Tonight’s a special night. The night we’re going to have sex for the first time, and I agonized over what to wear. In the end, I ignored Hadley and chose this pale green and peach patterned ankle-length summer dress over the tight black minidress she was suggesting. If we’d been having dinner at a trendy spot in the city, it would have been perfect, but it wasn’t right for this setting. I’m glad I listened to my gut, and I feel on top of the world in this dress. It has delicate straps and gentle ruching at the bust, and then it skims over my hips and waist in floaty chiffon that sways along my legs as I walk.
I left my hair down, because Garrick loves it like that, but Hadley used the curling iron on my tresses, and it hangs in soft glossy curls down my back. The heart-shaped locket Garrick gave me for my birthday rests delicately in the curve between my collarbone and my chest.
“We’re lucky this area wasn’t booked tonight,” Garrick says, ushering me toward the most beautiful outside area.
A wide, tall wooden gazebo covers the space, protecting it from the elements. Enclosed by tall hedges and shrubs, it offers complete privacy in a very romantic setting. Stunning purple and pink flowering plants creep like ivy along all the posts and wooden frames. Tinkling spotlights are interwoven between the flowers, casting dancing reflections across the myriad of glass-topped tables. Little candles and vases with colorful flowers adorn each of the twelve tables, centered around a small stone water feature.
“It’s stunning.” I stare in awe as Garrick leads me to the only table set for dinner. He pulls out a wicker chair with comfortable cushions, waiting for me to sit before pushing my chair in. He’s such a gentleman. Tipping my head back, I pucker my lips, and he doesn’t disappoint, kissing me tenderly and sweetly from above.
“Not as stunning as you,” he replies when we break our kiss. Garrick moves around the table to the silver wine cooler and removes a bottle of sparkling wine. “You’re so gorgeous I won’t be able to take my eyes off you tonight,” he adds, filling two wineglasses with the bubbly liquid.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” He’s wearing black pants with a white shirt rolled to the elbows and open at the top so the edge of his tattoo peeks out. An expensive silver watch is strapped to his wrist, and his hair has been tamed with hair gel and tucked behind his ears. “You scrub up well, Allen,” I tease as a server appears carrying a tray.
Garrick reaches across the table, linking our hands as the woman sets a bread basket down with olives and oils and a bottle of sparkling water.
We chat amicably as our meal is served, and any anxiety I was feeling on the drive here has long since gone. At least for now.
After a sumptuous meal of sage and butter ravioli, hake and ratatouille, and the most devilish chocolate fondant, we grab a bottle of wine from the store and set out hand in hand for the walk to the cabin. Nightfall has descended, but the stone path is lit by spotlights embedded on either side guiding our way.
Nerves prick at me when we arrive at the cabin, and a swarm of butterflies is stumbling around my chest like they’re drunk or high.
“Don’t be nervous, sunshine.” Garrick places his hands on my shoulders and smiles. “I’m going to take care of you, and you don’t have to do anything if you’ve changed your mind.”
“I haven’t.” I rest my hands on his trim waist as a lump rises in my throat. “I want this with you, but it’s different than what I’m used to.” Anticipation has been building all week, which I love, but it also means I’ve been thinking more than I usually do, and it’s left time for insecurities to rise to the surface.
Garrick palms one side of my face. “It’s why I wanted to do it like this.” He drops feather-soft kisses on my lips until I melt against him and relax. He reels me into his chest, and his smile is laced with adoration, before tucking me under his chin. “You make me feel so much, Stevie,” he whispers against my hair. “I’m scared too because I don’t want to mess this up with you. I want it to be perfect. Memorable.”
I dance my fingers along his spine before tilting my face up to his. “I already know it will be. I adore you, Garrick.” My heart is beating so hard, and I know that’s not the totality of what I’m feeling for this man. “I trust you, and I trust in us. Nothing that feels this good can be wrong. I can’t ever remember feeling this happy. My heart permanently feels like it’s going to burst.”
“You’re already my everything, Stevie,” he whispers against my face.
All the words we haven’t said linger in the tiny gap between us, but we silently acknowledge tonight is for a certain first and the other first can wait.
As I stare into his eyes, I know I’m committed to giving this man all my unclaimed firsts. With that acknowledgment comes confidence, and my nerves flitter away. Placing my hand on his chest, right in the spot where his heart is beating as frantically as mine, I say, “Make love to me, Garrick. Make me fully yours.”
I sip wine on the couch while Garrick readies the bedroom, my eyes skimming over the myriad of family photos lining the mantelpiece and the walls. Tucking my bare feet underneath me, I savor the warmth of the homey room as I drink it all in. Every item seems carefully chosen, and I spot tons of ornaments and decorations from foreign travel. The Allens are clearly well traveled, and I wonder if that is something Garrick and I will get to do one day.
“It’s ready,” my man says, and I whip my head around. Garrick pads soundlessly across the floor in bare feet, smiling as he approaches. He stretches out his arm. “Come, my sunshine.”
Setting my wineglass down on the end table, I take his hand and let him pull me to my feet. Garrick instantly wrangles me into a bear hug. “Any cold feet?” he inquires, peering deep into my eyes as we embrace.
“My feet are toasty warm.” I press a kiss to his chest through his shirt as I look up at him. “I want this, Garrick. There are no hesitations or doubts.”
He heaves a sigh of relief. “Good.” Taking my hand, he places it on the bulge straining against the zipper of his pants. “I might have died from blue balls if you’d changed your mind.”
I stretch up and nip at his jawline as I give his cock a gentle squeeze. “We can’t be having that.”
“I’m crazy about you,” he says before diving in and claiming my lips in a passionate kiss I feel all the way to my toes.
“I’m crazy about you too,” I readily admit when he breaks our lip-lock and threads his fingers in mine.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Stevie
We don’t talk as he leads me upstairs to his bedroom, making me close my eyes when we reach the landing. Butterflies swoop into my chest, and excited adrenaline courses through my veins as he positions me how he wants me and says, “Open your eyes.”
“Oh my god, Garrick.” Tears prick my eyes as I look from the bedroom to him and back again.
