Chapter Thirty-Three
T he second best day of my life.
Stephen was coming home.
I skipped around my apartment, feeling as if I was either going to float out the window or spin myself into a tizzy. I was beaming hard, and I had the sore cheeks to prove it.
After twenty-three days, nine hours, and seventeen minutes—give or take a few minutes—they were finally sending him home. It turned out that the major system crash that had taken him away from me on the Best Night Ever had originated from issues in the San Diego data center. Stephen was part of the team that had to fly over and work on shit and do whatever else programmers do. I had no clue, just that he was needed. If I planned to have a life with him, I had to be prepared for him to be their bitch every so often.
Man, I’d missed him so much, despite talking every single night. The first day alone we stayed on the phone for hours going over the stuff that had nearly destroyed us. In fact, Jills hadn’t let me leave her house that next morning until things had cleared up between her brother and me.
I may have thrown back one too many, but that didn’t prevent me from remembering everything that night. I knew what she did for me. The kindness she’d showed and the way she’d cared. I was convinced that if it weren’t for her, Stephen and I would’ve still been in that fucked-up place, still misunderstanding each other, still barely communicating. I don’t think it would’ve lasted forever, but any time lost was too long. I owed her more than I could pay.
I grinned even wider, and did I just freaking clap? I’d taken the day off work to pick him up from the airport, and it was finally time to leave. Pathetic and proud, Perry.
I fished my keys out of my purse and went to the door, swinging it open. My purse dropped to the ground with a heavy thud .
“Stephen?” Holy shit, am I hallucinating? I felt his face to make sure it was real. “Ohmigod, Stephen!” He laughed as I crashed against him. “What are you doing here?” It’d been way too long. Way too long.
“I got an earlier flight.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“God, you’re fucking beautiful. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?” He pressed his lips to mine, and it was like they’d never been separated. All that craziness? Poof. Gone.
What in the hell are we doing hanging out in my doorway? I dragged him inside, kicking my purse, still attached to his mouth. I moaned and he pulled away. I tried pulling him even closer, running my hands up his back. There was no reason to be apart; we’d already played that stupid game.
“Perry.” My name left his throat as a groan. “If you don’t let me stop, I’m never going to.”
“And that would be bad because…? ”
“Because then we’d miss our first date.”
“What?”
He held up a bundle of something colorful. Where’d that come from? Not that I’d been focused on his hands but…. I took a closer look and noticed it was a bouquet of jelly beans, all different flavors. My heart turned gooey. Wasn’t the first time, and most definitely wouldn’t be the last. This man .
“Jelly beans,” I said, probably looking all sappy-eyed.
He shrugged. “I thought you’d appreciate it more than flowers.”
“I do. So much. Thank you. I… love it.” Love you .
“You’re welcome.” He brushed his lips against mine, too briefly. “Aren’t you going to show me around your apartment?”
I waved my hand about and laughed. “You’re looking at it.” I nuzzled my face against his neck, dragging my tongue along the side. “Mmm…. The only other room to see is the bedroom.” I was definitely the kind of girl who’d put out for him on our first date.
He made a low sound. I knew I was getting to him, but he pushed me aside again anyway. Was he really going to waste that hard cock of his?
“You’re fucking killing me here,” he said. “You know that, right?”
I humphed. “You keep pushing me away. Don’t you know how long it’s been?”
“Believe me, I know. But we have a date to go on, and if we don’t leave soon, we never will.”
All right, I could be reasonable. We had many more days—I hoped—to get naked. I glanced down at my candy flowers and felt a rush of excitement. A date? I loved surprises. Scratch that— good surprises. I’d filled my quota of bad ones.
“Okay.” I gave him my best smile and picked up my purse. “Do I need to change or anything?” I was wearing a casual tank top and shorts.
“No, you’re perfect. ”
“You haven’t even asked about my tattoo yet. Aren’t you the least bit curious to see it?”
“I’m dying to see it, but it can wait. If you start showing me more skin, I’m going to throw you down right here.”
Mmm. “And that would be bad because…?”
He laughed, taking my hand. “Come on. Let’s go on our first date.”
A few minutes later, we were driving in his truck with my hand still in his and my hair whipping every which way.
“You sure you don’t want me to turn on the air?” he asked.
“No, it feels good.” It was one of those rare low-humidity hot August days. The kind of day that calls for the windows down.
“So, what did you do while I was gone?”
“You know what I did, silly. We talked every single night.”
He smiled. “Yeah, but I want to hear it from you while you’re sitting beside me.”
I turned sideways to face him. “Well, basically I worked, missed you, spent time with Emily, missed you some more, decorated my apartment, missed you a whole lot more, hung out with Jills a bunch of times. Your sister’s awesome, by the way.”
He gave my hand a squeeze. “Yeah, I think you’ve mentioned that before. Although, I’m still not used to your nickname for her. I keep thinking you’re talking about someone else.”
I shrugged. “It was one of those things that just stuck.” The atomic cherries mixed with stomach acid splashing up my throat when I’d first called her that wasn’t exactly pleasant, but the way she had treated me was. It was a memory I wanted to keep. I squeezed his hand back. Some things were worth keeping.
I stared out the side window, watching each exit pass by. “Where are we going?”
“Some place where we can be alone.”
“Um, didn’t we just come from a place that fit the bill? ”
He veered towards the lakefront, and I tried to recall which festivals were currently going on. Irish Fest? But then I ruled that out. A festival wasn’t the place to go if you were hoping to be alone.
We parked near the beach and he pulled out a basket from the back. “I hope you’re hungry. I thought we’d eat first.”
“Sounds great.” I’d been too keyed up to eat all day, and it was finally catching up with me.
He led me through the grassy area to a more secluded spot. We weren’t entirely alone, but close enough. There were a couple bikers on the path and a few walking couples, but being that it was the middle of a workday made it way less crowded.
We sat at a picnic table and he began unloading the basket. “What is all this?” I asked, picking up the containers.
“Well, I can’t take all the credit here. Except for the bouquet.” He gave me a big smile. “That was all me.”
“Hmm. I was wondering about the wicker basket. It didn’t look like the kind of thing you’d have lying around your house.”
“It’s my mom’s. Jillian picked me up from the airport, and we made a stop to get Frank’s lasagna.”
“Aww, thank you.” My stomach was getting all grabby just thinking about it. Ever since I’d tasted it, it’d been my new favorite.
He pried off a lid. “And Jillian also made me send some of this along.” He handed me a bag of pretzels.
“Beer dip too?” Oh my God, I was going to have to be rolled out of there. It was a really heavy meal for a hot summer day, but I couldn’t have been happier with the choices. I’d just load up on veggies the next several days to balance it out.
“I’ve been keeping it cool enough to stay good, but the lasagna should still be warm.”
“I’m sure it will be perfect.”
“And I have iced tea, water, Sprite.” He pulled out bottles, along with plates and forks .
“Water’s good.” I hopped over and sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thank you so much, Stephen. And that was also really thoughtful of your family.”
He gave me a long kiss, his tongue reminding me of all the things he could do with it. I squirmed just imagining it between my thighs again. He nipped my bottom lip, then set me aside so we could eat.
“I’d like to bring you over sometime, have you meet my mom and Frank.”
“I’d really like that too.”
I dug right in, and everything was as delicious as I’d expected. Sitting with him was so peaceful. It was such a beautiful feeling. I wasn’t looking for anything or anyone else. I had it all right there.
After I’d had more than my fill, we took a walk hand in hand along the shore, sat and watched the waves for a while, walked some more. We didn’t talk a whole lot. I didn’t feel like we needed to; just being together was more than enough after our absence.
He somehow convinced me to venture over to the little custard stand even though my stomach was still bursting. But after finding out that the flavor of the day was cotton candy, there was no way I could resist getting a small dish. Hmm, I wondered if he’d planned that too.
We headed back over to the lake and dug our feet into the sand as the water rolled in. It was just so… simple. I couldn’t imagine a better first date with the man I loved.
He surprised me by pulling me onto his lap, facing him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and we proceeded to make out like teenagers. I was positively giddy. And wetter than the waves crashing towards us. Unless we were prepared to get hauled away on a public fornication charge, we needed to ease up.
I broke our kiss and rested my forehead on his, breathing heavily. “God, Stephen. I’ve never had anyone make me feel the way you do.”
He palmed my face and brought my eyes to his. “I love you, Perry.”
I blinked, my heart pumping harder. Not that I didn’t have some idea of his feelings—because come on, what guy would pass up sex before the date unless there was something more going on—but it was still amazing to hear the words. More than amazing. It was something I’d been waiting for. And at least I didn’t say something like “I know.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
I smiled. That felt so good. “I love you too, Stephen.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “I know.”
“What?”
“You said it to me at Jillian’s, right before I left.”
“I did?” That was one thing I hadn’t remembered. Wow.
“To be honest, you were mumbling, so I can’t be completely sure, but that’s what I’m going with.”
“Okay,” I said, laughing. “I’ll give you that.” I’d give him almost anything. “So tell me, what happens at the end of a first date?”
“I deliver you safely to your door, give you a chaste peck on the cheek, and thank you for a wonderful evening.”
I stuck out my bottom lip. “And here I was hoping to get lucky.”
“Oh fuck, Perry.”
We barely made it to my apartment fully clothed. With hands and mouths all over each other, limbs tangled together, we barreled through the door, crashing to the ground. I thought of the waves and all the water and… ohhhh.
“You are so fucking wet. ”
His fingers were underneath my panties, sliding inside me while his lips were all over my neck. He brushed over my clit and my entire body shivered. So, so close. I tugged at his shirt, and once that was off, mine soon followed. My bra was unhooked, and then his mouth was on my breasts, licking, sucking hard. Oh God.
I stroked him through his shorts until he was pushing my hand away, panting in my ear, telling me how much he needed to fuck me. Now.
I couldn’t have agreed more. A frantic fuck now, a leisurely one later. Or whatever. As long as his cock was inside me within the next thirty seconds, I wouldn’t get too picky.
“Bedroom,” I breathed out, and we tumbled there, barely breaking our stride.
I knew exactly how I wanted it. Sitting on his lap, facing him, my legs wrapped around his waist. Just like on the beach when he told me he loved me for the first time.
We lost the rest of our clothes, and he sat at the edge of my bed. I climbed on top of him, angling my body back so he could slide inside me. Slowly, slowly. Holy fuck, that felt so good.
Just when he’d almost filled me completely, I said, “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
He stared into my eyes as he made the final thrust, making me moan hard. His hands gripped my hips, tilting them, and his cock went deeper. “I love…. Ohhhh.” My head flew back and I broke eye contact.
“Look at me, Perry.”
The sensations intensified as he rolled over my clit. My God, I loved this position. It was my new favorite. His eyes were wild, and that just turned me on more. I began to tremble. So, so close.
“Finish it,” he said, rocking harder, faster. The pleasure was building so quickly I could barely handle the promise of what was coming. At the rate I was expanding, I was going to shatter. “Finish it,” he demanded. “Now.” His expression was blatant; he was just as close.
I managed to spill out an “I love you too” right before I screamed. He gasped, losing control right along with me. My entire body sparked with the most incredible feeling I could ever imagine. There wasn’t a place in me where I couldn’t feel it.
I dropped my head to his shoulder, and he held me tight, stroking the hair that fell down my back. I almost fucking sobbed I was so overcome. Whatever I’d had before Stephen wasn’t sex; it was merely a mechanical joining of body parts, just snapping equipment together. I’d always wanted more, but how could I have possibly fathomed that this was what ‘more’ meant?
My emotions were really taking a beating. I was fucking all over the place. I was beginning to think that all those insane people locked up were really just in love.
“I love you, Perry,” he whispered in my ear, and I willed that tear to stay safely tucked away under my eyelid. I was not going to be that person, the one who couldn’t have sex without crying. “And I can’t imagine a time when I’m not loving you or wanting us.”
He brought my face to his and kissed me gently, still hard inside me. I was still coming to terms with the realness of it all. I hadn’t thought this kind of love was possible for me. He smiled and ran his finger under my eye. I think he understood.
“You know what else I love?” He stroked my hip. “Your tattoo.”
I looked down. “I still need to show you.”
He laughed. “A little late for that. I can see it pretty well already.”
I traced my finger through the four leaves, then the intricate pattern offshooting it. “I stole some of the idea from yours.”
“I noticed. Why do you think I love it so much?”
Each leaf of my clover symbolized faith, hope, luck, and love. And adding a touch of Stephen’s gorgeous design to it had made it perfect. It wasn’t an exact match to his since I was going by memory alone, but it was damn near close.
His head turned slightly, and I followed his line of sight to find what was giving him such a pleased expression. The shamrock necklace was close to the bed, hanging over my vanity mirror so it’d be the first thing I saw in the morning.
“Nice necklace. Where’d you get it?”
“This amazing guy gave it to me on the luckiest day of the year, and you know what that means.”
“No,” he said, pulling me against his chest. “Tell me.”
I pushed back a bit. “Wait a minute…. Where did you get the necklace? You never told me.” I knew they weren’t lying around the bar that night, and I hadn’t seen anyone else wearing one.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I had.”
“Try me.”
He brought me closer, whispering, “I got it from a girl who I imagined you looked like at that age.”
“What?”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “Cutest little thing. Long dark hair, big brown eyes. The sweetest smile.” He kissed softly behind my ear. “I wonder if she’ll also grow up to be a feisty handful.”
“What?”
“She couldn’t have been more than five.” He rested his forehead against mine and stroked my face. “Earlier that day I was helping my mom bring over a large donation to the women’s shelter. She does that a few times a year. I stopped first to pick up some of those suckers that are as large as your head. I’m sure you’re well acquainted.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And why would you assume that?” Then I laughed. “Yeah, I know them well.” Like I could keep a straight face about it. “The rainbow swirls are my favorite.”
He smiled. “I like to hand them out to the kids staying there. There was one girl in particular, Isabella, whose eyes lit up when I handed her the candy. She was so excited over it, she wanted to give me a present in return.”
“The necklace.” Aww, how adorable.
“Yep. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but she really wanted me to have it so I couldn’t refuse. It felt like she was giving me a special gift and whatever I did with it had to be equally as special.” He brushed his lips over mine. “You were right in saying that it was the luckiest day. The day I received the necklace was the day I met you.”
My emotions were doing all kinds of flip-flops. “But you wanted to do something special with it. You didn’t even know me then.”
“Maybe I didn’t know you yet, but my heart did. The moment I saw you, it knew who the necklace was meant for.”
This man . I let the tear escape down my cheek. I didn’t even fight it that time. If there was any man worthy of my sappy feelings, it was him.
He kissed it away. “You never finished your thought before. What does it mean when an amazing guy gives you something on the luckiest day of the year?”
Good thing I didn’t believe in superstitions, only facts. And there were too many signs pointing in our direction for it to be a coincidence. I held him tightly to me, recalling exactly what it meant.
“Whoever gives you a token on Saint Patrick’s Day is the one you’re meant to be with.”