He pulls himself back. I feel cool air race across my bare skin, making me shiver. He’s on his knees, staring up at me, his hand at his belt, as if deciding whether to go through with this.
“Sybil…” he whispers, looking at me as if seeking an answer.
I search his eyes. “You don’t have to hold back,” I tell him. I feel like I’m going to completely come apart.
He turns to me, ready. Leans over me, and whispers, “You’re everything to me.” I gasp as he presses inside of me. He takes my arms and places them up above my head, and I surrender to him, to this.
To us.
WE SPEND A COUPLEmore hours tangled up together. Kissing, laughing, clearly both of us in a little bit of shock that this is happening. I rest with my head on his chest, and we talk about all of it a million times. Then we let our conversations wander to silly, irrelevant things—funny memories from the past, our favorite foods on the hotel menu. And it’s surreal, like we are on the honeymoon we never had.
By now, streaks of midday light are dancing through the curtains when I feel Jamie’s lips on my neck. His hands roam down the length of my side, sending tingles all along my skin.
And then we’re kissing again, and unstoppable.
The second time is slower. He pulls me to him, my back tohis chest, pressing hot lips to my shoulder and across the back of my neck. His hands sliding down the length of my torso to circle my waist. We rock together, as his hands reach around my hips, pulling me gently into him, and I feel fully in the moment as we connect, moving as one, until all of a sudden I’m gasping and laughing a little at the same time, my whole body trembling.
Then we lay together for a little longer, before Jamie clears his throat. “My flight is in a few hours,” he whispers. “I have to pack up and head out to the airport soon.”
“Cutting it close then.” My smile is watery. This morning was so special I let myself forget that Jamie is supposed to be leaving this afternoon.
But before I can let myself spiral too far, Jamie says, “Come with me,” his lips ghosting against my back.
I roll over to face him, curling my lips into a bigger grin. “I believe I already did. Twice.”
“Sybil.”His cheeks turn pink, and I love that I can make him blush with a dirty joke, even after everything we just did.
“I can’t come with you,” I say, letting regret creep into my voice. “I have the—”
“Oh!” He cuts me off with his little gasp of realization. “Your eclipse event. That’s tonight, right?”
I nod, a little shocked myself to find that the day is already here.
“You could…” I pause to swallow down any insecurities, trying to just trust myself, trust Jamie and this fragile moment between us. “You could stay?”
Jamie’s eyes turn down in the corners as he looks at me. I can’t read all the emotions reflecting off his beautiful face, butI think he’s maybe considering it. God knows Jamie’s financially secure enough to eat whatever change fee the airline would impose on him for pushing his travel back a couple of days. Something ripples like a cloud across his forehead, wrinkled for a moment in thought, and then it clears. He reaches out to take my left hand in his, pulling it to his face and pressing a kiss against the back of my fingers.
“I wish I could, Sybs,” he says, after placing my hand on his chest. “But I really do have to get home. I’m supposed to give my dad and the rest of the board a full report on Halia Falls this evening.”
“Oh!” I trail my hand over to his bicep and give it a squeeze, excitement bubbling up inside me. “That’s right! Kauffman Estates & Winery. I can’t believe I didn’t tell you before how proud I am!” I explain to him about my misunderstanding, how I only realized the true purpose of his business trip when Dani showed me the brochure. “Jamie, it’s incredible what you’ve done.”
He shrugs, trying to downplay it, but I can see the pride shining in his eyes. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been worth it. I really believe in this, Sybs.”
“And I believe in you,” I say, bringing my hand up to cradle his cheek. “You’re incredible, you know that?”
He chuckles, a blush creeping up his neck. “I think you might be a little biased.”
“Maybe,” I concede, “but I’m also right. You’ve followed your passion, built something meaningful, and you’re making your dreams a reality. What’s not to admire?”
He looks at me for a moment, his gaze intense. “You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that.”
“Well, then get used to it,” I say, leaning in to kiss him softly. “Because I’m going to be saying it a lot.”
“Is that a promise, Sybil Rain?”
I nod, and he leans in to meet me in another kiss.
“Honestly,” Jamie says after we pull away, “after we… after you left, working on building out the winery was the only thing that kept me going. I felt so lost, so directionless. But at least I had something to focus my energy on so I wouldn’t go crazy without you.”
