Nineteen
NINETEEN
Kat
Joy.
Unadulterated bliss.
That was the only way to describe how I felt now.
“I have to give it to you, Graham. I thought this whole date after you took me to dinner was one big joke. I honestly never believed you were going to get up on that stage.”
Graham and I had just returned from our date, and I was floored by what Graham had taken me out to do.
Following dinner, he took me to a karaoke bar. I had assumed he was planning to get my hopes up or to make me sing before chickening out himself.
But Graham didn’t disappoint.
He not only did an individual song, but he sang one with me, too.
Never, not in a million years, would I have imagined Graham was that kind of guy. And tonight was the most fun I’d had in a very long time.
Graham waited until we were at my front door to respond. “I’m not sure why you’re so shocked. Don’t you recall the conversation we had last weekend? I was the one who insisted I wanted to give us a shot at something real.”
“Yeah, but you could have accomplished that with dinner and any other activity. Karaoke was entirely unexpected.”
After taking both of my hands in his, Graham gave my fingertips a squeeze. “This is who I am, Kat. Deep down, I’m a romantic guy.”
Something swelled in my chest.
Graham was doing everything right. Was this really how he was? How could I have gotten so lucky?
“I thought I’d have to choose,” I confessed, my voice a touch over a whisper.
Concern littered his features, and worry infused his tone. “Choose what?”
A sheepish smile appeared. “I don’t want you to think I’m comparing you to anyone, but after everything that happened with my ex, I didn’t expect anything. Obviously, stuff happened between us, and things got a bit complicated for a while. But after last weekend, I’ve been thinking about how happy I feel to be with you. And I think it happened when I learned the truth about what you’d been through. You’ve experienced so much pain and heartache, and I don’t believe you’d ever be able to inflict that same kind of hurt on another person.”
Graham’s thumbs stroked over my knuckles reassuringly. “I’m glad you believe that, because it’s the absolute truth. But I’m not sure I understand what this has to do with you choosing. What are you choosing?”
My eyes roamed over his handsome face. He was everything I could have ever wanted. “I thought I was going to have to choose between a man who made me laugh and someone who made me feel safe. After you told me about your past last weekend, I realized I’d found someone safe, someone who’d go to great lengths to not hurt me. But after talking to you over the phone all week this week and especially after tonight, I’ve learned that I don’t have to choose, because you’re proof that I can have it all.”
Keeping his eyes intensely focused on mine, Graham grinned at me in a way that felt like he was hiding some big secret. I only had a moment to take that in before his hands released my fingers and journeyed up my arms toward my shoulders. Once there, he stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and allowed one hand to drift back into my hair. Tugging lightly, Graham tipped my chin up, brought his other hand to my jaw, and lowered his mouth to meet mine.
He'd offered several kisses throughout the night, but none like this. None that made me feel like he was attempting to communicate something without using a single word. Graham angled his head slightly, swept his tongue into my mouth, and took his time exploring. The way he kissed made it feel like he was getting his first opportunity to do it, and he needed to learn everything about the way I kissed and how I tasted.
Heat bloomed inside me, and when he let out a groan, I had no choice but to reach out and hold on to him.
Eventually, though far too soon for my liking, Graham tore his mouth from mine. He kept his face inches from mine, his voice low as he spoke. “Would you like me to be someone who can be those things for you while also being good to you in bed, too?”
My knees wobbled, and my fingers gripped the material of his clothing at his waist just a bit tighter. I couldn’t get my answer out fast enough. “Yes.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Unlock the door, Kat.”
I nearly dropped my purse as I fumbled through it to find my keys, and my hands were shaking when I attempted to slide the key into the lock. It was only by some miracle or divine intervention that I succeeded in getting the door open. But once I did, and we both stepped inside, I was met with a whole new mess of emotions to contend with.
Graham had closed and locked the door behind us before turning to face me. His eyes remained on mine, something sweet and tender and intense and hungry lingering in them. I found comfort in knowing I wasn’t the only one who was struggling with how I felt.
He took one slow, purposeful step in my direction. My stomach fluttered, and it was an effort to continue breathing. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought this was the buildup to the first time.
I guess, in a way, it was.
Because this would be the first time that we’d do this with some measure of feelings for one another involved.
Graham took another step in my direction. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that it was you who sat down on that stool beside me.”
My mind briefly flashed back to that day, remembering the determination and confidence I felt, but I found I couldn’t concentrate for very long on it. I was too caught up in Graham’s approaching presence.
“Please.”
That single word came out as a barely audible plea.
And it was all that Graham needed to motivate him to move faster. In a flash, he’d hauled me up in his arms, my legs immediately wrapping around his waist as the hem of my dress bit into my thighs.
I didn’t care.
In fact, it wouldn’t have bothered me if the dress ripped, so long as I could feel Graham’s hands and mouth on me.
He didn’t hesitate to make both happen, either.
Graham buried his face in my neck, licking, kissing, and nipping the skin there. And while one of his hands remained firmly wrapped around my waist to hold me against him, the other roamed, moving toward my ass and squeezing.
Pulse pounding, tingling between my legs, I drove my fingers into his hair while I tipped my chin higher to give him better access.
My body was flooded with warmth, and my breath quickened. The flutter I’d felt in my belly had shifted north toward my chest, and with each swipe of his tongue or nip of his teeth against my throat, a shiver of pleasure washed over me.
When a moan crawled up my throat, Graham pulled his head back, held my stare in a firm and intense look of longing, and took a step forward to begin his journey through the house.
By the time we reached my bedroom, that desire to have one another hadn’t lessened. We were this close to having it happen, and every one of my nerves was firing all at once with the sense of urgency I felt to have him.
Graham set me down carefully, but he didn’t lose the proximity. And it seemed we both wanted the same thing when, just seconds after I was steady on my feet, we began tearing at each other’s clothing.
My dress was gone first; his shirt was next. Graham kicked off his shoes while I slid my feet out of my heels. And after my bra was removed and tossed aside, Graham lowered me to the bed and dragged my underwear down my legs, my skin shivering as his fingers lightly caressed my thighs on the way toward my ankles.
Graham stood, removed his underwear, and the need that sparked inside me was tremendous. I reached for him, and Graham didn’t hesitate. He fell into the bed with me, his mouth instantly connecting with mine.
And as we kissed, our hands roaming over our hot skin, I was sure of one thing. Graham had done right by us when he chose to give us some time—even just this past week—to get to know each other better. I didn’t doubt that everything about this time was going to be different in the very best way imaginable.
With every caress of his thumb or swipe of his tongue or brush of his lips, Graham built the aches of pleasure and desire within me. I couldn’t explore enough, couldn’t taste enough.
“Graham, please,” I begged.
That was all he needed. Graham quickly pulled out a condom, rolled it on, and settled himself between my parted thighs.
Need burned inside me, and when I felt the tip of him rubbing lightly at me, I hooked my ankles behind his back and urged him forward. Graham slid inside, keeping himself planted there.
Then he spoke with a ragged voice and destroyed me. “Missed you, Kit Kat.”
“I missed you, too.”
He looked at me with such softness in his gaze, and when the sweetest smile spread across his face, my belly flipped.
I brought a finger to the side of his face, trailed it down the side of his cheek and toward his lips. Lifting my head, I touched my lips to his.
And that was it.
That was the moment everything else melted away. Graham and I got lost in each other, in the kissing and touching and moaning and tasting. We got lost in the physical pleasure as well as the emotional connection.
Our limbs tangled; our tongues explored. Our fingertips journeyed, and our hearts raced.
It was slow and fast. It was sweet and rough. It was a mix of everything we’d ever had, and it was easily one of the best experiences of my whole life.
Our bodies moved and rolled. And every time our eyes met, there was a spark of something there that had been missing weeks ago.
This was better.
So much better.
We built each other up, and whenever we felt ourselves getting too close to the edge, we pulled back. It was as though we were both interested in prolonging this, in making it last for as long as we could.
But eventually, not even our best efforts could stop what was coming, what was bound to happen.
Our bodies allowed the physical and emotional connection between us to take over, and all Graham and I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride as sparks of pleasure and jolts of electricity splintered through us.
It was so strong, and it felt never-ending. It was everything I needed and felt disappointed I was ever willing to go without having.
When it left us, Graham rolled to his back, taking me with him, and we spent the next few minutes simply attempting to regain control of our breathing.
I wasn’t quite sure I’d accomplished that task when the overwhelming need to speak took priority. “Okay, it’s official.”
Graham’s fingertips drifted lightly along my spine. “What is?”
“I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Because you not only make me laugh and feel safe, but you’re also so very good to me in bed.”
His body vibrated beneath mine with his laughter, and he wrapped his arms around me while burying his face in the side of my neck. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on who’s luckiest.”
“I’m so happy, Graham.”
He pulled back to look at me. “I know. I feel the same as you.”
My heart squeezed. His lips curved into a smile. And a silent understanding passed between us.
“I’d like to amend a previous statement.”
Sitting beside me at the breakfast table, Graham’s eyes were as bright as I felt on the inside. “As long as you don’t tell me that you no longer feel like the luckiest woman in the world, especially after that second and third round last night, I think I can handle any correction or modification you need to make.”
Ever since he’d arrived at my place to pick me up yesterday—probably since the day we walked along the beach, if I was honest—I’d been fighting the constant urge to move closer or touch Graham. And when he said things like he’d just said, he didn’t make it any easier on me to win that battle.
“There’s not a chance I’d ever say that,” I assured him.
“Okay, so what is it, then?”
I tipped my chin down slightly and batted my eyelashes as one half of my mouth quirked. “Do you remember how I said that talking to you on the phone at night before bed was my favorite part of the day?”
With a gleam in his eye and a knowing grin on his face, he placed his hand on my thigh. “I do recall those words. Are they no longer true?”
“I wouldn’t say that I lied, but there’s something I now think is just a bit better.”
Graham leaned in closer, pressed a soft kiss on my cheek, and whispered in my ear. “What do you like now?”
A shiver ran along my spine, my lips parting. “It’s just like you said. I like you being here in person to talk to me. But even more than that, I loved falling asleep wrapped up in your arms last night. That was my favorite.”
Graham’s teeth nibbled on my earlobe. “Any time you want me to do that, all you’ve got to do is ask.”
“Even if you need to get up for work the next day?”
He pulled back and chuckled. “Even if I need to get up for work the next day. Do you want me to stay again tonight?”
I shrugged. “I mean, if you want.”
“I can spend the night with you again, Kat. I’m pretty sure that you need to get up in the morning, so you can go to work, too. And to be fair, spending the night with you was one of my favorite things as well.”
Just like that, Graham was willing, ready, and able to give me what I wanted. He really was diving into this without any hesitation or restrictions. And I loved that. I loved that he was willing to give me whatever it is he believed would make me happy.
“One of?”
He flipped both hands over and shrugged. “I kind of enjoyed what happened before we went to sleep.”
I licked my lips, recalling how wonderful it had been. “That’s fair. So, how would you like to spend the day today?”
Graham narrowed his eyes a touch. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”
“Not really. I’d prefer a quieter night in, though. Maybe making dinner together, ordering take-out, and then settling in for a movie night? What about you?”
“Did you ever fix it?”
My brows drew together. “Fix what?”
“Your garage door opener.”
I’d totally forgotten about it. “Um, no.”
“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to take a look at it and see what the best option is for fixing it.”
My stomach clenched, my mouth opening and closing in shock. “What?”
“I want to fix your garage door opener for you.”
It was suddenly difficult to breathe. “You… you do?”
Nodding, he shared, “I haven’t stopped thinking about it ever since I knew it was a problem for you. I could have easily fixed it for you before, but I was afraid it would send a message that I cared, and I thought that would complicate things. It’s bothered me ever since.”
My shoulders fell.
Graham was such a good guy, and he was beating himself up over nothing.
“For what it’s worth, I was never really bothered by it,” I revealed. “Obviously, there was the day you were here and learned it was a problem, but when I brought it up to you again at your place, it wasn’t because I actually cared about getting it fixed. I just wanted to be able to talk to you about something, to find a way to learn something about you.”
Disappointment washed over him. “I’m sorry, Kat. I’m not proud of treating you like I did.”
I lifted my hand to the side of his face and cupped his cheek. “It’s okay, Graham. As much as I wish we hadn’t lost any time, I still got to learn something about you that day. And that made me happy.”
“I shouldn’t have been that way with you.”
My thumb caressed his skin. “It’s okay, big guy. We’re here now. That’s all that matters to me. And while I don’t expect you to do it, if it’ll make you feel better to fix the garage door opener for me, I’d be happy to stand by and assist you with it. Or, at the very least, I can have a treat waiting for you when you’re finished.”
Graham curled his fingers around my wrist, held my hand in place, and turned his head so he could kiss my palm. “Okay, little lady. That sounds like a fantastic plan for today.”
With that, Graham and I cleaned up the breakfast dishes. Then he carried me upstairs, where he had his way with me again before we got our day started.
And somewhere in the middle of the day, when I stood by watching as he fixed my garage door opener, I realized it was happening.
I was falling hard for Graham Stephenson.