Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
ATOM
I t was worth the wait.
As I hold Clara close to me, my cock embedded deep within her, I catch my breath. I wasn’t kidding when I told her this was my first time too. It is.
I’ve done everything else but the final act. I wanted it to be with the woman I share my life with. Not a meaningless fuck purely for target practice.
I’ve given her my heart and soul and I would do it again in a heartbeat. She means more to me than anyone ever has, and I figure she would be terrified if she understood the depth of my obsession with her.
She relaxes against me and I pull back and stroke her gorgeous face and smile into her eyes.
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one saying that.”
“I don’t want your thanks. I only want your heart.”
She smiles softly. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
“Figured what out?”
She reaches up and strokes my face with a light touch and whispers, “I wanted you more. I took the job at Joes as soon as I could because when you left school I lost sight of you. I heard you hung out at the bar and seized my chance. I did it to be close to you even though you never knew I existed because you fascinate me, Atom. You always have.”
“So, you’re a stalker now.”
“Apparently I am.”
We touch lips and she tastes different now. She tastes of me. Mine.
For some reason, that calms me more than I thought it would because I’m aware we will have a battle on our hands. As soon as it’s common knowledge we’re together, her parents will do everything possible to change that.
“Are you afraid?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“Of you? No. Never. Are you?”
“Of circumstances tearing us apart.”
“Then we won’t let them.”
“I don’t want to hide, to pretend you’re not mine, Clara. I’m proud to call you my woman, and I want the entire world to know that.”
She doesn’t even hesitate and matches my tone with a hard, “I’m hiding nothing and I guess you’re talking about my parents. Let me deal with them.”
“How?”
She shrugs and leans in and kisses me again, her tongue edging inside, effectively silencing my questions.
We kiss like lovers, we always will and as she pulls back, she whispers, “Was that really your first time?”
“Proud of it, baby.” I wink. “I don’t lie. Why would I be happy knowing I was your first if I’d been around the block a hundred times already? I’m not a hypocrite darlin’ and I’m not afraid of declaring my feelings for you.”
A huge beautiful smile transforms her face, and she says softly, “Then why hide us, Atom? Let’s shout it to the world.”
Right now, everything is perfect. I have everything I wanted and dreamed about and if anyone thinks they have a shot at tearing us apart, they had better be fully loaded because I will fight for this woman with my last breath.
We clean up in the small shower and afterward make coffee in the small kitchen.
Clara is wearing my t-shirt and sitting on the counter top, watching me make the drinks bare-chested, wearing my jeans.
“I love this.”
She smiles, a dreamy expression on her face.
“What, coffee?” I tease and she giggles, which is a sound I will never tire of hearing.
“No, being here with you. It’s perfect.”
“It is.”
I hand her the mug and she wraps her hands around it and sighs with contentment.
“So, what happens now?”
“We enjoy the Summer.”
Her face falls. “Then I must leave for college. It will take years.”
I hate how sad that makes me and force a smile on my face. “It’s important you finish your education. What are you majoring in?”
“Business.”
She shrugs. “It was my father’s choice. I fancied art, but he told me that was of no use to anyone and at least with business I will understand the complexities of running a home.”
“He said that?” I arch my brow, and she pulls a face.
“I know, he’s a dinosaur. You see, in our world, the pretty ones, as they say, make a good wife for an aspiring business man. They are expected to keep house, provide an heir and entertain to elevate their social position. The rest are considered career women because what else are they good for?”
“Ouch.” I lean against the fridge and shake my head. “That’s wrong on every level.”
“Now you can see what I’m up against.”
“But you have a say in your future, surely.”
I’m learning a lot about this so called privileged lifestyle of hers and am surprised to discover she’s worse off than most.
“To a degree.” She sips on the coffee and sighs. “If I go along with their plans, I keep it all. The trust fund, the high living and my place in society. It’s in my best interests to do well, which means marry well because that assures my future. If I choose a different one, I will be cut off. No trust fund, no place at the dinner table and never spoken of again.”
Now I can see what I’m expecting her to lose, I don’t feel so good about myself.
“It’s a lot to ask of someone.”
“Not really.”
She sets her mug down and crooks her finger and as I settle between her legs and push her soft curls away from her face, she says softly, “What we have is worth the risk because I want to live my life, Atom, not merely exist and play a part in somebody else’s dream. So what if they cut me off? None of that matters. We are together now and even if we don’t go the distance, we have each other and that is worth more to me than anything.”
My heart is physically bursting as I kiss her long and slow. If life works out for us, there is the rest of our lives to enjoy together. If our circumstances change, it won’t be because of me. I’m sure of that because from the moment I first saw this woman, I knew she was made for me.