Adrift, page 16
I glanced at her. Then at my dad.
And then I broke into a run.
Up ahead, Eric was just getting into a cab, and I shouted, “Eric, wait!”
He stopped dead and turned around, one foot in the car and his expression mirroring the ones my parents had worn when I’d halted a minute ago.
I jogged up to the car. “Is the offer still open?”
Eric blinked. “What?”
“To stay with you. In Rome. Is the offer still open?”
“It’s…is…” He shook himself. “Are you taking me up on it?”
“Yes.” The word came out so easily. No hesitation. No more second thoughts. Yes, I was taking him up on it. “I’m just… not ready to call time on this.”
Oh God. I am taking him up on it.
Panic surged through me, a million reasons why I shouldn’t do this running through my mind, but then Eric smiled, and all those reasons went quiet.
I swallowed. “Look, I have no idea if we have any kind of a future, or if we can even put up with each other for two more weeks, or…” I flailed a hand. “I don’t know. I just know that nothing has felt as wrong as it does to be walking away from you right now.”
He stared at me, lips apart. “Really?”
I nodded. “It’s way too soon to know if we can be anything more than a couple of guys who are really good together in bed. But I…” Want to kiss you so bad right now I can taste it. “If the offer’s still open, I want to take you up on it.”
Eric blinked a few times, and I thought for a few fleeting seconds that he’d tell me I’d had my chance and the offer had expired.
But then he nodded. “Yeah,” he said softly, and he laughed a little as he added, “Yes, the offer’s still open.”
I hugged him tight and didn’t give a damn who saw us or what they thought as I buried my face against his neck. He had a death grip on me too. I could barely breathe, but who cared?
“Sorry I took so long to—”
“Don’t apologize.” He drew back, and right there in front of God and everyone, pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “I’m just glad you changed your mind.”
“Yeah. Me too.” I gestured toward my parents, who were watching us with my abandoned luggage beside them. “Let me get my things.”
He nodded and leaned in to say something to the driver while I hurried toward my folks and my abandoned luggage. We got some annoyed looks from people in the taxi line, and I thought someone snarled at me in Italian, but at this point, I just didn’t care.
As soon as I was within earshot, my mom smiled broadly. “Enjoy Italy, Andrew.”
“I will.” I hugged her, though not as tightly as I had Eric. “I’ll see you guys in a couple of weeks. And I’ll call the airline, and—”
“I know you’ll handle it.” Dad clapped my shoulder. “Go on. Have a good time.”
I hugged him too and then collected my luggage. After one last goodbye with my parents, I walked away, heading for the taxi where Eric was waiting. As the driver loaded my things into the trunk, I joined Eric in the backseat.
Moments later, the taxi pulled away from the curb and into traffic, and Eric reached across the seat to lace his fingers between mine. “I’m glad you came back.”
“So am I.” My heart was fluttering with nerves and excitement. This was probably the most reckless thing I’d ever done, and it scared the hell out of me.
But looking at Eric as he slid on the sunglasses I’d picked out for him in Gibraltar, I knew it was a risk worth taking. I had no idea where this would go, or what I’d be doing for money when I went back to Des Moines. I had no idea what would happen in Rome or after I went home.
All I knew was that for the next two weeks, I had Eric.
And I was exactly where I needed to be.
* * *
The End.
Ashore
Buy Links
Cruising, Book #2
* * *
After being inseparable on their cruise, Andrew Wentz and Eric Schofield aren’t ready to be apart yet. At the very last minute, Andrew takes Eric up on the offer to spend another two weeks together, this time in Rome.
* * *
As soon as there’s no turning back, though, both men start having second thoughts. Are they moving too fast? Are they getting too attached? As they explore Italy, the connection between them grows, but those second thoughts aren’t going away either. Plus Eric feels guilty for asking Andrew to put his life on hold for two weeks, and Andrew wonders if he’ll regret delaying his job hunt.
* * *
But could it be worth it? Could two weeks be long enough for this thing to go from vacation fling to something that both men have been missing for way too long?
* * *
This transgender gay romance is 48,000 words.
For more books by L.A. Witt, please visit
http://www.gallagherwitt.com
Romance * Suspense
Contemporary * Historical * Sports * Military
Titles Include
* * *
Rookie Mistake (written with Anna Zabo)
Scoreless Game (written with Anna Zabo)
The Hitman vs. Hitman Series (written with Cari Z)
The Bad Behavior Series (written with Cari Z)
The Gentlemen of the Emerald City Series
The Anchor Point Series
The Husband Gambit
Name From a Hat Trick
After December
Brick Walls
The Venetian and the Rum Runner
If The Seas Catch Fire
…and many, many more!
About the Author
L.A. Witt is a romance and suspense author who has at last given up the exciting nomadic lifestyle of the military spouse (read: her husband finally retired). She now resides in Pittsburgh, where the potholes are determined to eat her car and her cats are endlessly taunted by a disrespectful squirrel named Moose. In her spare time, she can be found painting in her art room or destroying her voice at a Pittsburgh Penguins game.
* * *
Website: www.gallagherwitt.com
Email: gallagherwitt@gmail.com
Twitter: @GallagherWitt
L.A. Witt, Adrift
