“This. We should eat and kiss and do nothing else,” she proposes, leaning over to pepper kisses down my throat and across my bare chest.
Tangling my hands in her mussed hair, I tug her head back. Fitting my mouth to hers, I let my hand cradle her head as my tongue pushes past her lips. She tastes smoky like the bacon, and she hums as my other hand drops to her thigh, sliding beneath the shirt that barely covers her.
We’ve not made love because I want it to count. I do not want her to give that to me because she thinks it is all I want. I do want it. Of course I want her. I want her like I have never wanted anything before. That is why I won’t just hook up with her in the darkness of a bar or a back alley.
“How about...I take you out for a date night on the town?”
We have had several dates since we went to the arcade with her friends. We’ve gone to a movie that I don’t remember since we made out like horny teenagers for most of it. I took her to dinner just the two of us which was romantic and sweet. When we got to the car, she climbed on top of me and again, we made out for the rest of the night.
I love that we’re passionate, that we seem so hungry for each other. I just do not want her to think that is all I want. I want to talk to her. To find out what she wants for her life, who she wants to be, and who she wants by her side while she figures it all out.
“Why do I suspect this is your way of keeping us out of the bedroom?”
Blinking at her, I curse as I burn my tongue on a sip of hot coffee. I am trying to do just that. Because I want her to know she’s more than a hot body that I want to devour. Still, I do want to devour her, so holding back has been no simple task.
“What if I am? What if I want you to understand that I want you outside of our bedroom, baby?” I wonder, yanking her even closer, my hands coming to frame her beautiful face. “That night on the Ferris wheel we talked about being afraid to grow up. Thinking about growing up, about settling down, since I met you, it does not scare me the same. Having you in my bed, at my side, here for me to make your favorite bacon, it does not scare me. I am about to scare you, I think,” I tell her gently, watching her eyes.
“What will scare me, Devin?”
Staring down at her, I lower my head to touch my brow to hers. “The idea of growing up with you, of getting older, coming home to you in the kitchen tryingand failingto cook, or going to see you play, that sounds like the best fucking thing about being an adult. Do I want you, fuck yes, I do. But, baby,I want you,”I put weight in those words, watching her gray eyes grow wide as what I mean hits her at last.
“F... f-for the summer, you want me?”
Going back to my earlier thoughts, I shake my head. “Not just summer. Summer, winter, fall, I want all of it, Debi. I want you. I want your body, I want your heart, I want all of it, rockstar,” I whisper, brushing my mouth over hers as fear hits me, making my heart gallop in my chest.
Debi sits there for a moment without moving, without even blinking. Then her gray eyes shimmer with tears and my heart cracks. I sense these are good tears, but I still hate to see her cry. Because it still means someone hurt her so badly, she doesn’t think she’s worthy of being more than a fling.
“Do...Devin, do you mean it?”
“Oh, baby,” I hum as my heart cracks even more. Pulling her in my lap, I cradle her close. “I do mean it. I want you, Debi. All of you, all of the time. Let me show you what you’re worth, baby. Will you let me do that?”
“Y-yes, yes. I will. Let’s have a date night. What would we do?”
“Whatever you want to do. Ladies’ choice, baby.”
“Could we go to Skateland? We have the best time behaving as if we’re still kids. It makes me feel as if...as if I am getting back the years I screwed up,” she admits, her chin dropping as her gaze flitters away.
“Yeah, we can do anything you want baby. It sounds fun.”
There is more there I need to unpack. More I need to understand about the years she thinks she lost. We will get there. I give her another kiss and tell her to be ready for me in a few hours. Heading out, I smile when I see her flowers being delivered along with the candy. It is just the start of her being spoiled with gifts, attention, and total devotion.
Two hours later, I am unprepared for what awaits me. Debi looks good no matter how wild her hair is, no matter the neon shades or the tattered rockstar gear she has on. Tonight is different. Debi is stunning in a white eyelet top with ruffled straps and a pink striped skirt. It is softer and more feminine than I have ever seen her, and I love it.
“You look...wow. I mean you always lookwow,honestly,” I backtrack. Debi is not attractive because she is a hot rockstar—she is just beautiful period. Doesn’t matter how she dresses up the package, the package itself is flawless.
“Very nice, teach,” she teases me, winking at me as she steps down, throwing an arm around my neck. “The flowers, the candy, also very nice. I get the distinct impression you mean what you said about romancing me.”
Grinning, I take her hand to lead her down the sidewalk. “I sure intend to do my best, baby. You do look amazing. I almost do not want to share you,” I tease as we walk towards downtown, where the skating rink is.
It is a beautiful night with crisp, clean air that ruffles our hair and blows up her skirt a little. I much rather take our time getting there, enjoying the night together so I didn’t bother driving. Our laced hands swing between us as she turns to smile at me before gazing up at the stars.
“No sharing, teach. I am all yours,” her voice is clear, sharp, her eyes darting to mine once the weight of her words hit me.
Stopping there on the sidewalk, I pull her close. “Good. I am all yours. The moment I saw you standing there at the fair, there was nothing else for me. I came to Pine Grove to have a good time. We’ve had a good time together, yes. This is much more than a good time, baby. I meant what I said earlier, Debi. I want it all. A thousand more date nights. You’re all mine now and nothing is changing that.”
Smiling up at me as we stand in the moonlight, she nods. “I tried to run because...well, because I think I knew that from the start too. I am still trying to figure my life out, so I was afraid of making a bad choice. Doing another reckless act, I would regret once you were gone. Even if you left tomorrow, I want to be as reckless as we can be because there is nothing safe about falling in love, is there?”
My entire world slows down to this moment. This second. It is the second time it has happened since we met. No, there is nothing safe about falling in love. That is what we’re doing here, even if neither of us has had the nerve to admit it.
