AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Closer,” I whisper again, this time bending my knees and pulling my feet up near my butt to make more room for him.
His mouth makes its way up my neck, where he gently bites my ear, and then over to my mouth. This kiss is wet and so delicious, my stomach fluttering with what’s about to come. Hooking his arm underneath my knee on the outside of the couch, he opens me up more and slides right in.
Air leaves both of us in a rush as we absorb the exquisite feeling of him inside me and of me wrapping around him. I love him so much I almost don’t know how to do this because it all just feels like too much. My heart is pounding wildly against my ribcage, I’m overwhelmed in the best possible way, and more tears gather in the corners of my eyes and leak out.
“Breathe,” he says, and I inhale.
Opening my eyes, I find him looking at me. His hair is falling over his forehead, the line of his jaw tense as he holds still inside me, but his eyes show so much tenderness and understanding that instead of the tears subsiding, more slide out. The thumb on his hand wrapped around my head starts wiping back and forth over my temple, and he gives me a small smile as my fingers dig into his shoulders.
“I’ve got you,” he says, knowing this moment is big for me, for us.
“For how long?” I ask, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it anyway.
His smile grows a little more, and with crystal-clear certainty shining back at me, he says, “Forever.”
33
CLAY
It’s been two and a half months since Emma and I met that early morning on the road where she showed up to fight for me. Other than a quick trip back to New York to get more of her clothes and personal things, we’ve been settling into my house and learning what it’s like to live with someone new.
And I love it.
Actually, what I should be saying is I really love her.
We’ve spent a lot of time breaking down more walls and breaking through our personalities. Both of us are open enough to realize where our strengths are and where we have areas that need growth. I understand now her need for security and structure, and it’s been pretty incredible to watch the anxiety she brought here slowly disappear as she’s felt more sure about me and more sure about us. Don’t get me wrong, she has her days where she’s a fire pistol, but I have no problem finding a solution for her mouth and silencing her.
As for me, she understands more about my need to feel that I’m first, and every day she goes out of her way to make sure I am. She’s incredibly giving, she rarely makes decisions without asking for my opinion beforehand, and as for the knitting, I now have three scarves, Moose has a sweater, and she’s working on a throw blanket. Of course it’s dark purple mixed with shades of beige, but it will look perfect over the couch. I welcome the color she’s brought into my life, because she sure is bright.
Today is the Fourth of July, and we are hosting our first cookout. Ash, Avery, Cora, Juliet, and Bryce are here. Have they all been by here since Emma moved in? Yes, but this is the first time we are hosting a holiday.
It’s also the last weekend we are here in Horizons Valley until the first of October when we’ll come back. The girls have a charity event this month in New York, and outside of that, Emma and I agreed to split time between our homes. Do I know how this will look year after year? No, but this year, there’s no reason at all for us not to go, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeding off of her excitement. She has a long list of all the places she wants to take me, show me, and feed me, and man do I like food.
Speaking of food, my gaze travels to inside the house where Emma is walking toward us with a large platter of items to make s’mores. She said there’s nothing more summer in the mountains than s’mores and Bryce needs them. I smirked at her because I know she loves them too.
Jumping up, I open the sliding glass door for her, and she breezes by.
“Ah, yeah,” Bryce says as he trails after her and Moose trails after him. Moose has learned that Bryce will feed him, so when he’s here, he has a shadow.
“Need any help?” Emma asks him.
“Nope, I’ve got it,” he tells her as he picks up a skewer and spears a marshmallow.
Emma returns to her seat, which is next to mine, and as she plops down, the skirt on her blue and white sundress rises to mid-thigh. Ever since she walked out of our room in that dress five minutes before Juliet arrived, I’ve wanted to get my hands under it and on her.
“What’s going on with you?” Emma asks Cora, breaking me from the dirty thoughts running through my head as we all sit around a fire pit on the back deck. I agree that since she arrived, she’s been acting off and more quiet than usual.
Without looking at any of us, like she’s nervous, she says, “So, I did a thing.”
Bryce, who is oblivious, walks to the fire pit to roast his marshmallow. Ash, who has been strumming on his guitar, stops playing, and Juliet tilts her head. Avery scoots forward in her chair, and concern immediately settles on Emma’s face.
“What did you do?” Avery asks her, almost like she’s afraid to know.
Cora inhales deeply, looks at each of us, and then says, “I bought a house.”
“What?” Emma says at the same time Avery says, “Where?”
She looks at each of them. “Here in Horizons Valley.”
