Stay For Me - Megan Smith Page 0,51
nod. “Just a little of it.”
She comes over and wraps her tiny arms around my arm hugging it close to her. “Can we talk tonight after work?”
“Sure.” How could I ever say no to her?
Erin comes out of the house with a handful of food. “Girls, come, it’s time to eat.”
The five us sit down and eat on this perfect summer afternoon. I can’t picture doing anything other than this right here.
Later that night after Layla and I get home we’re sitting out on the back deck watching the sun rise. It’s a cool night, the water is lapping up against the dock and the crickets are chirping away.
“It’s so peaceful out here.” Layla sighs. “It’s one of my favorite things about this house.”
I kick my feet up on the chair across from me so that I can stretch out. “It’s what sold me on the house.”
Layla yawns and snuggles into the blanket she’s wrapped in. “I wonder what Erin did with the girls last night.”
I turn my head towards her. “Probably something crazy like always.” Every time Erin has the girls she does something fun with them. They’ve been to the boardwalk, the trampoline park, Build-a-Bear and she’s even taken them to get their nails done.
We’re both quiet for a while, content on watching the top of the sun rise just above the water. It starts to light up the sky. It’s starting a new day with new memories. We both should probably be sleeping but it’s these moments that I love with Layla.
“So you heard me and Erin talking earlier in the kitchen?” Layla asks.
I knew this conversation was coming and it was wrong to listen but I couldn’t not listen either. “Yeah, but like I said not all of it.”
Layla sighs. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to move in here. To give up everything I knew, to start fresh, but…” she shifts in her chair. “I’m glad I’m here. I don’t know if I would have found this happiness for both Fallon and I anywhere else.”
I hold out my hand for her. She reaches over and entwines our fingers together.
“Thank you, Eli.”
I smile and tug on her hand. She stands, walks closer to me where she climbs onto my lap and buries her face in my neck. I kiss the side of her head; I shouldn’t because I’ll crave more. I just want that one minute with her. That one minute to forget everything and just be in the here and now with her.
Layla must want that, too. I feel her lips touch the flesh of my neck. I don’t say or do anything because I’m almost positive that it didn’t happen. Then she does it again but a little harder this time and I know I’m not imagining it.
“Layla,” my voice comes out huskier than I wanted it to.
“Shh,” she lifts her hand and presses a finger against my lips.
She continues kissing me, lingering, savoring every moment. Suddenly I can’t stop myself from crushing her to me. The feather-touch kisses were too tantalizing.
I repeat the same words to her I said the first time we kissed. “I’m going to kiss you now. If you don’t want that you have to get up because I can’t promise I can control myself.”
I expect her to get up since this is the only real contact we’ve had since that last time we kissed months ago. My lips slowly descend to meet hers and, just like the first time, it sends a shock wave through my entire body. I know she feels it too because her whole body shakes.
The kiss is slow and full of passion. Then suddenly it’s all hands and hot hungry kisses. My shirt is gone in an instant followed by hers. Layla is now straddling me and pulling on my hair. My hands find their way to her hips. It’s the safest place for them; she needs to run this show.
Layla slows the kiss down, running her hands down my neck to my chest and just over my heart.
“It’s pounding so hard.”
“I know.”
She leans forward and places a kiss over my beating heart.
“I know you’re holding back with me, Eli. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. It’s the thing I like about you so much. You’re able to read me even before I’m able to.” She kisses my chin. “I’m going to go to bed.”
She climbs off my lap and throws the covers over her shoulder. “You coming?”
I don’t exactly want to