Mine Always (One Night with You)

10. Lacey

I smashthe fire alarm when it won’t stop going off. Unfortunately, bashing it repeatedly doesn’t inspire it to quit screeching.

It’s not long before Ryan is in the kitchen. He eyes me on the chair again, somehow looking both rumpled and sexy at the same time.

“Do I need to get it?” He has to shout the words over the blaring noise.

Our neighbors don’t even freak out when they hear the sound of the fire alarm coming from Eric’s apartment anymore.

I hop off the chair so he can get to it. Within seconds, Ryan has the alarm dismantled and there’s a blissful moment of silence.

“That thing hates me,” I insist, going back to the blackened omelet. So much for surprising Ryan with breakfast in bed. It’s our one-month anniversary and I wanted to do something special.

“I’ve told you before to pop the cover off,” he gently chides as he comes up behind me. He pulls me against his strong chest. He’s been shirtless around me a lot more since I mentioned how much I like his body.

“Is that for me?” He nibbles on my ear. He knows I’m a pancakes and bacon kind of girl.

“It’s our one-month anniversary.” I slump my shoulders. “I’m being a total dork about this.”

When you’ve never gotten to stay anywhere for longer than a few days or a couple of weeks, a month feels huge. Like a year.

“You’re my dork.” He squeezes me tighter and his arousal nestles against my bottom. “Besides, I got you a present.”

I reach for the waistband of his track pants. “I can’t wait to open it.”

He chuckles. “Not that. Although you can have it, too. Just wait here a minute.” He leaves the kitchen. “Close your eyes and no peeking.”

I cover my eyes with my hands. “What did you get me?” Ryan is constantly giving me gifts. Last week, it was a keychain with a compass so I could always find my way home.

He enters the kitchen and I feel his body heat as he steps near me. He presses paper into my palm. “Alright, open.”

I glance at two tickets and it takes me a moment to realize what they are. “Did you get us tickets for the Red Shirt Museum?”

He grins. “It seemed like it would be a fun way to celebrate your birthday in September.”

I throw my arms around his shoulders and pull him close. “This is going to be so cool. I’ll talk to you in Vulcan the whole time.”

He laughs and kisses my forehead. “Promise me you’ll say dirty things.”

“The dirtiest,” I agree.

He leans forward to kiss me again, a sweet lingering kiss that makes my blood boil and my body tremble.

Before I know it, I’m sitting on the island in the kitchen and his hands are under my t-shirt. He plays with my nipples, rolling them between his fingers. He presses kisses to my neck and shoulders, anywhere he can reach my exposed skin.

Then he’s yanking up my t-shirt from around my hips and pulling at my underwear, working deftly to free me from the only barriers between us.

As soon as the cool air hits my pussy, I slip my hand between my thighs to touch myself. I spread my moisture around and close my eyes. Ryan loves to watch me do this, to see me pleasuring myself.

“You’re mine always,” he growls just as he thrusts into my aching channel. “You belong to me now, Lacey.”

The words are what I need to hear, and I gasp as my body begins clenching around his, milking him.

When we’re both spent, he lets out a soft sigh. “Happy Anniversary, kitten.” He lingers inside of me for a long minute before he slowly pulls out.

Something flickers across his face at the same time that I realize we forgot the condom.

“It’s OK,” I reassure both of us. “It’s not the right time of the month.” My period can be a little bit erratic, but I can usually guess where I am.

He still looks troubled. “Do we want kids together?”

I adjust my t-shirt so it’s covering me again. “I mean, at some point. We do want kids…don’t we?”

He nods. “When you’re ready, I want a whole fleet.”

“You’re not going to dress them in red shirts,” I tease. Since getting together with Ryan, I’ve learned his science fiction obsession goes even deeper than I realized.

“It’s the perfect Christmas card idea,” he insists.

I roll my eyes. “We’ll talk about it later. Get dressed. We’re taking a road trip. It’s part of my anniversary surprise for you.”

* * *

Since his insomniais still bad, Ryan drifted to sleep once I had been driving for a few minutes. I was relieved that he didn’t see where we’re going.

But when I turn on the neighborhood street, he suddenly stirs. “Are we there yet?”

He glances outside the window and recognizes where we are. “Damn, baby. Why are you doing this to me?”

“They want to see you.” I know this won’t be easy for him. But I have Ryan’s back. I’ll always be the one looking out for him.

He shakes his head. “You don’t understand—the things I said and I did. I’m not proud of that man. I made my father cry. This tough combat veteran who’d been through hell broke down in tears because of me.” Equal parts shame and disgust tinge his voice.

“They want to see you,” I repeat.

“How could they?”

“They love you. They’ve been waiting for you,” I say as I pull the car to a stop in the driveway of the modest two-story brick home. An American flag waves in the breeze and there are two matching rocking chairs on the front porch. It’s the kind of place I’d like to share with Ryan someday.

We both stare at the home in silence. He’s lost in memories of the past and I’m thinking about future memories we’ll make.

Then the front door swings open and Ryan’s parents are rushing forward. I squeeze his hand and mouth, “I love you.”

We leave the car and the two of them instantly envelop Ryan in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes out the words again and again.

His parents seem oblivious to his apologies, content to simply embrace their son. The three of them are a crying mess but they’re together at long last.

I watch the scene, my own eyes filled with tears. I wish I could have had a happy reunion with my mom. I wish she’d made different choices and gotten clean when I was little.

Before I can dwell on that thought, Ryan’s mom is stepping from the huddle and reaching for me.

“You brought my son back!” She proclaims with a watery smile before I’m crushed against her.

Ryan and his father join the huddle and now there are four of us sobbing.

Eventually, his parents usher us inside the house where I sit with Ryan on a floral couch that looks like it escaped the eighties.

He drums his foot.

I put a hand on his knee to still his nervous movements.

“We’re so glad you’re here,” his father says as they bring sweet tea and oatmeal raisin cookies into the living room.

Ryan eats in silence, clearly uncomfortable. When his parents ask questions, he only gives them one-word answers.

As the awkwardness stretches on, I take over the conversation telling them about what Ryan has been doing. I tell them about how I know their son and how proud I am of him.

My discussion seems to relax my boyfriend and he eventually opens up to them, talking about his journey toward sobriety and how hard that’s been. He tells them about spending the last few years at Alpha Defense and how he enjoys the work he does. He brags about me and my art, putting his arm around me as he talks.

We stay for so long that his parents insist on taking us to dinner.

Ryan squeezes my hand as we wait for them to get ready.

“Thank you for this,” he murmurs. “I needed it.”

I was nervous they wouldn’t like me at all since I’m so much younger than Ryan and so different from him. But his parents seem to have accepted me with the same grace they showed him.

“Taluhk nash-veh k”dular,” I whisper.

He frowns. “What does that one mean?”

“I cherish thee,” I explain, my heart filling with more love than I ever thought possible. I give his hand a quick squeeze and wink at him.

“I cherish you, kitten.” He cups my cheek and gives me a chaste kiss. “And I’ll spend every day of the rest of your life showing you that.”