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The kiss heats into sex, his cock diving between my thighs, hungry for me. I moan, parting my legs to make it easier for him to enter me. I stretch, my skin burning as he fills me with his hardness. The friction builds inside me. I cling to him, my fingers digging into his flesh as I come.
"Oh, Beckett."
He sucks and bites at my neck as he comes.
We hold onto to each other as we enjoy the last shudders of the climax, not wanting the moment to end, but it eventually fades away and we're left in the warm silence of afterglow. The chandelier above us glitters like a starry night sky, seeming to reflect the magic of the evening. He wraps his arms around me. I snuggle down against his bare chest.
Now that the night is coming to a close, I can't seem to hold on to the magic. It slips through my fingers, leaving me only with sadness.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rhett
Six Months Later
“Hey girl. Another day. Another dollar. Let’s get to it.” I pat my car’s cherry-red roof.
I slip into the seat of trusty, dusty Bunny. The lemon verbena natural air freshener I sprayed in the cab seems to be working okay. It’s a little hard to not compare her to one of the Bachman cars I’d gotten used to riding in, that new car right off the dealership smell mixed with clean leather, but when you’ve lived in your car, the two of you are intertwined for life.
In addition to our emotional connection, she’s reliable and gets me to my job on time every single day.
Having never gone to college and only ever waitressed, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for me the day I left the Village. I accepted ten grand of the fifty-thousand-dollar nest egg Beckett offered to get me on my feet, promising to pay back every single penny as soon as I could.
And I will. I’m determined. On my meager salary, it might be a minute, but I’ll do it.
With the money, I opened my first savings account. I also put down first and last month’s rent, and the security deposit, on a studio apartment in Brooklyn.
I had to buy furniture for the first time in my life. I’m on a super tight budget. I’ve found that thrift stores are not only a great deal, but you can find some pretty unique stuff, like the gold owl table lamp that sits beside my pink velvet couch. I also bought a daybed—sprang for a new mattress that was on sale—with drawers underneath it for storing clothing.
I left all my clothes from Daughtry’s in his closet. I still have the comfy clothes he bought me, figuring they didn’t cost too much. I trashed everything I carried in my arms the night I ran from the apartment, and just rounded out my new wardrobe from the clearance rack.
I did keep the gold gown I wore to the ball at the Parish. I don’t really get the opportunity to wear a gold Versace in my new life, but it’s nice just knowing the gown is there, tucked away in a drawer while I sleep.
It makes me feel fancy in my new, simple life.
And it reminds me of him.
So does the one photo I have in my new place. The black-and-white picture of us at the Red Carpet Casino Night, the VEGAS sign behind us, our shining faces bright with smiles. I’m clinging to his arm like I’m scared to let go.
And I was afraid to let go, fearful that I couldn’t make it without a man. But I have. And I couldn’t be prouder.
But my God…
I miss that man.
I wear the gold hoops he gave me in Greece every day. Can’t bring myself to take them off. They look kind of overdone with my grease-covered coveralls, but I don’t care. They’re my security blanket in this big world.
I’m lost in thought as I drive to work. I often am. Lucky for me Bunny knows the way. As I drive, my windows down, the wind whipping my ponytail, I catch flashes in my mind. Him and me lying on the beach, the waves lapping at our feet, his hands on my sun-warmed skin.
Sitting on a leather barstool in his kitchen, wearing nothing but his white T-shirt while I drink a mug of the fresh coffee he brewed me. Afterward, lying in his bed kissing, crisp white sheets wrapped around us, his hands memorizing the curves of my body.
Our first dance.
Our last kiss.
The last time his hand touched my bare skin…
I don’t know why but when I drive, this is what happens to me. I zone out, playing all our memories in my mind like a movie. It brings me peace. Helps me get ready for a busy day on the way to work. Lets me unwind as I drive back home.
