“Get in here. How many times we gotta talk about this? You’re not a player. You can walk in.” He grunted and waved me over. “I’m thinking about adding mandatory study tables this year. I’d like your thoughts on implementation and scheduling before everyone comes back.”
“You got it.” I cleared my throat, nervous and waiting. Still hockey business, but the buildup was there. The squinted eyes. The puffed-out chest. He was in dad mode.
He put his hands on his hips and eyed me. “You’ve been with my daughter for a while now. She called me last night going on about how much she misses you. So, I have one question for you, Reiner. Just one.”
Fuck. I wiped my hands on the side of my pants and nodded. “Alright.”
“If I told you right now that you either get this job or my daughter, what would you say? And I know this isn’t correct or legal, but from a father to the guy my daughter is in love with, tell me.”
It’d be easy to just sayI’d pick Naomibecause this was a hypothetical situation. I knew that, but my answer still mattered. “If this were a real situation, then, sir, I wouldn’t only tell Naomi about it, but I’d discuss it with her. I want a life with Naomi, and jobs are going to come and go. There are a lot of situations that could factor into this choice too. If we were together and had a young kid and I was the only one with a paycheck, could we afford for me to quit? Or, what if—”
“Enough. Jesus, you two.” He rubbed his temples, but his face broke out into a smile. “I think of you as a son already, Reiner. Don’t make the mistakes I did, alright? She’s not along for the ride foryourlife—you’re in it together as partners.”
I think of you as a son.Those words settled over me like a warm blanket. “I know, sir, and I plan to keep it that way as long as I can.”
He narrowed his eyes, held out his hand, and I shook it. “Okay, now about these new ideas…”
* * * *
While I was proud of my girlfriend who got a kick-ass internship for the summer, I missed her. I could only handle jerking off over the phone so many times. But after working with her dad all day, I just wanted to see her. Hold her. Get her naked. Picture what life would be like with her if we did get married.
Three weeks left.Then she’d be back.
Three weeks was nothing in the span of a lifetime, but it sucked. I adjusted my backpack from one shoulder to the other as I made my way toward my new place—sans Freddie—where I had nothing but cold pizza and Netflix to keep me company. But something caught my eye.
A very pretty figure sitting outside my door. “Fletcher?”
No fucking way.
My girl was here, wearing a bright red dress and a huge smile. “Surprise!”
I ran to her and picked her up, slamming my mouth against hers. She kissed me back as she gripped my collar and sighed into me. She tasted like mint andher,and my heart raced in my chest.She’s here. With me.“God, I missed you.”
Naomi ran her hands over my shoulders, back, sides, and pecs. “Clothes off, please.”
“Needy, huh?” I laughed, picking her up and wrapping her legs around me before I got my keys out of my pocket. She looked up at me through hooded eyes and had the perfect pink smile. My heart stumbled in my chest with how much I loved this woman.
She undid the button on my polo. “You have no idea.”
“Oh, I think I do.” I opened the door, shut it, and pressed her back against it. “I’m so proud of you for taking this opportunity,” I said, kissing down her neck and biting her ear lobe. “But I want you all the time.”
“Michael,” she moaned, reaching for the hem of her dress and taking the whole thing off. She went without a bra—my favorite Naomi, and I immediately put a pebbled nipple into my mouth. Perfect breasts. Not too big, not too small. Just right. She arched her back as I teased the edge of her wet panties.
“I have something to talk… to talk to you about,” she said, her voice trailing off when I pushed the fabric to the side.
“Mm, what’s that, baby?” I slid a finger inside her and about lost my mind with how warm and tight she was. One month of distance was enough to kill me. “Fuck, I need you.”
Her eyes darkened, and after a frantic display of removing clothes and moving toward my bedroom, I laid her on the bed and barely got a condom. Then I slid into her. She sighed, and that deeply contented sound warmed my chest. She felt right, likehome.
She gripped my ass and pulled my face down to hers where she kissed me so hard and for so long my lips felt chapped and I could barely keep thrusting. She hadn’t come yet, and I needed her to. I stopped, stared down at her, and was dumbstruck. The way her hair fell across her face, the way her long lashes fanned on her cheeks… the trio of moles on her collarbone that drove me wild. Her smooth skin and perfect lips. The way her eyes closed half-way when she laughed and the deep sound of her contented sigh situated themselves right in my chest.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her throaty voice filled with emotion. She reached up and pushed my hair out of my face.
“Nothing. I just love you. This is the best surprise ever.” I kissed the center of her sweaty chest, then her stomach. She pulled me back up just before I could lick her thighs, and she scrunched her little nose.
“No, I want to come with you like this. Our chests touching. I miss it, you, us.” Her voice shook, and I cupped her face, pressing a soft kiss on her.
I slid back into her and adjusted my pace to go slower. At first sight, I wanted to devour her, but now I wanted her to know how much she meant to me. How much I loved her.
