Malin smiled. “I’d never kick you, Dutch.”
“Maybe you should, if it gets us to make-up sex faster.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it, but only if you take your pants off.”
He stood and dropped his pants on the floor, stepped out of them, and climbed in next to her.
“Mmm, you feel so good,” he groaned, resting his head between her breasts. “This is it for me, baby. I can’t imagine not being right here, next to you, every single night for the rest of my life. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but it’s the God’s honest truth.”
He sat up and rolled her over, so he was where Malin had been and she was sitting on his lap. As he kissed her, her hands went from his face, down his neck, and over his shoulders. He weaved his fingers with hers and held on tight.
“Open your eyes, Malin. I need you to look at me.”
She did, and her eyes shifted between his and his mouth.
“You gotta stop doing that for a minute,” he groaned. “I want you so bad it hurts.”
She bent her head and kissed him.
“Malin, baby, please…”
She licked his bottom lip, raised her head, and smiled. “Sorry.”
“I know I haven’t handled any of this the right way, but you have to know that this isn’t a mission for me. It’s you and me. Us. You’re all that matters to me.”
She looked into his eyes. “Dutch, I have to finish it.”
“I know, baby. All I’m saying is, when it’s over, I’ll be here waiting for you. It isn’t a matter of seeing how this goes once the mission ends. It’s, I’m here. Period. Mission or no mission.”
Malin moved off of his lap, and he groaned again.
“I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life, Dutch.”
“I don’t care. Whatever it is, we’ll make it work.”
“What if I don’t want anything to do with the intelligence business?”
“I already told you, I’m ready to retire.”
“Right,” she said. “If I decide to take a teaching position at the University of Virginia, you’ll be fine with it.”
“If you’re serious and you want to live in Charlottesville, there would be a lot I could do.”
“You could still work for K19.”
“I could, but I don’t know if I’d want to. All I’m saying is that whatever you decide you want to do, I’ll make it work.”
“Why would you do this, Dutch? Why are you pushing so hard?” She stood and wrapped the blanket around her like she had when he came in.
“Don’t you feel it?” he said, standing in front of her.
“What?”
“The way I feel when I’m with you…I’ve never…I can’t stand the idea of being away from you. Not even for one night. I told Onyx I’d bunk with him tonight to give you space, but I couldn’t stay away. I was ready for you to toss me out on my ass again, but I couldn’t help it. I had to be with you.”
“What if you stop feeling that way?”
“Are you asking me for a commitment, Malin?”