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Tears gathered. She felt absolutely sick. This wonderful man had worked to make her dream come true by giving her flowers, and she’d tossed them.
“Justin, I’m so sorry. I threw them away.” She spoke quickly to get the horrible confession out.
He blinked. “You threw them away?”
“Yes.” Her voice barely sounded. She felt as if she’d driven a knife into him, which had also gone into herself.
His frozen face melted into an enormous grin. He burst out laughing. “That is the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Um.” Candy was afraid she’d shoved him over the edge.
“It is?”
“I showed up with them earlier because I’d made us a dinner reservation at Lake Park Bistro, and I wanted you to have plenty of time to dress.”
“You…” She looked down at her baggy sweats in panic.
“For tonight? What time?”
“Don’t worry.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “Instead of you, Chuck came to the door, practically in his underwear, and told me he was your boyfriend.”
“No.” She gasped in horror. “That little—”
“This entire pizza and Star Wars joke was to make the fancy stuff you’d always wanted a surprise, Candy. But after seeing Chuck I cancelled the reservation and you threw away the flowers.” His laughter turned dry.
“Justin, it’s fine, at least as far as I’m concerned.” She ran over to him and put her hand on his arm, searching his face, wanting to make it all better. “I only thought the fancy stuff was what I wanted.”
“It
wasn’t?”
“No. All the trappings were fantasies, the flowers, the fancy dinner, the chocolate—”
“Chocolate!” He smacked himself on the forehead. “I forgot it again!”
She took his shoulders, grinned up at his distress. “I don’t care. Really.”
“Dinner, flowers, chocolate, strikes one, two, three, but I’m not out?” He pulled her to him.
“No. You’re very much in. Because what I always wanted on Valentine’s Day and never got wasn’t flowers, chocolate or fancy dinners. It was love, and I never had it. Not really. But now…” She kissed him, feeling more fear and vulnerability than she’d ever felt in her life. This wasn’t safe the way being around Chuck had felt. This was dangerous and terrifying, but she refused to go back, because it was also real. “I love you, Justin. I know it’s soon to say it, I know it’s completely crazy, but I don’t care. I’m finally trusting what’s inside me.
And what’s inside me is you.”
He looked so stunned she was afraid she’d horrified him and her heart nearly stopped.
Then he whispered her name with an intensity that restarted it, and he kissed her, sweetly, passionately, then with desperate intent, backing her up against the kitchen table.
“Wait.” She pushed him away, pulled off her sweatshirt, yanked down her sweatpants and stepped out of them in the almost-not-there pasties, feeling absolutely at home as Sexy 212
Glamour Girl. No. Not Sexy Glamour Girl. Candy. “This is what I got you for Valentine’s Day.”
He reacted as if she’d banged him over the head, practically staggering under the impact, eyes glazing. She loved that she had that power over him, and that she had that power in herself because of him.
Yet when he kissed her, the lust was muted, controlled, there was more sweetness than desire, and the hands that held her were gentle. For a long time there was nothing but kisses and murmured words, long caresses and exchanged gazes between them.
Candy had never been this purely and deliciously happy.
Opening herself up to Justin had not made her more vulnerable as she feared. Instead it had given her more peace than she’d known was possible. Whether he could say the three words back yet, whether he felt them, she knew he was not going to disappear anytime soon. He said as much with every kiss and every look.
Finally, kisses and looks weren’t enough; she unfastened his jeans and started to push them down.
“Wait.” He put his hands to her wrists. “I know this will sound really kinky and strange, but…I’d really like to make love to you in a bed again.”
