CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT #2
She lifted the napkin with gentle fingers, seeing the bar's logo printed on it. "You kept this?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I kept everything," I admitted, watching her face closely.
Beneath the napkin was a shot glass from that night, with the bar's logo etched into the glass. "You saved the shot glass?" She asked, with laughter and disbelief in her voice.
"You did three shots of tequila to calm your nerves," I reminded her with a smile. "After the third one, you finally agreed to come back to my place. I asked the bartender if I could keep the glass. Told him it was my lucky night."
She shook her head in wonder, a smile forming as she carefully set the glass aside.
The next item was a Shadow Wolves keychain. "I bought one of these before I left for New Hampshire. I still have it," she admitted. "It's on my clinic keys."
My heart beat faster at the revelation.
"Easton," she said, clearly overwhelmed. "I had no idea…"
"There's one more thing," I said, my voice rough. "At the bottom."
She reached into the box and pulled out a small velvet pouch, her eyes questioning as she looked at me.
"Open it," I encouraged softly.
Her fingers worked the drawstring, tipping the contents into her palm. A delicate silver bracelet slid out, with a single charm dangling from the fine chain. It was a tiny silver wolf.
"I bought this for you the day after we were together," I explained, my voice thick with emotion I didn't hide.
"As an impulse buy when I was out. I had all these plans—I was going to call you, take you to dinner, see where things might go.
I was going to give you this bracelet, tell you I wanted more than one night.
" I swallowed hard against the memory. "But when I tried calling the number Holly gave me, it didn't work.
Something was wrong with it. And I couldn't find you. "
Palisade's eyes filled with tears. "Easton, I—"
"I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty, Sadie," I interrupted gently. "That's not what tonight is about. I wanted you to know that night meant something to me. You meant something. Even before Casey, even before I knew she existed."
She held the bracelet out to me. "Would you…?"
I took it from her palm, our fingers brushing in a way that sent electricity up my arm. She extended her wrist, and I carefully fastened the clasp, my fingers lingering against her pulse point.
"Part of me never let go," I breathed, "even when I believed you'd gone from my life."
A tear slipped down her cheek, and I reached up to brush it away with my thumb. The touch was gentle, but understanding dawned between us as my fingers lingered against her skin. The air changed, charged with memory and desire.
"I never thought…" she started, then paused, collecting herself. "I convinced myself it was just one night for you. That someone like you wouldn't remember the quiet, pre-vet student a week later."
"I remembered everything," I told her, my hand still cupping her cheek. "How nervous you were when we got back to my apartment. How you admitted after… you'd never done this before. The way you trusted me enough to be your first."
Her eyes searched mine, looking for any sign of insincerity. Finding none, she leaned forward, her forehead resting against mine. "I was so scared. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought you'd think I'd trapped you, or that it would ruin your career right when it was starting."
"I know," I nodded, understanding washing over me. "I'm not saying you made the right choice, but I understand why you made it."
She pulled back slightly to look at me, wonder in her expression. "How did we get here? From all that anger and hurt to… this?"
I smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "We stopped fighting what's always been between us."
The air between us changed, charged with possibility and history and the future we could build together. When she leaned forward to kiss me, it was like coming home after a long, hard journey.
The kiss deepened, and I set the memory box carefully aside. My hands found her waist, pulling her closer until she was straddling my lap. Her fingers tangled in my hair as our mouths moved together, hungry but not desperate. Certain.
"Easton," she said against my lips when we finally broke apart.
"Do you trust me?" I asked, the question layered with meaning.
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
"Then let me show you something." I stood, offering my hand. When she took it, I led her to the center of the living room, where the fairy lights cast everything in warm gold. "Stay here."
I retrieved the wine bottle from the ice bucket, condensation beading on the glass. Then I grabbed one of the ice cubes, watching it glisten in my palm.
"What are you doing?" she asked, curiosity and anticipation mixing in her expression.
"Exploring," I said, moving back to stand in front of her. "You trusted me enough to surrender at Sassy's. Tonight, I want to show you how good it can be when you let me take control in our space. With no masks, no anonymity. Just us."
I set the wine bottle and ice on the coffee table within reach, then turned back to her. "But first, I need you naked."
Her hands went to the hem of her scrub top, pulling it over her head. Underneath, she wore a simple bra, but somehow that made it hotter. She was coming from work, hadn't dressed up, and yet she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"Keep going," I encouraged, my voice dropping lower.
She stripped off her scrub pants, her panties, her bra, until she stood completely naked in the warm glow of the fairy lights. Seeing her vulnerable and trusting, radiating absolute beauty, caused my cock to strain painfully against my jeans.
"Perfect," I said. "Now, lie down on the couch. On your back."
She obeyed, stretching out on the leather couch, her skin golden in the soft light. I grabbed the ice cube and the wine bottle, then knelt beside her.
"Close your eyes," I instructed.
When she did, I traced the ice cube along her collarbone. She gasped at the sudden cold, her back arching slightly. I dragged it slowly down between her breasts, circling each one without touching the nipples yet, watching goosebumps rise on her skin.
"Cold," she breathed.
"I know." I circled her left nipple with the ice, watching it harden into a tight peak. Then I leaned down and took it into my mouth, and she cried out at the contrast.
I gave the right nipple the same treatment, ice, then heat, until she was squirming beneath me.
"Easton, please—"
"Not yet." I trailed the melting ice down her stomach, circling her navel, then lower. When I reached the top of her mound, I paused. "Spread your legs."
She did, her thighs falling open, exposing herself completely to me. I could see how wet she already was, and I'd barely touched her.
I dragged the ice along her inner thigh, making her gasp and try to close her legs. "Uh-uh," I said, using my free hand to hold her open. "Stay still. Let me play."
The ice reached her pussy, and I traced it through her folds—not inside, just teasing along the outside. She whimpered, her hips rolling, seeking more.
"Do you want more?" I asked.
"Yes," she gasped.
"Tell me what you want."
"Touch me. Inside. Please, Easton."
I set aside what was left of the ice and picked up the wine bottle. Her eyes were still closed, so she didn't see what I was planning.
I tilted the bottle carefully, letting a thin stream of wine drip onto her stomach. She gasped at the sensation of cold, wet, and unexpected.
"What—"
"Shhh," I soothed, watching the red wine pool in her navel, then overflow and run in rivulets down her sides. "Just feel."
I dripped more wine between her breasts, watching it trail down the valley between them. Then I leaned down and licked it off her skin, my tongue following the path the wine had taken. She tasted of wine and salt and Sadie.
"Oh my God," she moaned as my mouth moved over her.
I dripped wine directly onto her nipple, then sucked it off, my teeth grazing the sensitive peak. Did the same to the other side. By now, she was writhing beneath me, her hands fisting in the couch cushions.
"More," she begged.
"More what?" I asked, trailing wine down her stomach again.
"More everything. Touch me. Please."
I set the bottle aside carefully, then slid two fingers through her folds. She was soaked, but not from the wine.
"So wet," I murmured appreciatively. "Is this from the ice? The wine? Or from me?"
"You," she gasped. "All you."
I slid my fingers inside her, and she clenched around them immediately. But I had another idea.
"I want to try something," I said, withdrawing my fingers. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
I picked up the wine bottle again, tilting it carefully. This time, I let a thin stream of wine drip directly onto her clit. She shrieked at the sensation, her hips bucking.
"Cold," she gasped.
"I know." I leaned down and licked it off her, my tongue flat against her clit. The combination of cold wine and a warm mouth made her cry out.
Then, I did something I'd been fantasizing about since I'd thought of this plan. I tilted the bottle more carefully, positioning it at her entrance.
"Breathe," I instructed, and drizzled a thin stream of wine inside her.
Her entire body went rigid, her back arching off the couch. "Easton! Oh my God, that's…"
"Too much?" I asked, ready to stop.
"No," she gasped. "Don't stop. Please don't stop."
I poured a bit more, watching her body's reaction. The way she clenched, the way her thighs trembled. Then I set the bottle aside and lowered my mouth to her.
The taste was incredibly intoxicating. The sweet wine mixed with her arousal became my favorite thing in the world. I licked into her, drinking the wine from inside her body, my tongue exploring every fold and curve.
"Fuck, Easton," she moaned, her hands flying to my hair, holding me against her. "That's… I'm—"