Chapter 30
THIRTY
PRESENT
Serenity stepped out of the bathroom, looking like a literal dream. She wore a dark blue tank top and shorts pajama set. The shorts were set high on her waist, and her tank top was cropped and flowy, showing a bit of her stomach. I finally met her eyes after exploring every inch of her.
She tilted her head and gave me a sly smile. “You okay over there?”
“Just admiring the woman I get to have in my bed tonight. You truly are a sight to see.” I honestly couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I stood up from the bed and walked toward her. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, but she shied away. “Sorry, was that too much?”
She gazed up at me. “No, that’s not it. I don’t particularly like my ears being touched.”
“Don’t be afraid to set boundaries with me, okay? I want you to always feel respected by me.” I hadn't expected her to jump into my arms, but I recovered and held her with my arms around her waist and spun her around. I set her back down, but she kept her arms around my neck and looked up at me.
“You’re not wearing a shirt,” she said, noticing.
“I don’t usually sleep with one, do you want me to?” I headed toward my dresser, but she stopped me.
“No, it’s okay. Let’s be comfortable.” She grabbed my hand and looked back up at me. “Let’s go to bed.”
I nodded and smiled at her. “What side do you want to sleep on?” I asked.
“It’s your bed,” she argued.
“But you’re the boss,” I joked.
“I suppose that’s true. Can I sleep close to the bathroom? I tend to get up a few times at night.”
I immediately walked to the other side of the bed, and she followed suit, crawling in alongside me. “Are you ready for me to turn off the lights?”
She shifted to her side, facing me, and nodded. I reached over to the lamp by the bed and turned it off. I then turned to face her. We locked eyes as they adjusted to the dark. I inched closer to her, and she did the same toward me.
I gently placed a hand on her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m hoping you’ll let me kiss you goodnight.”
She leaned in even closer to me. Once our lips touched, our desire ignited.
I slowly slipped my tongue in her mouth to meet hers.
I pulled her body against mine, and her hands roamed over my chest and back.
Her soft hands on my skin were electrifying.
She pushed me so I was on my back while her whole body lay on top of mine.
My hands wandered her body; down her back, grabbing the side of her hips.
She let out a low, irresistible moan. I knew she could feel my hardness under her because she moved her lower body, creating friction.
As much as I wanted to completely ravish her then and there, I pulled away from her mouth slowly. “We need to slow down.”
“Do we, though?” she asked, kissing my neck. I let out a low groan. It was going to take everything in me not to have sex with her tonight.
“We don’t want to rush, remember?” She stopped kissing my neck and lay her head on my chest. We both said nothing while we caught our breath. I pulled the blanket over us, wrapping my arms around her. “I could fall asleep like this.”
“Me too,” she said, cuddling more into me. We both settled into sleep.
I shot straight up as I awoke the next morning.
I grabbed my phone from the end table and saw it was seven in the morning.
Serenity must have gravitated back to her side at some point during the night because she was cocooned in her blanket, tucked at the other end of the bed.
I hadn't had a dreamless sleep without waking up in a pool of sweat from a nightmare in a long while.
I stared lovingly in her direction; as much as I wanted to be her safety, she may have just become mine.
I stood from the bed as quietly as I could. I went out to the kitchen to make coffee and start preparing some breakfast for us. Since it was the weekend and neither of us worked today, I decided to go with a big breakfast. I pulled out eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
“Are you making her breakfast?” Gio asked, surprising me.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I said, putting my hand over my heart. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“You really like her, don’t you? Like really like.” He put on his gym shoes to head out on his morning run.
“I mean, yeah, but it’s so much more than that. She’s my best friend.”
Gio gasped. “I thought I was your best friend?”
“Shut up.” We both turned to see Serenity coming out of my bedroom. She must have found my robe hanging in my bathroom because she was almost drowning in it, holding it up as she walked toward us.
“Good morning, boys,” she said shyly.
“Gio is heading out.” I gave him a stern expression.
“I’ll leave you both to it,” Gio said, walking toward the front door. “See you both tonight.”
I rushed over to Serenity and brought her into my arms for a tight embrace. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby.” She looked over my shoulder. “Are you making breakfast?”
“Yes, come sit down. It’s almost done. We have eggs, bacon, and pancakes.” I walked back over to the stove to finish frying the eggs.
Once everything was cooked, I brought out two plates and loaded them up for each of us. We ate in silence. Serenity still had a dreamlike state to her expression.
“I don’t know how you get through life without espresso.” I took a sip of the mug in front of me.
“Honestly, me neither. One of my meds gives me a boost in the morning, but I can’t take it until after I’ve eaten.” She took another few bites. “So, thank you for this.”
“Having a quiet morning with breakfast and coffee is one of my favorite pastimes. So anytime you stay here, expect a warm breakfast to wake up to.” Her soft smile met mine.
“What are your plans for the day?”
“I volunteer at the hospice in town that is partnered with the one my Gram was in on Saturdays.” I hadn't shared that with anyone, but I was even more comfortable with her after our night last night.
“Would you like company?” She emptied what remained on her plate into the trash and brought it to me at the sink, where I had started washing the dishes.
“If the company is you, then absolutely.” She beamed at me. “Go ahead and do what you need to do to get ready. I’ll clean up and then get myself ready. Take your time, though. We have all day.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my shoulder before heading back into my bedroom. I watched her until the door closed.
After I cleaned the kitchen, I busied myself with a book on the couch.
I was so engrossed in my book that I didn’t hear her come out. She put her hands over my eyes from behind me. “Guess who?” she whispered.
“Sounds like someone beautiful,” I said, removing her hands from my eyes. I turned around to look at her. “I was right.”
She rolled her eyes. “Did I take forever?”
“Not at all, I only read twenty chapters,” I joked.
She lightly slapped me on the shoulder. “Very funny. Do you mind if I get some water so I can take my medication?”
“I’ll grab you a water bottle from the fridge.” I walked over to the kitchen, and she followed.
“Thank you, now go get ready. We have a lot to do today.” She skipped over to the couch and picked up the book I was reading to start reading it herself. I let out a chuckle and went to my room to get ready.
I came out quickly after. “Are you ready to head out?”
“Let's get a move on.” We walked out to my truck.
“Look at us, being domesticated.” She laughed, and I joined her. She fit perfectly into my routine.
She reached over for the aux cord and plugged in her phone.
She played a sappy love song that I couldn’t even complain about because the way she sang and danced filled my heart with love.
It couldn’t be love…could it? She was far from the sad girl I met in the waiting room of our therapist’s office.
I shimmied my shoulders, dancing along with her. She stared at me with amusement. The next song that played was a slower one, so I reached out to hold her hand, and she gave it a light squeeze.
When we arrived at the hospice, we checked in, and I guided her to Gertrude's room, whom I had been reading to for the past couple of weeks.
We took turns reading, and I was amazed by how Serenity read animatedly, forcing small smiles from Gertrude.
I was so lucky to have met such a soft soul.
We left Gertrude's and made our rounds, reading to a few other patients.
When we arrived at my favorite patient's room, I was elated to see him up.
Ben had been there for two months and had made an unbelievable recovery to be sent home soon.
Most patients who ended up there did not recover.
His vision wasn't the best, so I'd read newspaper articles to him, and we'd talk.
He had an instant liking to Serenity—who wouldn't?
“You made me feel more alive than I've felt in a long time,” he told her. She put her hands in his, wishing him well.
After the volunteer shift, we drove back in comfortable silence, holding hands.
“I'll need to head home to get dressed for our dinner when we get back to your place.” Although I would only be away from her for a short time, I didn't want to see her go.
“I guess that's fine,” I said, scrunching my nose at her. She rolled her eyes with a mischievous smile.
She ran in to gather her things while I waited next to her car.
She came out, and we kissed until we were breathless. “Do you want to spend the night at my house tonight after dinner?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“I’ll pack an overnight bag.” I gave her one last kiss. I watched her drive away and my heart sank to my stomach, a familiar feeling of dread. She had become someone to worry about.
Someone I wanted to keep safe.
Someone I hated being away from.
Darla encouraged me to be honest with her when feelings of the past resurface.
I needed to express my fears to her so I could make her mine.