Chapter 41
Slowly, West takes on amusement, and he pushes himself away from me. “A homework assignment. Okay.”
I sit up. “From Anne. I’m supposed to—” lick your tat, put my hand down your pants—I shake my head. “Basically, I’m supposed to take the initiative with you.”
His amusement transitions into surprise. “Well, I just might be in love with Anne.” He spreads his arms along the back of the couch. “Your wish is my command.”
I blow out a shaky breath.
“What do you want me to do?” he asks.
What do I want him to do? That’s easy. “Take your shirt off.”
Quickly, he does just that. “Now what?”
I’m not sure, so I trace my finger along his tattoo. “When did you get this?”
“After Mom died.” His lips curve up in tenderness. “Her name was Rose.”
I trail my index finger over the rose at the top of the vine, thinking of his wonderful family and how tragic it all is.
“It’s okay,” he whispers. “Come here.”
I scoot closer, tentatively touching his bare chest with my fingers. I trace the curve of his pecs and trail my hand further down to his abs.
His breath deepens, and he slides a hand up my side. “Do I get to make any requests in this homework assignment?”
I shake my head, making it up as I go along. “No.”
“Bummer.”
I wet my lips and lean in to kiss his chest. He catches his breath, and his fingers curl into my side. I slide up, kissing him on the lips, deep and slow, and when I pull back, I shake with need.
His hand that’s on my side slides lower, and he digs his fingers into my butt, and without hesitating, I caress my fingers inside the gap of his jeans.
He draws in another breath.
I’m not sure what makes me so bold, maybe his expression, my own sense of control, but I unsnap his jeans and unzip them.
West shudders.
“You were right. You wear Daffy Duck underwear.”
His hand slides under my hip, and gently he pulls me over until I’m straddling his left leg. He lifts his thigh and presses it into me, and I draw in a breath.
“Can I feel you?” I ask, and he nods.
I trail my hand along the outside of his underwear and start to explore. With one hand, he grips my hip and rocks me against his leg, and his other hand drifts up to caress my breast. I don’t know what to do, but from his breathing and his expression, I must be doing something right.
He lets out a cross between a moan and a groan. The deep sound of it vibrates through me, and I begin moving my hips against his thigh.
Somewhere way back in my brain, I’m aware of his hand. Of mine. Of the rhythm we’ve established. Everything washes over me in a flood of sensation. I drop my head back on a deep breath.
Our movements increase. Way down deep in my core, everything tightens, and desire completely takes me over. I want him to feel everything I am. I want to feel everything that he is.
His hand that’s on my breast slides around my arched back up to clasp my neck, and I tremble as he brings me down to thoroughly, completely, deeply kiss me. His hand tangles in my hair, and it turns into a hard, almost rough kiss. But I like it.
His kisses trail down my throat, and then his mouth is on my breast. Cotton fabric separates me from his lips, but that doesn’t deter him.
I tune into our rhythm again, and our tempo increases even more. His muscles shake. Mine tightens to an intensity that’s almost unbearable, and then everything in me explodes in this spiraling, unraveling ecstasy.
I tear my lips away with a hoarse gasp and cling to him as tremors quiver through my limbs. His hips jerk one last time, and he groans into my neck.
Eternity passes, and I lie limply against him. He stirs first, nuzzling under my ear, and I slide off his lap and onto the couch.
He goes to the bathroom, then he’s back and his arms are around me, cradling me. I want to stay right here for the rest of my life.
He stretches out on the leather couch, tucking me in front of him. We don’t speak and instead just soak the other in.
The fire crackles and pops, and I sigh. I think back on everything we just did. I responded as I wanted to. I didn’t care how I appeared or sounded or what I was doing. I didn’t think about Grayson or Noah Riley once. I just felt.
That is its own kind of freedom.
“A plus,” West whispers.
“What?”
He hugs me tighter to him. “Tell Anne you got an A plus on your homework assignment.”
Yes, things are pretty perfect right now.
“I have a surprise for you.” West reaches over me and grabs a remote off the coffee table.
“It’s been really hard hiding this from you.
” He points the remote at an iPod dock sitting on an end table.
“I played our song for Ms. Kelly, and she loved it. We laid the tracks down last week with Ford, and we’re playing it onstage for the first time in two weeks. ”
“What?!”
“Also, I was thinking with the money we’ll make, what would you say if we establish a fund for abused children?”
I don’t know what to say. I’m so completely, profoundly shocked.
He points the remote and clicks, the music starts, and his voice filters through the speakers.
I didn’t know I was waiting
Till you walked through that door
Now every quiet moment
Feels fuller than before
You smiled like a sunrise
That melted all my doubt
And I knew in that heartbeat
What love is all about
Take all of my tomorrows
They're yours to have and hold
Every dream I’ve ever whispered
Every story left untold
I’ll stand through any weather
As long as I’m with you
Take all of my tomorrows—
My forever starts with you.
I used to chase the silence
Afraid of getting close
But you see through the shadows
You know the me I don’t
You laugh like it’s magic
You cry and I feel too
There’s no life I imagine
That doesn’t start with you
Take all of my tomorrows
They're yours to have and hold
Every dream I’ve ever whispered
Every story left untold
I’ll stand through any weather
As long as I’m with you
Take all of my tomorrows—
My forever starts with you
So if the stars all fall
And the lights go down
I’ll still be standing here
Right beside you now
With hands that never let go
With love that never fades
You're the reason I believe
In every vow I say
Take all of my tomorrows
They're yours, and only yours
I’ll love you through the silence
Through the battles and the storms
I’ll give you all my always
And every “I still do”
Take all of my tomorrows—
They all belong to you
Take all of my tomorrows…
They all belong to you
The air around us settles with comfort, warmth, and love.
His voice comes quiet. “It’s called ‘They All Belong to You.”
“Again,” I whisper, and he restarts it.
I listen to my notes paired perfectly with his lyrics. I soak it into my soul, allowing it to settle me, to give me the ease those notes had always been intended for, and absorbing the depth of the words.
West tenderly rocks me to the beat of our music. The song we wrote together. Him and me. An unbelievably perfect match.
And in this moment, I am convinced nothing can come between us.