Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
“Want to watch the fireworks?” Graham asks after a takeout dinner at his place. I’m in a pair of boy shorts underwear and one of his tees, and I hadn’t planned on putting on real clothes again. Because of that, I look at him, then to the darkened sky, confused.
“Fireworks?” I ask, and he nods.
“Yeah, on the beach. They have them every other Thursday night.” I knew this, of course, since planning that is in Claire’s jurisdiction, but I rarely make the effort to see them. He looks at me for a moment before tipping his head, not to the front door, but to the stairs.
“Come on,” he says, then stands, putting a hand out to me.
“I don’t really want to get dressed and go out,” I murmur, biting my lip. He laughs, twines his fingers through mine, then leads me up the stairs.
“Good thing we don’t have to,” he says, then opens a door I’d never been through, leading me to a rooftop patio.
I look up at the night sky in awe, the boardwalk lit up, the stars bright over the ocean.
It’s enclosed with a railing and a couple of feet higher than the other rooftops, meaning nothing is impeding our view.
“This is all yours?” I ask, looking around in awe. I knew the place was tall, but I didn’t realize how tall. Suddenly, I’m desperate to come up here first thing in the morning and watch the sun rise on the water with a cup of coffee and my sketchbook.
The wind blows gently, a cool breeze off the water, making me shiver a bit, and Graham pulls me to the edge of the railing with a waist-high bar table built in along the edge.
“I didn’t want to share a private space,” he says with a shrug. “I need to get outdoor furniture out here, though.” He moves so his chest is to my back, holding me against him.
“Can I help?”
“I was hoping you’d do it for me. Shopping isn’t my favorite.”
I nearly squeal with excitement.
“Oh my god! This will be so much fun!”
He shakes his head before dropping his head to press his lips to my neck. My breath hitches, and my mind travels to things that could be done up here, both secluded and out in the open, and…
Since Graham and I have gotten together, my long-buried libido has been on overdrive, my body constantly filled with need and desire for this man. While I normally have no libido whatsoever during my period, it seems that changes when Graham is around.
With a shake of my head to clear it, I take a deep, steadying breath, then release it just as the first firework explodes over the ocean.
It sends a colorful burst into the sky, with sparkles crackling as it falls.
I’m captivated, unsure of the last time I actually watched fireworks, which is why I barely register when his hand starts to move.
One stays planted, splayed over my belly, but the other travels lower to the edge of the tee.
His thumb moves up, sliding along my bare skin.
“You look good in my tee, June,” he murmurs, then his hands slide forward to my inner thigh. He tugs my thigh a bit, and I widen my stance without thought. His fingers slide in and up over my center. “But I like it even better because that’s all you have on.”
“Graham, we can’t. I have my period,” I murmur.
“Doesn’t bother me in the least, but right now I’m only focused on you.” His fingers slide up my center over my panties, making my breath hitch. “Orgasms are good for cramps,” he repeats his refrain from earlier, and despite never being into this, my center throbs.
“You don’t have to—” I start, but as another two fireworks burst into the night sky, his hand moves up then slides down into the front of my panties, his warm fingers settling over my now needy clit.
“I never do anything I don’t very much want to do, June. Trust me. I know I don’t have to.”
Why is that so hot? The mere idea of his wanting nothing more than to please me? My body melts back into his, and a low groan leaves him at my acquiescence, vibrating against my back.
“Should we go inside?” I ask in a whisper.
“No,” he says, before his fingers start making small, steady circles over my clit.
“Graham,” I breath.
“I like you out here well enough.” His hand on my belly slides up to my breast, cradling it and tweaking the nipple over the fabric.
I let out a low moan, my breasts terribly sensitive right now, and start to writhe.
I look around nervously, as it’s dark but not pitch black.
Relief glides through me as I note the rest of the neighboring rooftops are empty.
“Quiet, lady luck. You wouldn’t want anyone to find out just how dirty you are,” he says as if reading my thoughts.
“Letting your boss rub your pretty pussy on the roof, where anyone could see.” His words are a taunt, and instead of instilling fear, they make me want him more, make that pleasure heighten.
“Graham,” I murmur. His fingers continue to work me. “I need you.”
“After you come, I’m dragging you into the shower and fucking you,” he groans into my neck.
“Okay,” I mewl, my hips rocking against his hand, one hand lifting to hook around his neck and stop myself from falling if my knees give out.
The loud booms are filling the air more and more frequently and pleasure builds seemingly in time with it, circling and twisting in my lower belly.
I’m about to let out a breath, to come hard on his hand and beg him to take me inside for a hard fuck when a door opens, a couple coming out onto the rooftop of the building in front of us.
Graham’s hand slides from my breast to my belly once more.
No, no, no, no!
We’re going to have to go inside and finish this, even if it’s just in the stairwell, before we’re actually inside. I don’t think I can make it much further without self-imploding.
“Hey there,” the man says, waving in our direction as he steps onto his own roof. Another firework goes off, lighting up the sky and taking his attention.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Graham asks, voice so casual.
I start to pull away, disappointment flooding my system, but the hand that was on my breast slides under my tee, pressing to my bare belly and holding me in place.
Then, slowly, meticulously, torturously, he begins sliding his fingers over my clit again.
I bite back a moan, eyes wide and panicked but that need reigniting quickly.
“Stay quiet,” he murmurs into my neck, and my breath hitches, my fingers tightening around the railing before us. There’s a solid wall that starts at my waist, so they couldn’t see anything if they wanted to.
“We almost forgot about this, but I’m glad we heard it and made our way up there,” the man across the way says over his shoulder.
“Definitely wouldn’t want to miss it,” Graham says, pushing me further into him. His hard cock pokes my back, and the pleasure ratchets up, bringing me right back to that edge again. He grinds into me from behind, and my knees weaken, though he holds me upright.
“God, you feel so fucking good,” he groans low into my neck, and I tighten further.
“Graham,” I whisper, quiet and nearly inaudible over the loud boom of the fireworks.
“I know, baby. I know. It feels good, doesn’t it? You’re so wet. I can’t wait to slide inside you.” My breathing is ragged now, my hands shaky, and with spectacular timing, the finale begins.
Dozens of fireworks explode over the ocean, one after another, a near-deafening cacophony, and I let out a small moan as fireworks of my own burst behind my closed eyes, as Graham’s fingers speed up, pressing harder and giving me exactly what I need to come.
And come.
And come.
The sky becomes silent just as I return to myself and I realize Graham is breathing heavy in my ear, his body still holding me up, his cock still hard as a rock. Clouds of smoke drift in the sky, but I can barely register anything other than the feel of Graham’s hand still between my legs.
“Quite a show, right?” the man on the other balcony says. I let out a little laugh that almost ends in a moan as Graham’s fingers continue to slide over my clit.
“Fantastic,” Graham says, moving to cup my still sensitive pussy.
“Well, have a good night,” the guy says with a wave before taking his partner back inside, but I can’t respond, not when I’m swallowing another moan and letting my head fall back.
There is no reason why I should still be turned on, but god, I am. I buck my hips and let out a soft mewl of need as the door slams behind our neighbors.
“We should go inside,” I murmur, feeling him hard beneath me and shimmying a bit. “Take that shower you offered.”
“Yes,” he says, his hand pulling out of my panties and leaving me cold. But before I can complain or step away, he points into the sky right above us.
“Look,” he says, tipping his chin toward the sky, and I gasp.
“Is that—”
“A shooting star. Make a wish, June.” My breath catches, completely and totally blown away by this stroke of luck, another thing I’ve never experienced.
Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath and try to think of something I want.
But lately, it seems like everything is working out for me, and there’s not much to wish for.
Except for the one thing hanging over my head.
I wish I get the mural job.
It’s not that I need the money or even the notoriety.
It’s just that Seaside Point is my town.
It’s my grandparents’ town, and it’s my friends’ town, and it’s the place I love more than anywhere else in the world, and despite trying to play it cool, I want to leave my mark here.
Maggie was right: it’s what my grandmother would have wanted.
In a way, it would also be a way to prove to my parents and to myself that I can have it all: the creativity, the drive, and the desire to create for a living, and to be there for the people I love.
I have my hometown, family, and friends, and in my own way, I can have it all: I just have to make it work for me.
I let the wish go with a soft sigh, settling into Graham, and a sense of peace falls over me, knowing that it’s all in the hands of the universe, and that which will happen will happen.
“I’ve never seen a shooting star,” I say, turning in his arms to face him. He dips his head and presses his lips to mine.
“No?”
I shake my head.
“I’ve always wanted to. Just like the four-leaf clovers.” I let out a little laugh, shifting to press my lips to his cheeks. “I’m starting to think you’re my own lucky charm. Everything really has worked out for me since you came into my life.”
He lets out a small hum, and I lie back in his arms, content in the knowledge that everything really does work out for me before he takes me inside and fucks away the last of my bad day.
The next day is sunny, so I spend some time working on the mural on the beach.
Since I’m a disaster and likely to get paint on everything, I’ve taken to leaving my phone in the office while I paint.
So it’s not until Graham and I are getting ready to go to lunch together that I check my notifications.
That’s when I notice a new email in my personal account. Thinking it’s probably junk, I tap on it to clear my inbox, then freeze.
“Oh my god,” I say low, staring at the small screen.
“June?” Graham asks, stepping out of his office and watching me with apprehension.
“Oh my god!” I shout, continuing to stare at the screen. I tap out, then back in to confirm I’m not imagining things.
“What is it?” Graham asks, sounding more nervous now.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD!”
“June, if you don’t explain, I’m going to—” Graham warns, voice low, but doesn’t get the chance to finish his threat because I turn to him, eyes watering.
“I’m a finalist,” I murmur, reading the email thanking me for applying to the Seaside Point mural project and asking if I’m available to present my proposed mural to the city council on Tuesday after Labor Day.
“For the town’s mural project. I have to present early next month,” I whisper, my heart pounding.
“June! That’s amazing!” he says, moving to me and pulling me into his arms.
Instead of the anxiety I expected to feel if and when I got to this point, there’s just joy, plain and simple. I put my arms around him and hold tight, savoring this feeling before I pull back. Then, he presses his lips to mine, kissing me long and deep.
This is the reaction I secretly wanted when I sold my first painting, and I love that somehow, the universe is still letting me get my way. When he finally breaks the kiss, he presses his forehead to mine, and my chin wobbles a bit, overwhelmed by emotion.
“It was my wish,” I say through a tight throat. “On the shooting star. I wished that I would get this job.” My eyes are watering as I look up to Graham, who puts my hands to my face before pressing his lips to mine, soft and sweet.
“And you will, June,” he says when he pulls back. “You’ll get it, because everything works out for you. My lady luck, you’re going to have the whole world.”
And really, I must be the luckiest girl in the world to have a man in my life who gets me the way he does.