“I feel the need to shower again.” Or at the very least, give myself a good bird bath in the sink.
“Nah, let it all marinate for now. I know I did a good job of cleaning you up. Or do I need to go for another round?” When he made a move to get down on one knee I sat up straight because I wouldn’t survive a second round.
I slid down off of the countertop shaking my head. “No, but I definitely need to get dressed before we end up not leaving at all.”
As skilled as Aldrich was, I wanted to feel him and hated that we didn’t have time. But looking at that dress again I couldn’t wait to see what he had in store. He grabbed the thong that matched my bra but I took it off.
Aldrich backed up but it didn’t stop his dick from responding. “Ling, I told you—”
“Yes, Money, I know. But the dress has built-in support. I’m not about to battle that little scrap of cloth getting caught in my lips all night because you wanted to be fresh.”
His nostrils flared at the implication of my words. “So you gone be naked under your dress? All night?”
I sashayed toward where the dress was hanging on the valet hook buck naked and smiled at him over my shoulder. “Yep. Two can play this game.”
“What are we doing here?”
I looked around as the driver drove us through the Arboretum and to a location that wasn’t the main entrance.
“I thought you said this was one of the places you were going to visit with Ami when she got older.”
I glanced at him and the way he was speaking, off-handed but with a gleam in his eyes had me smiling at him. He looked like a kid on Christmas who was thrilled at having gotten exactly what he wanted.
“It is but she’s not old enough yet and she’s not here. Are we supposed to be here right now? Aren’t they closed?”
I watched Aldrich look out the window of the SUV as he scanned the scenery before turning to me and smiling. “To the public, yes. To us? Nah. Sit back and relax, Ling. I got you.”
His hand squeezed my thigh where it had been resting the entire drive from home. I had no choice but to listen to him because the car was still in motion. I was trying to crane my neck to see what was coming but I silently chided myself for wanting to rush this surprise that clearly meant so much to him.
I sat back and tried to relax until we stopped and had enough patience to wait while Aldrich exited the car. Louis gave me a smile as he shut the door and I had to wait for Aldrich to come to my side and let me out.
When he got to the door he grinned at me and held out his hand for me to take. This man looked so damn good in anything he wore, but tonight this classic tuxedo was the epitome of elegance on his frame. Having a tailor was key to making your clothes work for your body and Aldrich always stepped out looking immaculate. It was classic black, with wide lapels and despite not having any color besides the white of his shirt, he exuded classic style.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?” I carefully stepped out of the car and onto the concrete pathway letting my dress fall to the ground gently. I could hear music playing in the distance and I adjusted my coat around me because it was actually cold today.
“Can you close your eyes until I tell you to open them?” His face had turned serious and I looked down at the four-inch heels I was wearing before glancing at the pathway. “I promise I won’t let you fall.”
I hesitated but eventually nodded, which forced a huge grin to cross his face. When I spotted the dimples, I knew I’d made the right decision.
“Lead the way, baby.” I closed my eyes and held out my hand for him to take. Even with the extra height of my shoes, I was still far shorter than Aldrich so he wrapped my hand around his arm to give me stronger support. We walked for what seemed like a long time but I was sure that was just because of my own impatience before he stopped. I waited with my eyes closed in anticipation of his telling me the coast was clear.
“Oh, shit. Open your eyes, baby. I didn’t realize you were waiting for me.”
I rolled my eyes before opening them but my mouth dropped open as I took in the scene around me.
This place was beautiful. We were standing at the walkway ofCrape Myrtle Alley, one venue that Aphrodite had looked at as a wedding venue for her nuptials to Anthony. I was playing de facto wedding planner because she was back in training for her next Grand Slam. I’d told Aldrich how beautiful the location was going to be for them especially for the date they’d selected, if this is where they potentially ended up settling.
The bare branches of the crape myrtle trees made an alleyway, and there were lights hanging to illuminate the branches and the area beneath them. A carpet of faux grass was on the ground as a runner but each side of the aisle had been adorned with a massive number of red rose bouquets. A string quartet was playing softy off to one side of the path and at the end of the walkway there was a gigantic wall of red roses. It was one of the most romantic and beautiful setups I’d ever seen in my life.
“Aldrich…this is a crazy date night.”
I’d never underestimated the lengths he would go through to make a moment special, but this was over the top even for him. This was one of the first dates we’d been able to have where he had no pressure of the season on him. The first was when we were in L.A. but he hadn’t done something this grand. I couldn’tsay that the quiet nights at home and moments spent knowing each other without the eyes of the public didn’t help solidify who we were as a couple. Our ability to learn one another and how we would handle internal and external strife were cemented. Even the day-to-day parenting of Ami showed us how to communicate with one another from a place of love, which was important to us both. I’d wanted to ensure that my toxicity from how I was raised didn’t permeate any of our interactions. He worked diligently to ensure the distrust that he’d felt after his assault didn’t seep into how he handled me.
“You don’t think you’re worth this much effort?” He was smiling, a grin I’d seen a lot in the last few weeks and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I could feel the joy he was experiencing. The high he was on from his name being bantered about for something positive as opposed to last year’s negativity was palpable.
I smirked, the confidence I’d gained since being loved properly and feeling like a baddie meant I wasn’t going to deny I was worthy of this. “I definitely am. But you’re going to spoil me, baby. Shopping earlier, this beautiful dress and now this dinner?”
