“Who says you can’t stop?”
“That’s just what life has always been. Watching the stars is the only time I feel myself slow down enough to take that breath, feel that weight come off my shoulders because there’s no one to hide from, not even myself.”
“What about when you’re with me?”
She looks up at me with eyes I want to get lost in forever. “Every day used to feel like I was running away. With you, it feels like I’m running forward, chasing something good.”
“I want to be everything good in your life, Maevyn.”
She smiles. “You already are.”
It settles something inside me when I feel her let out a content sigh, her body leaning against mine as if she trusts me to bear the weight of everything she holds inside. I want to be every reason she feels safe and loved. I want to give her a place where she feels like she can have anything her heart desires, no matter how big or small, mundane or daring.
“I got you something.” I tap on her thigh, encouraging her to stand so I can grab the item from my car. “I was planning to do this the night after the hospital, and then—”
“Then I fucked up?” Maevyn follows behind me, stopping at the back of the ute, propping her forearms over the tray as she avoids the glare I throw her way.
“You didn’t fuck up,” I say, reaching for the paper bag on my passenger seat then coming back to her side. I bend down so I can catch her eyes. “You were scared. I knew that then.” Softening my tone I brush my thumb over her bottom lip. “I understand even better now.”
She gives me a watery smile, and I wink at her before unlocking the back panel of the tray. I put the bag down then grab Maevyn at the waist, lifting her onto the end while I stay standing between her open thighs.
I reach for the paper bag, opening another smaller bag inside that’s marked with Maevyn’s name, keeping it hidden from her so she can’t see that I’ve tampered with the outcomes of the messages. She’ll figure it out in a moment, but I still want the element of surprise for a little longer.
Maevyn gasps when I hand her the fortune cookie. “Don’t let Aurora know we did this without her.”
“There’s one for her too, but I’ll give it to her later.”
Maevyn smiles, hands at the ready on her cookie while I retrieve mine. “Do you promise to abide by the fortune bestowed upon you?”
“I do. And you?”
“I swear,” she says with a grin, and we both crack the shells open.
I watch as she stares, stunned, down at her message. “What does it say?”
She chews her lip before answering. “‘If you’re still wondering what it’s like to fall in love, it’s all the days since I met you’.” Her bottom lip trembles as she looks up at me again. “You love me?”
I look down at the paper in my hands, holding it up as I read it aloud. “‘I’m hopelessly, unmistakably, and endlessly in love with you’.”
She tosses the paper down and throws herself into me, looping her hands around my neck. “I love you, too.” She smiles.
My hands fall to her hips as I lean forward and kiss her.
She doesn’t hesitate to kiss me back, and it has butterflies filling my stomach. Her hands come to my neck, twisting in the ends of my hair so she can hold me to her.
I kiss her slowly as my hands move to her thighs, exploring and mapping the feel of her skin until I reach her knees and tug her into me.
“Let me love you under the stars,” I say against her lips.
She nods, not breaking the kiss as her legs wrap around my waist.
My hands roam over her shoulders, pulling off the green shirt she stole from me, but I like it better on her. Slowly, I undress her, kissing every spot as it’s exposed until she’s lying naked in the bed of my ute, illuminated by nothing but the moon and a million scattered stars.
I take a moment to just look at her, so thankful that our paths crossed. It feels like fate delivered me my perfect partner, because I can’t imagine anyone else coming into my life and filling the empty spaces like Maevyn does.
My mouth moves down her body, tongue flicking over each pierced nipple, and my teeth nip at the underside of her breasts. She’s trembling by the time I gently guide her to her back so I can settle between her thighs, my hands holding her open as I stare down at her naked pussy.
I take my time caressing her skin and breathing her in, content to watch her as I decorate her with my kisses. Her eyes are closed, and her chest rises and falls with ease.
