To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,69

maybe I set it up that way. Simple employment, one that was easy to leave when I wanted. Temporary housing, not wanting to be tied into a lease. The friends I made, I kept on the outskirts of my life, making it easier to leave them as well.”’

As he held her gaze, he mimicked her actions by lifting his hand and cupping her cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into his warm palm, the feel of his thumb sweeping over her cheek comforting. Finally, opening her eyes, she held his gaze, hoping and yet fearful of what was coming next.

“Zac and then Jason used to tell me about Baytown, and I thought they were full of shit. No place could be that good. No place could ever compete with my grandmother’s house for feeling like home. Yet here I am. And I don’t want to leave.”

I don’t want to leave. Her breath caught in her throat. “You make it sound like you have to leave. Like you’re being forced to leave.”

He shook his head slowly, a sad smile crossing his lips. “No, it’s just that leaving was what I expected to do. I think perhaps it was fear. Fear that I might actually find a place that felt like home. That I might actually want to stay somewhere. That I’d find a place that was just as good as my grandmother’s house.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Joseph, but I’m not tying in the new vehicle or the kittens or why you’re here with what you’re telling me.”

He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want just one night with you, Samantha.”

His warm breath puffed against her face, and she closed her eyes, drawing in a ragged breath.

“I didn’t just wake up lonely after the night we shared and realize that I wanted more. It’s something that’s been building inside of me, but the past week brought it all to the forefront. Yes, I hated that you were gone when I woke, but then I ran into Zac and Maddie at Stuart’s, and it felt so fuckin’ good to have breakfast with an old friend. Then Maddie made a comment about hating for me to not allow myself to lo—to be with someone because I was afraid of the future. Jesus, then there were the kittens. And all I could think about was wanting to take care of them. I was desperate to see you, but I also wanted you to see them and tell me that they were okay. And while it might seem whacked, I wanted to buy a vehicle that was safe but also comfortable for us. Babe, having you on the back of my bike is a dream, and it’s still parked at my place. But I needed a vehicle for all the other times in my life when it isn’t enough.

“I thought roaming was who I was. But I know that I was just searching. Not always looking to leave a place, but once I discovered it wasn’t really home, I left. But Baytown is different. You’re different. I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t see into the future, but I don’t have one foot out the door, Samantha. I want to take a chance on building a life here, but I need to know if you can take a chance on me.”

She gasped, tears springing to her eyes. Her head nodded in a jerky motion as she swallowed deeply. “Yes,” she cried, her fingers clutching the soft material of his T-shirt. There was more she wanted to ask, more she wanted to say, but the words were caught behind the lump in her throat. He wrapped his arms around her, and she swung her leg over, straddling his lap. Clutching his cheeks with her hands, she settled her lips over his.

18

Joseph couldn’t believe she was in his arms. It had been a week since they’d fallen asleep in his bed, limbs tangled together, his sheets wrapped around their bodies. He’d convinced himself that his stupidity might have cost him any chance he had with her, but now, with her lips pressed against his mouth, her tongue gliding over his, he cast off all thoughts other than how she felt at that second.

Standing, with her legs wrapped around his waist, he easily carried her in front of him for the few steps to the bed, dragging his lips from hers in