June 1st
Dream day.
Damon
It’s my birthday, and I can’t think of a better way to wake up. Ainsley’s arm is sprawled across me, her head on my chest.
The fact that she’s naked doesn’t hurt either.
And last night was amazing.
Except for one part. She sort of glossed over the fact that I asked her to be my girlfriend.
She shifts slightly, then looks up at me. “I’ve woken up naked in bed with you a few times now, but we still haven’t. What’s the deal, Damon? I thought you wanted to.”
“I didn’t want you to do it just because it was my wish. I want you to want me.”
“I think I made it pretty clear exactly what I wanted last night. More than once.”
I chuckle. “That’s true, I guess.”
“You surprise me,” she says. “I just assumed—”
“I asked you to be my girlfriend last night. ”
“That’s why we didn’t? Because I didn’t say yes?”
“More because you didn’t say anything. Didn’t even acknowledge that I’d asked.”
She sits up, revealing perfect breasts. “I—”
“You what?” I ask.
“I guess I sort of assumed, since we can’t be together, you wouldn’t want that.”
“I don’t have a problem with long-distance. And this fall, we’ll only be a few hours away. You could drive up.”
“Or you could come see me,” she counters.
“It would be difficult during football season, but depending on how my classes are scheduled, I could maybe drive down for an evening or something. I guess I was thinking if you came to me, we would have more time together. So, you don’t think it will work?”
“I think that I’ve loved every single moment I have been spending with you, and I can’t wait to continue to do so for the next two weeks.
It’s not like we have to label things now.
And once we leave, I don’t think we should either.
I know you love me. You know I love you.
Maybe that’s enough. At least until you get through your first semester and I graduate. ”
“Then would you consider moving to Lincoln until I finish college?”
She smiles. “I would consider it, yes. But a lot will depend on where I am able to get a job.”
“I thought the point of the internship was so that you could work with Jadyn once you graduate. And I know she would be cool with you working remote. That’s what she does, then just travels when needed.”
“The reasons for my internship are twofold—for her to evaluate how I would be as a possible employee and for me to evaluate if I would enjoy that kind of career path. I really thought I would focus on home design—that’s what I did for my last internship, and I loved it—not commercial, until this opportunity came up.
But to answer your question more clearly, if we were still together, still in love at that point, I would try to find a job in Lincoln. ”
“So, Christmas,” I say with a grin. “It’s my favorite time of year. I’ll get a long break, and you’ll graduate. We’ll figure it all out then.”
“I think that is actually quite mature of us,” she says.
“It’s not what I really want, but with you, I think I’d agree to just about anything. I really do love you.”
She plants a kiss on my cheek. “I know it’s crazy that I’m saying this after such a short time, but I really love you too, Damon.”
“Then it’s settled. All we need is love.”
“So, it’s your birthday. I know you had the party last night, but what are your plans for today?”
“It’s my perfect day,” I say with a grin.
“You mean your birthday?”
“No, the Mackenzie kids always got to choose what they wanted to do for their birthday. They could either have a party or their perfect day. And our family started doing that a few years ago, too.”
“And what does a perfect day consist of?” she asks.
“Whatever you want. Like, one year for my birthday, Chase and I did nothing but sports all day. We golfed in the morning, went bowling, hit in a batting cage, played some hoops, and then went home and watched a game. I got to choose where we ate. What we did. It’s like your dream day.”
“That’s pretty cool,” she says. “So, what are you planning to do on your dream day?”
“You,” I say with a smirk.
“Perfect,” she says. “How about now?”
“It’s not on the list for right now,” I tell her because something she wanted to do on her naked night is something I’ve always wanted to do too. “If it were your birthday, what would be your perfect day?”
“Oh gosh, I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. Experience something new maybe.”
“Or someone?” I tease.
“You’re just full of quick, sexy comebacks this morning, aren’t you? Just tell me your plans, please.”
I reach over, grab the list I wrote on one of the hotel notepads, and hand it to her. I texted it to Jennifer yesterday since she has made herself the manager of the perfect days in our house.
“Hmm,” she says. “Looks like we’ll be having breakfast on the terrace and a dip in the hot tub.
We’ll see Chase and Dani off on their honeymoon.
After that, there will be golfing with the family, followed by dinner at the club.
Then a private helicopter ride over the lake.
” She stops and looks at me, her head tilted slightly. “Private, as in by yourself?”
“Private, as in you and me,” I clarify. “Have you ever done that?”
“I have done a lot of touristy things in the area on my days off, but I have not done that. But I’ve always wanted to. I bet it will be gorgeous.”
“And what’s the last thing on the list?” I ask her with a grin.
“Oh, was this on your list to Jennifer?”
“No, I did not mention our last naked redo.”
“Well, thank goodness. Wouldn’t want to have to explain that to the family.”
A little hiccup.
Ainsley
We’re at the send-off for Chase and Dani.
Chase says to Damon, “Sorry I’m missing your perfect day. I’ve never missed one yet!”
“I think you’re going to have a few perfect days of your own,” Damon says warmly as he wraps his arm around his sister and kisses the top of her head.
“We’re going to miss you,” Haley agrees. “But we also hope you have an amazing time! ”
While they are saying goodbye, Jadyn pulls me aside.
“So, we’ve had a little hiccup with the hotel in Fort Worth,” she says, causing me to immediately panic, praying that doesn’t mean she’s canceling my internship.
“What happened?”
“We were notified this morning that the city was able to get us a date for the hotel’s final plan review.
Originally, we were told it could be up to two months, but—you know Tripp—he didn’t like that timeline and kept telling them we needed it earlier.
He got his wish, but it’s way earlier than we anticipated.
We have just two weeks to get everything done.
That includes all the interviews you are supposed to do. ”
“Oh wow,” I say.
“You know I value family time above all else, but we don’t have a choice in this case. Tripp and I have to leave tomorrow. If you don’t want to go, I completely understand. You weren’t supposed to start until after the vacation.”
“So, if I go, I'll get to do the interviews, right?”
“That’s correct,” she says. “And if you choose to wait and come, as originally planned, you will miss out on that, but will still get to help choose the finishes like we discussed.”
“But if I want to learn the interview stuff really badly because I think it’s a super-important part of the job and I was really excited about it?” I ask.
“You’ll come with us.”
“Then that’s what I will do,” I say instantly.
“We’ll leave tomorrow, mid-morning. Don’t worry about clothes, just pack what you brought here, even if most of it isn’t professional.
Tripp and I are going to have to shop upon arrival, and you can come with us.
I don’t even have closed-toed shoes to wear to the construction site, and the only ones Tripp has are the ones that go with his tuxedo! ”
“Since I was planning to go straight from here to there, I packed for both trips, so I should be good,” I tell her. “But I am always up for shopping.”
She nods. “Take a little time to think about it and if you decide to come, we’ll be leaving from your house at eleven.”
“Okay,” I say, but my heart drops the second I look at Damon.
Tonight could be my last night with him.
The seventh hole.
Ainsley
“I feel like I’m still flying,” I say, doing a little twirl. “The helicopter ride was literally one of the most amazing things I have ever done.”
“You haven’t done me yet,” he whispers. “Are you ready for our next little adventure?”
“I am. Where are we going?”
“The only place we haven’t been. The golf course.”
We hop in the golf cart and take off.
“Oh my gosh, how funny was golfing today when Jennifer was struggling with her putts and your grandpa told her that she needed to grip it softly and stroke it smoothly ?”
“She was dying, trying not to laugh. I could see her shoulders shaking.”
“But then later, she asked everyone if she could wash their balls!” I hoot.
“Golf has a lot of funny stuff like that. I mean, we’re literally trying to put our balls in a hole.”
“I had a golf instructor tell me that I should keep my head down and spread my legs when teeing off.”
Damon puts his hand on my leg. But not in a possessive way. Instead, he’s stroking my thigh.
And I like it.
“I can’t believe you outscored me today, on my birthday,” he says.
“I’m competitive at the game of golf.”
“You’re actually very good.”
“I told you my handicap was nine. I don’t think you believed me.”
“You didn’t do as well on the back nine though,” he teases.
“That’s because you kept cheating. Flipping my skirt. Kissing my neck. Whistling.”
He laughs. “I had to do something to keep up my reputation.”
“Where are we going? It seems like we’ve been driving forever.”
“Right here,” he says, pulling up to a green. “It’s the seventh hole.”
“Is there a reason for that?” I inquire.
“Well, you told me you’ve never had sex on a golf course before. And you want to. What you don’t know is that I haven’t either.”
“And you want to?”
“I did bring you to the seventh hole. And although we were on the eighteenth hole on the naked night, I think this is more significant.” He leans over and gives me a quick kiss, grabs a blanket, then takes my hand. “Come on, Champ.”
“Champ?” I wonder.
“Yeah, I have been trying to figure out what to call you. Lee-Lee is cute when the kids say it. Ainz sounds like you should be a professional graffiti artist. And while Ainsley, Painsley, Pudding Pie has a ring to it, it’s rather long.
And you were the champion today. You won the game and maybe something else along the way. ”
“Like what?”
“My heart,” he says with a grin.
“I thought I already had that, soulmate .”
I give him a steamy kiss, then take the blanket from his hands, lay it down on the green, then slowly strip my clothes off. I let him watch, then walk over, place my hand on his crotch, and say, “That’s a very stiff shaft you’ve got there.”
And then proceed to lie down on the blanket and look up at him.
Very quickly, he sheds his clothing and is on top of me, kissing me .
And this kiss is everything.
All of our kisses have been wonderful, but this one is passionate, full of desire. Like a tornado, spinning out of control.
He’s got my arms pinned above my head. His hands and lips are running down the length of my body. And I can’t wait any longer.
So, I roll myself over so that I’m sitting on top, straddling him, lean down, and put my lips on his. But when the light of his watch flashes in front of me, I stop kissing him, grab it, and roll his wrist so I can see the time.
“It’s still your birthday,” I whisper.
“And it’s time you get what you wanted on the naked night.”
“To break the seven-month drought ?” I say with a laugh.
“Exactly,” he says, then stifles my laughter with a deep kiss.
Afterward, we lie there, our bodies entwined. The moon above us is shining brightly, and the stars are out in full force. I can’t think of a more perfect place to share our first time.
And while I’m quite content …
“What do you say we go back to the suite and do this again?”
He kisses my nose. “Most definitely.”