too strong.”
“Okay, dumbass, the fact you’d quit your job to be near her is friggin’ insane,” Bev pipes up. “This is love, Lori. The way to not mess it up is to be genuine. Be kind. Be loving. Be understanding. And most of all, compromise. I gotta go, Geoff’s waiting. I’ll see you two morons tomorrow.” She ends the call, leaving me and Brady on the line.
“Dude, just make sure she knows how you feel. It worked with me and Nat.”
“Okay,” I say with a heavy sigh. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“With my fucking bells on and all!” He chuckles and the call ends, leaving me standing with my heart aching and my mouth dry, listening to the sound of the traffic and life below.
I finally get what she means about us meeting under different circumstances. If I could choose, I’d wish we met in a year from now. She’d be over Ben and the strain of that would be gone. She’d still have a job and an apartment and the Liam thing wouldn’t have happened.
But here we are.
She’s homeless. Broke. And desperate to fix her situation instead of being a burden to me. If she only knew how badly I want her to stay forever. She could never be a burden. I already see her as my “we.”
I turn to go inside but stop.
Movement inside catches my eye. It’s Jenny walking across the living room to the kitchen. She’s wearing my tee shirt and nothing else and her hair is everywhere.
She’s got a troubled look on her face as if she’s deep in thought.
Seeing her like this, watching her while she’s unaware is like seeing a deer in your garden. I stay still, trying not to spook her and smiling like a goof. Her being here soothes the stressful anxiety this whole thing is giving me.
Instead of calling out to me, she stands motionless. It’s odd to see her seem so vulnerable as she lingers there as if on the precipice of a massive decision. I’ve never related so hard to a single person in a moment like this. I feel as if my entire life’s happiness depends on the outcome of these quiet moments of deep thought.
A horn honks loudly below and she turns, smiling when she sees me watching her. “Hey, I was wondering where you were. Sorry I passed out. I can’t believe I slept for five hours.” She walks over to me, lowering her eyes and shaking her head. “I didn’t sleep last night at all. After you left—” She’s hesitant but comes all the way to me and slides her arms around my waist and rests her head on my chest.
A soft sigh escapes my lips when the scent of cherries and her hits me, springing me to action as I wrap around her, holding so tight I’m expecting her to protest. But she doesn’t.
“I’m so sorry, Lori,” she whispers. “I swear, I’m not normally so emotional and erratic.” She laughs weakly. “I was cool like three months ago. Totally cool.”
Without saying anything, I lean back and lift her chin, kissing her soft lips, stepping outside of time and reality. Nothing matters in this moment that we freeze.
But the kiss doesn’t end and the touching becomes more. I lift her, carrying her to the stone table on the veranda and placing her there as I slide between her legs. Her skin is soft and supple, warm against mine.
She wraps her legs around me and holds me to her as her hands glide up behind my head and pulling me down on her more.
It’s desperate the way her fingers cling to me and my mouth can’t satisfy the need it has to taste and touch every inch of her.
She undoes my pants, freeing me from my boxers, and moves impatiently, dragging me with her legs until my cock is resting against her. I hurry with the condom from my pocket, desperate to be inside her.
We’re still kissing when she guides me in, the heat of her making me pause kissing with a sharp inhale. But she isn’t interested in pausing. She’s writhing against me, forcing me to move until I take over.
Soft moans escape her lips as she leans back, her hair spilled out across the stone table and her lips permanently parted in pleasure as I thrust into her. My fingers’ grip on her body tightens as she arches her back, forcing me to hit a specific spot inside her. The soft moaning becomes loud