HOW DO WE GET BACK THERE?
LAURA
Time was moving fast!
Too fast.
One moment, I was strapped to machines, barely able to hold my head up, and now… now I was running. Driving soon. Living again.
Josh had parked a present outside the house–a white, shiny present.
A G–Wagon.
His version of a “mom car.”
I had laughed when I saw it, shaking my head, but he had been dead serious.
“It’s safe,” he had said, arms crossed, daring me to argue. “It’s got enough space for Asha. And it’s yours.”
Who was I to say otherwise?
Hell, I hadn’t even been alive for the past three years.
Now, Iwas back.
I had just gotten back from a run the first real run since waking up. It wasn’t far and wasn’t fast, but it felt good. My legs burned in a way that reminded me I was getting stronger. Jess is the
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real runner but I could understand the appeal.
Stepping out of the shower, steam curling around me, I let the towel drop and reached for my lotion, smoothing it over my arms, my legs. Tissue oil over my scars, my fingers tracing each one like a map of everything I had survived.
I was still rubbing it into the one on my stomach when the door clicked.
I glanced up.
Josh stood in the doorway of our bedroom, eyes locked on me, completely frozen.
His mouth was slack.
The bag he had been holding hit the floor.
I swallowed.
But I didn’t move.
This was Josh. My husband.
Technically, none of this was new
And yet… we never talked about this,
I had seen him walk around the bedroom in his underwear, all smooth muscle and powerful shoulders.
I had even accidentally seen him in the shower. Busy…
Well.
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Now here we were.
And I was the one without clothing.
Josh swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Hey, babe,” I said, voice even, ignoring the urge to cover myself.
His gaze dragged over every inch of me, slow, reverent.
“Hey, babe,” he said, voice a little rough. “You… uh… had a shower?”
I almost laughed.
Instead, I stood up straight, took a breath, and walked over to him.
Josh didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
I leaned in and kissed his cheek.
His hands immediately found my waist.
And then-
He pulled me to him.
And kissed me.
Really kissed me.
The way he used to.
The way he hadn’t since before the accident.
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It was deep and hungry, his fingers tightening on my hips, his body pressing against mine. Heat curled low in my stomach, pooled between my thighs. My hands slid up, fingers curling around his neck, pulling him closer, needing more.
And then-
He pulled back.
Breathing hard.
His forehead pressed against mine.
“You…” His voice was thick. Strained. “I… I don’t want to rush you, babe. You’re doing so well. I don’t want to do anything that could…”
My hands dropped.
My chest tightened.
Of course.
I stepped back.
“Yes. Yeah.” I nodded quickly. Too quickly. “Of course. I get it.”
And then I turned and walked as fast as I could back into the bathroom, wrapping a towel around myself.
My reflection in the mirror stared back at me.
My cheeks were flushed.
My lips were swollen.
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HOW DO WE GET BACK THERE?
And my heart?
Still trying to slow down.
JOSH
I didn’t mean to freeze.
I really didn’t.
But there she was.
Laura.
Standing in the bathroom, completely bare, her skin still damp from the shower, her long legs smooth and glistening as she rubbed lotion over them.
And I stopped breathing.
My brain? Gone.
My body? Locked up.
The bag in my hand slipped, hitting the floor with a soft thud.
Laura looked up, her gaze meeting mine.
She didn’t flinch.
Didn’t scramble for a towel.
She just stood there, watching me the way I was watching her.
Fuck.
“Hey, babe,” she said, her voice even. Cool. Like she wasn’t
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HOW DO WE GET BACK THERE?
standing there, curves and scars on full display, making my
mouth dry up.
I swallowed. Hard.
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“Hey, babe,” I rasped, my throat suddenly tight. I flicked my gaze up, forcing myself to focus on her face. “You, uh… had a shower?”
I regretted it the second I said it.
Obviously, she had a shower.
Laura blinked once, then a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She straightened, took a slow breath, and stepped forward.
And I still couldn’t fucking move.
She reached me, tilting her head up, pressing the softest kiss to my cheek.
My hands moved on their own.
Gripping her waist, pulling her to me, unable to stop myself.
And then-
Then I kissed her.
Or maybe she kissed me.
It didn’t matter.
What mattered was the way she melted against me, the way my hands tightened, the way I felt her body press against mine,
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warm and alive.
God.
I missed this.
I missed her.
The heat between us sparked instantly, like no time had passed at all.
My heart pounded.
Laura slid her arms around my neck, her fingers threading into my hair, pulling me closer.
I groaned against her mouth.
And I wanted-
Fuck, I wanted.
But-
I pulled back.
Breathless.
Her forehead rested against mine, her breathing just as uneven, her fingers still curled around my neck.
I closed my eyes.
“You…” I swallowed, trying to calm my pulse. “I… I don’t want to rush you, babe. You’re doing so well. I don’t want to do anything that could-”
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She dropped her hands instantly.
Stepped back.
And something shifted.
Her face stayed neutral, but I knew her. I knew her.
And I had just hurt her.
Again.
“Of course.” She nodded quickly, wrapping her arms around herself. “Yes. Yeah.”
She turned and practically rushed back into the bathroom, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself like a shield.
I just stood there.
Staring.
Kicking myself.
Fucking hell.
This was Laura.
My wife.
And yet, after everything, I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
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