I knew the name but wasn’t sure who she was. “Was that Andy Warhol’s muse?”
“Yeah.”
“And...”
“When I first met you, you were wearing black tights and a short T-shirt. She always wore black tights. The way you danced was so captivating, like her. You still take my breath away. When I walk into a room, my eyes are immediately drawn to you. And back then I used to think you were so vulnerable. Like you would break. I saw a glimpse of that today, but you’re not that girl anymore.”
“What, am I hardened? Jaded? Sad?”
“No. You’re strong.”
Was he just telling me that because he knew I needed to be strong from now on?
“Maybe. I don’t know how strong I can be now; this is just the beginning. My husband just divorced me, my son is going to college in a few months, and my best friend is leaving the country.”
There was a sadness behind his smile. “You’ll be fine. You’ve fought through worse.”
“I always wondered why you had such a hard time with women. You’re so loving and perceptive.”
“I’ve never had a hard time with women.” He smiled a full, cheesy grin. “If I had trouble with women, I wouldn’t date, I’d just be single and pay for it every once in a while.”
I socked him. “God, you’re a pig sometimes.”
“I’m being honest. You made me picky. I never felt as close to another woman as I do to you.”
It was then that I finally noticed my name tattooed on his hip. I knew he had tattooedMiloon the inside of his upper bicep, but I didn’t know about thePennytattoo.
When I ran my finger over it, he shivered. “When did you get this?”
“The morning you got married. Imagine that.”
I shook my head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I guess because it was for me, not you. I wanted it to hurt, but it wasn’t enough.”
I shimmied down the bed and kissed the word. His fingers got lost in my hair. “Gavin?”
“Penny.”
“Can we just cuddle?”
I felt his body jerk with laughter. “Sure. I’m used to you teasing me to death.”
I scooted up, lying on top of him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. My breasts were pressed to his chest, and his hands were around my waist. I looked into his sincere, warm eyes, crinkling at the corners. I knew he was trying to read my mind. Planting a soft, chaste kiss on his lips, I rolled off him and buried myself in the crook of his arm, where I had been so many times before.
AT FIVE A.M.,I started awake to the sounds of Buckley scratching at the door. He wanted to be fed. I threw on Gavin’s T-shirt and led Buckley to the kitchen, where I filled up his bowl. I was still exhausted and just wanted to climb back into bed. I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, and realized I had only a few more hours with Gavin. Back in the guest room, I tore my T-shirt off and crawled back into bed with him. His breathing was even, like he was still sleeping, but he stirred when I kissed his chest.
“Come here,” he whispered. I had woken him with just a small kiss right over his heart.
Dawn filled the room with a pale, mystical light, cloaking us, letting us share a moment no one would ever know about but us.
I kissed him on the mouth, bracing his neck. He adjusted me so that I was straddling him. I bent and kissed him again.
“Are you sure?” he said.
“Yes.”
With our mouths connected, he moved me to lie at his side. We were face-to-face as his hand snaked down between my thighs. He touched me gently, waking me, lighting me up. I pressed his hand to my body and said, “More, more.”
