Free Open Life (Open Skies #5) by Marysol James

gain.
    Christ, can we get past all of that? Is loving her enough?
    Well. Only one way to find out .
    He got dressed and flattened his hair, feeling nervous again. He had no doubts about what he wanted – hell, I want her – but he knew Annabeth had reservations. And frankly, she should do. Every single time he held her close and she felt his heartbeat against her cheek, she had to think about Cam. Eric was walking and talking and fucking breathing because her husband had stopped doing all of those things… more than once, Eric wondered if just seeing his chest rising and falling caused her actual pain.
    He came out of the bathroom and was greeted by the smell of coffee and cinnamon buns. Annabeth stood in the kitchen, her back to him, arranging the buns on a plate. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled.
    “Perfect timing,” she said. “You want to take the coffees to the living room?”
    “Sure.” He padded over in his bare feet. “You need a hand with anything else?”
    “Nope. All under control on the sweet stuff front.”
    Eric grinned and picked up the tray with coffee, milk and sugar. He drank his coffee strong and black, but she liked hers sweet and white. He carried everything in to the sunny, open sitting area and took a minute to look out the window. Open Skies was staggeringly beautiful and he was happy to be back in the mountains and among the wildflowers. When he’d left the year before, he was sure he’d never set foot on the ranch ever again.
    He heard her behind him now and he turned. She was so gorgeous – more gorgeous than he’d remembered. Her hair was silky, her lips full, her body slim and curved. That brief hug this morning had been the sweetest of torments on all his senses: the urge to take her mouth, to taste her, to stroke her until she moaned, had been overwhelming.
    His body had never forgotten what it was like to make love to her and he longed to do it again. He’d make her come, watching her face as she shattered, before taking his own pleasure. Eric needed to hear her moans, hear her screams; he needed it like he needed food and water.
    “So.” She took her coffee and he saw her hand trembling. Right away, any thoughts of taking her to bed dissipated. He saw her fear and nerves, and he wanted to soothe both. “I – I don’t know where to start talking.”
    He sat down, watched her follow suit.
    “Well, angel… the truth is that this is all over in your court.” He kept his dark eyes locked on her. “You know what I want, what I’m offering.”
    “You want me to move to Houston,” she said. “To – to be with you.”
    “Yes.”
    She paused. “It’s that straightforward for you?”
    “It is. I love you.”
    Annabeth started. “You –”
    “I love you, yes. I want you to be with me. I’m afraid my part of this conversation is really short and sweet, baby.”
    “Oh.” She stared at him, bewildered. “No – no concerns?”
    “My only concern is for you . I want to make sure that you decide what’s best for you.”
    “I don’t know yet.” She spoke quietly. “That’s what this three weeks together is for.”
    “And I get that.” He smiled. “Listen… let’s just get this all clear and open between us, OK?”
    “OK.”
    “I want you to come home with me. I want us to drive to Texas and get out of the car and go in to our house. Sleep in our bed. Start our life together. I want you to be mine and I mean fucking forever. The end.”
    She was a bit taken aback at the passion in his voice. “You – really?”
    “Yes.” God, those eyes were intense as he focused on her, like there was nothing and nobody else in the whole world. “I’m done being apart from you, angel. I have no doubts, no reservations, no conditions. I’m ready and I’m all-in and I’m waiting to hear what you want to give me. You want to stay in Colorado and see each other once a month? I’ll fly to you, wherever the hell you are on the planet. You want to move to