It doesn’t take long until her breathing evens out. Just when I think she’s asleep, she murmurs the three words I’ve been dying to say to her for years, “I love you.” I kiss the top of her head and whisper the words back, wondering if she will remember in the morning.
* * *
The next morning, I slowly kiss Lani awake. As much as I would love nothing more than to stay in bed with her all day and take advantage of not only this big bed but every surface in this luxury suite, we have to get back to Sugarhill. Next time, I promise myself. Because there will be a next time. A whole lot of next times.
She stretches, smiling sleepily. “Good morning.”
“Mm. Good morning to you. I think I could get used to waking up to kisses instead of that stupid alarm of mine.”
“I think that can be arranged, beautiful. I ordered breakfast.”
“Tea?” she asks, hopefully.
“Of course.”
She lets out a satisfied hum. “You’re too good to me.”
I kiss her again, pulling away just enough to look into her eyes so she can see the sincerity on my face. “Nothing is too good for you, Lani. You deserve everything, and then some.”
She blushes the prettiest shade of pink and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a passionate kiss. “Whatever did I do to deserve you?”
“You’re just you, love. That’s more than enough. Now, get up and take a shower, there’s a bag of clothes in the bathroom.”
“Clothes?” she asks, furrowing her brow. “Let me guess this was Margo’s part?”
“Yep. Your friends can be extremely helpful sometimes.”
She laughs. “Like when they are conspiring against me?”
“I look at it as more like conspiring for you.”
“Tomato, tomahto,” she says with a teasing smile.
I pick her up and carry her to the bathroom. Her naked body the best kind of tease. I set her down, but she doesn’t step away. No, the little minx pulls me against her and rubs her nakedness all over me. Running her hands up and down my bare chest. When those distracting hands make their way down to cup me over my boxers, I pull her hands away, pinning them to her lower back.
She whimpers at being denied what she wants. I’ve created a monster. Not that I’m really complaining. It’s truly unfortunate that we don’t have the time to do more. “Shower, naughty girl.”
She looks at me hopefully. “You could shower with me.”
I shake my head. “You know if I get in that shower, the last thing that will happen is getting clean, and we need to be back in Sugarhill in two hours.”
“Ugh. Why do we have to be responsible adults?” she asks with a pout.
I can’t hold in my laughter. “Because we do. Even when it’s the last thing we want to do.”
“Okay fine. I’ll get cleaned up.”
I regretfully pull away and shut the door behind me, so I’m not tempted to join her in that shower. I quickly get dressed, adjusting my hardness behind my zipper. If I let my dick have its way, we would be in that shower, pushing Lani against the wall and giving her exactly what we both want.
Responsible adult, I repeat to myself.
* * *
The drive back home is rife with sexual tension. I know it’s cruel, but I’m glad I’m not the only one suffering. Knowing that Lani wants me as much as I want her is a small consolation to the torture. By the time we get back to Sugarhill, we don’t have time to go to the house before needing to be at work. I drop Lani off at the bookstore, waiting until she’s inside before pulling away and heading to the fire station.
Morgan is in our small gym when I get there. And by gym, I mean a weight bench and an old treadmill. “Hey, Morgan. How’s it going? Did I miss anything?”
He laughs. “You do know this is Sugarhill, right?”
“Normally, I would agree, but it’s been a busy few weeks.”
He sobers. “It has been. Other than a call out to an accident, everything was quiet.”
“Injuries?”
“None. It was more of a fender bender.”
“Good,” I say, relieved. The last accident we were called out to was back on one of the many rural roads leading out of Sugarhill was a fatal crash. Those are always hard, especially when you know the person.
“So, how was date night?”
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Oh, come on, man.”
I chuckle. “It was good. I took her to Laramie’s, then to Palisade.”
Morgan lets out a low whistle. “Pulled out all of the stops, didn’t you?”
I shrug. “She deserves the best.”
“Hey boys,” Chief Weiss says boisterously. “Torin, need you to go over to Phizer’s place and do an inspection. Make sure you verify receipts for reputable contractors. Don’t want that guy pulling another stunt like last time.”
Shit. That means Lani’s place is ready to move into. It’s wrong of me to want to fail the building just to keep her with me. I’m a juxtaposition between angry and sad that I could be losing her tomorrow. Realistically, I know that just because she isn’t staying with me doesn’t mean we are over. But I don’t want to live without her in my home. I like having her things all over the bathroom counter, her wearing my clothes around the house, her singing—badly—while cooking. I’m going to miss it all.
I wonder how she would react if I asked her to move in permanently. I want her to be mine permanently. Last night she told me she loves me… I’ve waited years for those words. I don’t want to risk scaring her off by moving too quickly. Her apartment being fixed is pushing my hand.
I have no idea what to do.
13
Lani
The day seemed to fly by in a whirlwind. Last night was perfect, and I’ve smiled so much my cheeks hurt. Tonight’s book club, and I cannot wait to give my friends a hard time about plotting with Torin behind my back. I try to erase the smile from my face so my fake upset will look real, but I just can’t manage. I’m too dang happy.
“Hey, traitors,” I say as the girls let themselves into the store. Ana throws the lock and lowers the shade.
“Who are you calling a traitor?” Prue asks. “More like fairy fucking godmothers.”
I giggle at that. “Maybe a little.”
“How was your very first date?” Margo asks.
I plop down onto one of the plush chairs in the reading nook I have set up for customers. “It was fantastic.”
“Look at her, she looks like she’s about to burst with sappiness.” Prue wrinkles her nose in disgust.
Ana slaps her arm. “Leave the girl alone. She’s in love. You’re just jealous.”
Prue laughs. “Jealous my ass. I’m not looking for some kind of one-true-love bullshit. I’m happy with my nightstand drawer lovers. They are all I need.”
“Ew,” Margo says, throwing a pillow at her. “We don’t need to know about your,” she waves her hands around in disgust, “self-love.”
“So tell us all about your date. Was it everything you hoped for?” Ana asks with a hint of whimsy in her voice.
I have no idea where to even start with how fantastic last night was. Part of me wants to tell them everything, the other part wants to lock it all up and keep it to myself. It almost feels like it will lose some of the specialness if I tell them.
“It was wonderful. Thank you, guys, for helping him pull it off. I couldn’t have asked for a better first date. It will be impossible for anyone to top it.” Once again, there is a huge smile spreading across my face. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in all my days.
“Why would anyone else need to top it?” Ana looks at me with confusion. “I thought things were going good with Torin.”
I give her a look of consternation. “Things are great—really great—perfect, in fact, but I’m not sure we are a permanent thing.”
That smile I’ve not been able to get rid of all day… well, it’s gone now. Sadness leaches into my bones st
raight down to my soul. The thought of losing Torin is heartbreaking. He’s not made any effort to discuss the future beyond our temporary arrangement of me staying at his house while my apartment is being fixed.
I know that my moving out doesn’t mean that we’re over. So why does it feel like it? I don’t want to move out of his house. I want to stay there forever. I want him to tell me how much he loves me and that he can’t live without me.
“Hand me the wine.” I snap my fingers in Prue’s direction, indicating the bottle she’s been monopolizing. I usually don’t drink a lot, but tonight, I need to eliminate the ugly thoughts I’ve got in my head now.
She hands me the bottle, and I don’t even bother pouring it into a glass. I just take a big swig straight from the bottle, then another, and another.
“Woah, slow down, Lani,” Margo says, shocked.
I should have listened to Margo. She’s way smarter than I am because I’m quickly on my way to drunk. So much so that she has to drive me home. Somehow in my drunkenness, I let the girls convince me to jump Torin when I get home and then tell him I love him and never want to leave.
What is it they say about best-laid plans? Instead of jumping his bones, I end up naked, curled up on his chest, and passed out. I may or may not have mumbled something about loving him and wanting to keep him forever, but surely that was just a dream.
When I wake up, it’s to Torin running his work-rough hands all over my curves. My pussy is instantly wet, and I’m hungry to finish what I didn’t really start last night before I drunkenly passed out. Thank God he was already asleep because that would’ve been a colossal embarrassment if I had fallen asleep on him during sex.
His fingers work underneath the top of my panties, and I gasp as they delve between my folds. And then… my phone rings, breaking the moment. We both curse.
“Hello.”
“Miss Smith, I have great news!” Mr. Phizer says, sounding way too damned cheerful, almost like he knows he interrupted something great. That’s totally something he would do. “Your apartment is ready to move into! You can come back today.”
“Oh,” I swallow thickly. “Okay… thanks for calling, Mr. Phizer.” I look at Torin. He’s got a completely blank look on his face, not giving a single thing away about how he feels about me leaving. “That’s great news.”
After a quick goodbye, I hang up and get up from the bed. Once in the bathroom, I shut the door and turn on the shower. Tears well up, and I’m glad I escaped Torin’s unaffected expression before the tears started.
14
Torin
I smirk at the memory of Lani crawling into bed with me last night in nothing but a pair of panties. She started rubbing against me, her hand quickly found my hard length and gave it a little pat. Then… she passed out, her hand still on my rock-hard cock.
Most men would probably be mad about being worked up then having his girl passing out, but I just think it’s adorable. Prue texted, giving me a heads up that Lani had a little extra wine at book club tonight. I could never be upset about having my girl in my arms, curled up against me and sleeping peacefully.
When her alarm goes off, I quickly silence it, remembering how she likes waking up to my touch. I'm always happy to oblige.
I run my palms over her breasts, kissing her shoulder and neck until she stirs, then I run my hand down her stomach and lightly tease across the band of her panties. She wriggles back against me, letting out a little moan. I slip my fingers inside, finding her wet and ready for me. I’ve barely touched her when her phone rings.
Dread fills my veins because I have a sneaky suspicion that I know exactly who would be calling so early. She’s about to find out that her apartment is ready. I hold my breath and will a look of indifference to my face. I don’t want to make her feel pressured, and her seeing how crushed I am by the idea of her moving would definitely be considered pressure.
Lani doesn’t say anything to me after she hangs up the phone. She simply gets up and heads into the bathroom. The shower turns on, and I have a horrible feeling that she’s slipping through my fingers.
* * *
“Are you sure you don’t mind? Lani asks
“Of course not, love. You can stay as long as you want.” Forever would be nice, I silently add.
“It shouldn’t take me too long to clean up my apartment, then I’ll be out of your hair.” She gives me a half-hearted smile. She’s been walking around like a ghost of herself since she came out of the bathroom. Her eyes are puffy and pink… I hate that she’s so upset. I just wish I knew exactly why.
I feel like a complete chickenshit for not just declaring how I don’t want her to leave. I make a vow to tell her how much I love her before she moves out. Once she doesn’t have the pressure to be under my roof, I will tell her exactly what I want. I’ll confess my love and see what happens. But not until she has a place to go in case it sends her running.
“Anything you need, love. My house is yours as long as you want to be here.”
“I just don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“You don’t have to worry about that one. I love having you here. Even Mr. Grey, despite his disdain for all things.”
That makes her laugh. “He seems to like you well enough.”
“Only when I’m feeding him.” Okay, that’s a lie. The damn cat follows me around whenever Lani isn’t home. He jumps up on the counter and meows at me while I’m fixing breakfast, wanting a nibble of eggs. He’s a regular attention whore.
“Don’t try to pretend you aren’t buddies. I’ve seen how he follows you around.”
I shrug noncommittally. “Perhaps we are a little chummy.”
Hating the distance between us, I reach out and grab her around the waist as she tries to walk past toward the kitchen. I pull her against me and look down into her fathomless brown eyes. “Are you okay, love? You seem… down.”
She gives me what she thinks is a bright smile, but it falls completely flat. “I’m okay… just a little hungover, I think.”
“Want me to kiss it and make it better?”
Lani smiles a real smile at that. “Not sure that’s how it works, but I definitely wouldn’t mind trying. That’s all the permission I need before I’m crushing my lips to hers in a searing kiss. She kisses me with just as much passion as I’m pouring into it. Before long, we are both breathless and tearing at each other’s clothes.
I lift her bodily, and she wraps her legs around me, rubbing her wet pussy against my hard cock. She hisses out a breath when I stumble to the wall, pinning her between me and it. Without any fanfare, I thrust into her in one quick motion. Lani’s head hits the wall as she throws back her head with a scream.
It doesn’t take long before she’s coming. If I were a lesser man, I would be embarrassed by how quickly I’m teetering on the edge myself, but with Lani’s tight pussy milking me, it’s damn near impossible to hold back.
“You feel so fucking good, love. So hot. Tight. Fucking perfect,” I punctuate my every word with a pounding thrust.
“Torin!”
“That’s it. Come for me.”
I bury myself to the hilt as she screams my name as her release takes her. I let myself go, filling her with my come until I’m drained. My weakened knees cave and I take her down to the floor with me. We both groan as she settles onto my lap, my cock still buried inside her.
Now that the rush of need has subsided, Lani starts moving in slow, rolling motions. We kiss languidly as she works us both to another orgasm. I have to bite my tongue from telling her how much I love her. I nearly do when she looks up at me with what I swear is love. Maybe her sleep mumbled words are what she really feels.
I’ll tell her soon. I won’t declare my love for her after sex. I don’t want her assuming it’s the sex that I love. No, I want her to know I love all of her.
15
Lani
“God, this place reeks,” Prue says, waving her hand in front of her face. “I say burn it down a
nd start over.”
“Jesus, Prue, don’t even joke like that!” Margo says, looking aghast.
“Well, it’s going to take a miracle to get the stench of smoke out of everything.”
I sigh in defeat. She’s not wrong. It seems like an insurmountable challenge considering I don’t even want to do it. I want to stay with Torin. He offered for me to stay as long as I need… I’ve already decided to clean slowly. Surely dragging things out for a week won’t be too suspicious? Though I don’t think I care about him thinking it’s odd that I’m taking so long to clean.
Torin seemed pretty moody after we made love this morning. He definitely wasn’t happy about leaving me at the apartment to go to work. He said he felt guilty not helping me clean. I brushed it off, telling him the girls were going to come help. And by help, I meant sit around in my smoke-stink living room and listen to me whine about him and having to move out.
“I thought you were going to tell him how you felt last night?” Ana asks.
I blush hotly. “I sort of passed out before I got that far.”
Prue snorts a laugh. “You never could handle your alcohol.”
I stick my tongue out at her. “Who was encouraging me to drink more? Claiming it was liquid courage?”
Margo tosses one of my throw pillows at her and laughs. “Yeah, Prue. If we are being honest here, it’s all your fault that Lani didn’t get laid and announce her undying love for the man of her dreams.”
We all fall into a fit of laughter. “I mean… there was the whole sex in the dining room thing this morning.”
They all titter at that. “And the undying love thing?”
I shake my head sadly. “No… it was awkward. We had just talked about me moving out… it didn’t feel right. Maybe before I move out?”
Chasing His Forever: Sweet Somethings Book One Page 7