place, Cammi took me on a quick tour and told me her plans. She then told me I had to go because she needed to finish painting her one wall for the night.
I didn’t want to leave her side, not even a little, so I asked, “Why don’t we paint the whole place tonight?”
Her eyes flew wide. “What? There’s no way we can get that done.”
I gestured around the space. “Sweetheart, there’s four walls and the ceiling. You’re not painting that, right?” Whoever had renovated this Quonset hut had put in an actual ceiling instead of the curved surface up top.
She nodded. “But—”
“You do the trim, and I’ll follow behind on the walls. You already finished the trim on this wall right here. Between the two of us, I think we can have it done in a few hours.”
I could see her chewing on the inside of her cheek as she looked around. “I’m game, because I get up early anyway. I can have one late night and then just be done with it. I feel like that’s a lot to ask of you.”
I shook my head, smiling as I pulled her into my arms again. “Nope. Either I sit here and watch you paint so I can go home with you, or we do it together. Might as well bust it out.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cammi
I stood with my hands on my hips as I spun in a small circle, looking around the coffee shop. It was done, completely painted, and it looked beautiful. I couldn’t wait to hang the new artwork.
Elias was cleaning up in the storage area behind the kitchen. With one last look around, I hurried back there. He had all the paint brushes soaking in water and was closing up the last can of paint. I could tell he’d done some painting in his life. He had been remarkably efficient. We’d eventually switched so he could take care of the trim at the top of the ceilings while I did the bottom. It was quicker because he had better reach than I did.
“Thank you so much,” I said, stopping in front of him. He tapped the can of paint closed with a rubber mallet and straightened. “Anytime, sweetheart. I’m good for projects.”
I giggled as I reached for his free hand. “You are, huh?”
“Absolutely.” His eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall. “It’s not midnight yet. Let’s go to bed.”
Not much later, I fell asleep, tangled up in the sheets and held close against his muscled chest. I already knew his shoulder was the perfect place to tuck my head, but tonight, it felt different. For once, my mind wasn’t spinning with questions and worry. I knew what my heart felt, and I trusted myself. Trusting him was the easy part.
Epilogue
Cammi
“Are you sure?”
Tess’s curls bounced with her nod. “I am sure. You look incredible.”
I turned sideways again, eyeing my growing belly in the mirror. I was having a shotgun wedding. Except no one had a shotgun. It’s just that I was pregnant. Elias didn’t want to wait anymore. I didn’t either. It wasn’t as if I’d been putting him off, but our lives had been incredibly busy.
With my expanded business situation, this year I’d felt like I was running a race every day. Thank goodness every night I got to fall asleep wrapped in Elias’s arms. Once we found our way to each other, we hadn’t wasted any time.
It became a running joke that he was spending the night at my place all the time, so I told him he should just move in. He did, only a month after we christened my new coffee shop.
Meanwhile, he was always flying while I worked like crazy, bouncing between my coffee truck and my new café. I loved our lives, because I knew he did too. The only part I didn’t love was when he had to do overnight trips. But that was life, and I would take it with all the blessings I had in abundance.
After I had my IUD removed, we thought it might take a little while to get pregnant. Apparently, in my case, my body was ready, or as Elias said, he had super sperm. Six weeks later, I was pregnant, and it turned out to be twins.
My