Page 66 of Love You Already

His text back is instant.

Beck

That's epic, little sis! I'm glad it worked out and don't you worry, I'm using my brother-in-law privileges real soon. *wink*

“God, I missed you,” Lachlan whispers against my ear as his arms wrap around me from behind. I sink into the hold, my eyes closing as warmth moves through me.

“I've missed you too. Are you done for the day?”

He nods with a smile. “Sure am. And since the guys pulled that last bit out of thin air, Coach is letting us get a late start tomorrow. He also told me that you were a keeper and I best not forget it. Want to tell me what that's about?”

“Nothing really,” I say as he grabs my hand to lead me out of the rink. “I gave him some advice on Riggs and what I thought might work to boost his confidence.”

I dive into telling him my ideas, embellishing a bit to give him more detail since I feel comfortable sharing more with my husband than with the coaching staff.

“That's very smart, wife. Riggs has done well with praise from what I've seen. If he gets it from the fans, it might be just what he needs to help him get in the right mind for the game. Plus, those events are always a good time. We get to goof off and show the fans a different side of us. Never a boring moment. You mind if we leave your truck here? It will be safe until tomorrow. We keep 24/7 security.”

“That's fine with me. I'm not too worried,” I laugh while climbing into the G-Wagon. My truck is my baby, but I can admit to missing this too. Besides, if something happens to it, I have insurance to take care of it. I don't want to spend any of my time here away from him.

Lachlan pauses before closing my door, his gaze latched onto mine. “I'm really glad you're here, Rose.”

My heart melts. This man... whew. I don't know how I got so lucky.

He climbs in the driver's seat and takes off. “How does a night in sound? I could drag you around the city for something fancier if you'd like though.”

I put my hand on his arm. “A night in sounds perfect. I'd love to have you to myself.”

“Yes! That's it.” He pulls my hand up to kiss my palm, then turns his attention to the road. Traffic here is definitely different from back home. It takes us a full forty minutes to get to his condo, despite it only being ten minutes driving distance.

Lachlan apologizes for the delay. “It's rough, I know. If I wouldn't get stopped every foot, I'd have suggested we walk. The fans aren't too bad right now, but I don't want to risk them approaching and somehow hurting you.”

“The drive was fine. I missed you, which means I'm happy so long as you're with me. That could be stuck in traffic or cuddled on the couch. The setting doesn't matter as much as the company,” I admit.

Inside his condo, I'm brought to a pause by the gorgeous view from his windows. The city looks as if it spans on forever from here. Like this place is its own little universe and the rest of us are merely side stories.

“What are you in the mood to eat? I've got a takeout menu for just about everything. And I've been sampling places to know what to suggest best. Hit me with your best shot.”

I sink down onto the couch as I toe off my shoes. “Let's do pizza. It's hard to get that wrong. Plus, I don't want to wait forever.”

“Got it. Let me place the order,” he tells me as he grabs his phone and takes off to what looks like a kitchen.

Being the type to let curiosity win out, I can't help but to snoop through the place. My first impression is that it's a very minimal space. There wasn't much in the way of decoration, though I could still see touches of my husband shining through.

I move through each room, taking it all in as I wait for him to finish his call. When I slip into the bedroom, I take a bit longer with my perusal. I open drawers and sift through his closet. I might even sniff a shirt or two, desperate to get a hint of that scent I adore.

Lachlan finds me looking out his bedroom window sometime later. I'm not sure how long since my mind has wandered from snooping to figuring out how I'm going to drive away tomorrow without him. Saying goodbye to him this time is going to hurt worse. I'll have had a taste and giving that up will be hard.

“Stop thinking about it, Ace. I can see it all over your face. Don't try to focus on the future. Focus on now. On me.” He turns me to face him and slants his lips over mine.

His kiss steals away the errant thoughts. I can't do anything but focus on him. On his lips. On his hands roaming my body. On his breaths mixing with mine.

“Wife,” he whispers softly. “Come to bed.”

I pull back, a smile on my lips. “What about the food? We don't have time,” I tease.

He chuckles darkly. “Oh, you have such little faith in me. I have plenty of time. Don't you worry.”

Next thing I know, he's got me over his shoulder as he stomps across the room to his bed. I squeal at the movement as I bask in the way it feels to be close to him again.