There was something to be said about your lover being your best friend too. Everything was more intimate.
It may have been silly to come to the door of the place I’d been living at for months but I was going to make sure that Lake had the real date experience.
With my hand still hovering in the air, the door was flung open causing me to jump where I stood.
Lake stood there laughing. “Were you going to knock or are you having second thoughts about our date?”
She may have been teasing me but I still saw the worry in her eyes right before my brain short circuited all together. I opened my mouth to reassure her but nothing came out. My gaze swept over her from head to toe and my groin tightened.
It was only the beginning of the date and I hadn’t said a word, yet I already wanted to get naked. Lake was a knockout and looked absolutely amazing. When she asked what she should wear, I told her to dress casual and comfortable. Knowing she had never dated, I was going for a simple night like young couples would enjoy. The kind she missed all those years ago.
We were going to dinner and a movie. Then I planned to top it off with ice cream after. While I’d liked to have spoiled her even more, my girl was simple and she’d expressed in conversation how all the kids in high school talked about their dates but she wasn’t the one indulging in the act.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” she whispered.
Fuck, I’d been so busy staring while speechless, I hadn’t answered. Lake’s idea of casual worked well. She had on a pair of black leggings that clung to her beautiful legs, with a pair of black strappy sandals that showcased her perfectly-adorable, red painted toes. A gray and black checkered flannel, belted in the middle, showcased her curvy hip and slim waist.
But it seemed to be the two top buttons that were open on her shirt that had me tongue-tied. My eyes traveled the long column of her neck down to the red tank top underneath her flannel where her impressive cleavage played peek-boo with my gaze. The necklace was going to look perfect hanging against her smooth, creamy skin. That had my mouth finally kicking into gear.
“This was the best idea I’ve had in a long time, Cupcake.” My left hand suddenly whipped up, the bouquet of wildflowers I’d bought for her grasped tightly in my palm. “These are for you.”
My voice was filled with apprehension wondering if she’d like them. Lake loved the flowers that grew around our homes and they fit her.But would she like these? I wondered.
Taking them from my hand, she buried her nose in the mix and inhaled. “These are perfect,” she mumbled, her face still in the middle of the arrangement.
I felt air whoosh from my lungs.
Her eyes came back to mine and my heart pounded. I took a step forward, getting as close to Lake as I could. “You’re so far under my skin. I can feel you wrapped around me even when we’re not touching.”
She looked shocked. Hopeful. And again, that familiar worry entered her gaze.
“What if your feelings fizzle?”
Fuck that noise.
I wrapped my hand around the nape of her neck and drew her to me. My mouth claimed hers and just like every other time we kissed, it was as if the world righted itself to perfection.
“That willneverhappen, sweetheart,” I assured her after I reluctantly pulled my lips from hers. I kept my forehead pressed against hers. “It didn’t while I was gone and it certainly won’t when I am right here with you. And I am never leaving you again.”
She gave a little sniff and I pulled back to see a couple of tears sliding down her rosy cheeks. “You better not,” she said softly.
“I promise you, I’m here to stay and you are mine. Stormi too.” I pulled her against my body and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight.
Her sigh soaked deep into my soul.
“I think we did this backward,” she mumbled against my chest. “The kissing is supposed to come at the end of the night.”
Chuckling, I placed my hands on her arms and pushed back from her, giving her a sly smile. “Oh, there will be kissing later, trust me.”
“I do,” she replied, humbling me. Then she rubbed a spot above her breast. “What the heck do you have in your jacket pocket that is poking me?”
I guess there is no time like the present.
After reaching in, I pulled the silver box from my inside coat pocket. She watched with fascination and then her eyes went wide. I needed to explain quickly because the gift was really from the ladies.
“As much as I want to shower you with gifts and plan on doing it for the rest of my life,” I started, causing her breath to catch, “this one is from Capri and the other women.”
I held the present out to her and took the flowers from her hand so she could open it. When she pulled the top off, her gaze flew to mine.
