If This Is How It Has to Happen…
Emma - Five Minutes Later…
Pierce and I are alone in the small green room for celebrity guest use. Two police officers wait outside the door to keep people out and keep me from running off while they review the videos and decide if they’re going to press charges.
Pierce gives me the once over, looking shocked and amused and happy and confused all at once. Obviously deciding to act casual, he asks, “So, how’ve you been?”
Doing my best to pretend everything is totally normal, I shrug. “Good, yeah. Really good,” I say, then start to laugh, covering my face with one hand. “Oh Christ. I must look insane with this stupid costume on.”
I tug the wig off, wishing I could wash the icing sugar off my face.
Pierce chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re here. And that you’ve really changed your style so much…and that you’ve turned into a stabby criminal since I last saw you.”
“These past few months have been a time of exploration and personal growth for me,” I answer wryly. We stare at each other, then I shake my head, my heart still pounding wildly. “Yeah, this is not exactly how this moment was supposed to go.”
“Really? Why ever not?” he asks, feigning confusion.
“I was going to change into my sophisticated ‘getting my man back’ outfit before you saw me,” I say, fear coursing through my veins as I process the fact that I just called him ‘my man.’ “Also, I didn’t think I’d be facing possible assault charges.”
“’Getting your man back’ outfit? Tell me it’s the tiny chef uniform,” he says, grinning.
I laugh and nod my head. “Of course. I know how much you liked it.” I stare up at him, longing to wrap my arms around his neck and plant the biggest, wettest kiss on that mouth of his. “Pierce, I was wrong. Not about everything…but about what I said about you being damaged. I didn’t mean it and it’s been haunting me ever since I took off and I’m just really so sorry because I think you’re my beaver.”
Looking genuinely bewildered this time, he says, “Come again?”
“Oh God. Forget I said that, okay? I just…I’ve been having trouble coming up with what to say when I found you. I’m not a writer,” I say, feeling overheated in this leather suit. “I know you were behind ABN featuring the resort. And I know what you did for me and for my family.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking—”
“Kennedy told me.”
“I’ve always hated that woman.”
“I’m not a huge fan of hers either, to be honest, but without her, I wouldn’t be standing here in this used leather costume asking if maybe you could consider giving us another chance. And I don’t know if that’s a good thing for you or not, but…”
Oh,thank God, he’s kissing me and I don’t have to talk anymore. And wow. I so badly want to do this with him forever.
The way he’s kissing me is saying a lot of wonderful things about our future together. And I’m kissing him back with everything in me, hoping beyond hope that he can feel that I, Emma Scissorhands, love the hell out of him and always will.
He pulls back a bit, then gives me a quizzical look. “Is that…icing sugar?”
“A good chef knows how to improvise.”
Grinning down at me, he says, “Brilliant and beautiful,” before crushing my mouth with his again.
* * *
Three Hours Later…
We’re currently in the penthouse suite at the Hyatt. Captain Kirk agreed to drop all charges in exchange for a private meet and greet breakfast with Pierce tomorrow. Pierce also managed to get the event manager to let me slide on the whole ‘used badge and running from security’ thing in exchange for his promise to come back to 2XFanCon next year.
We’ve had the world’s greatest makeup sex in the shower, then on the bed, then on the ottoman, then in the bathtub, had a break to eat uninspired fifty-dollar room service hamburgers and fries, followed by more orgasmicly sexy sex.
It’s late in the evening now and while we’re both deliriously happy, we’ve been avoiding ‘the talk.’ I think we’re both just so happy to be able to do this again that we wanted to enjoy the moment before things possibly go off the rails when we discuss THE FUTURE.
Pierce lies on his side facing me. He’s running his fingertip over my face in a way that is completely hypnotic. I stare at his incredible dark eyelashes trying to memorize everything in case somehow this doesn’t work out. I don’t want to forget a thing.
Propping his chin on his hand, he sighs. “I have a confession to make.”
