Remember Love (The Forever Love Series)

by Rhea Rhea

  Before opening her door, Lexi gives me a look. I can tell there is something she wants to say so I wait with my hand on the doorknob.

  Lexi says, “She said that before she left here Friday she had a feeling her life was about to change. You are that change, Tucker. I feel it. I see the way you look at her even if she doesn’t. She also said there was something you wanted her to remember and I think I know what that is. I just hope she sees it soon. It’s time for y’all to get your happily ever after.”

  With that Lexi enters her apartment and closes the door. I stand there for a minute absorbing what she said, hoping she’s right. Hopefully Brenna will remember what we once shared and want a life with me, like I do with her.

  Stepping through the doorway, I shut and lock it behind me and head into the bathroom to change. When I’m done I take my stuff back into the living room, dropping my bag on the floor beside the couch.

  I hear her voice call out from her room, “Tucker, what’s taking you so long? Come on.”

  “I figured I’d sleep on the couch.”

  “You don’t have to do that. My bed’s big enough for the both of us.”

  Groaning softly so she doesn’t hear, I head towards her room. At her bedroom door, I’m frozen. Brenna’s back is facing me as she does something, maybe plugging in her phone, and she’s wearing the shortest and tightest pair of pink shorts I have ever seen.

  This is gonna be a long night.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brenna

  I’m nervous as hell. I’ve never spent the night with any man, in his bed or mine. I don’t want Tucker to sleep on the couch though. I want to feel him next to me. I want to know what it’s like to wake up in his arms.

  After plugging my phone in to charge and placing it on the nightstand, I turn to see Tucker standing in the doorway. His head jerks up and I meet his eyes. They are burning with what I suspect is lust, and so much heat. If looks could catch you aflame I’d be ash drifting in the wind right now.

  My eyes begin to wander. Here he is, in nothing but a pair of gym shorts, standing right in front of me. I mean, come on, I can’t not look. I start at his broad shoulders then go to his thick arms… to his solid chest… and flat stomach. My eyes travel lower, following the line of dark hair from his belly button. Oh, so that’s what a V looks like? As my eyes go down a little further I can tell Tucker is affected. He is very happy with me at the moment if that bulge in his shorts is any indication.

  I really want to do the spin around motion right now, but I don’t. I’ll have to check out his back view later. I continue my way down and I can’t really see his thighs. His shorts are too long, but I bet they are just as thick as the rest of him. His calves are nice. I can tell he uses his leg muscles a lot. I’m not really a foot person but he has the sexiest feet I’ve ever seen on a guy before.

  “Like what you see?” he asks.

  I know he knows I was looking, but I’m in no hurry to look in his eyes just yet. So, I slowly start my way back up his body. You know, making sure I didn’t miss anything on the way down. Yep, everything is still there, just as thick and impressive as it was on my journey down.

  Letting my gaze settle back on Tucker’s face, I see the muscle jumping in his jaw. Surely he’s not mad that I was ogling his body. “I like what I see very much.” I give him the most innocent smile I can muster, even though my thoughts are anything but innocent right now.

  Tucker starts to make his way to me slowly, his eyes devouring me from head to toe. I didn’t even think about the clothes I changed into when I got ready for bed. I just grabbed my normal nightly garb. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone with the white tank top.

  Tucker’s eyes are locked on my chest. I know he can see my nipples through my shirt. They are hard and pressing forward and there’s no way to hide them. I stand there and let him look. No sense in covering up now. I did just ogle him, so it’s only fair to let him reciprocate.

  Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me up tight against him. As soon as our bodies meet, we both let out a soft moan. It was only a few hours ago we were in this same position but there were thicker layers of clothes between us then. This time I can feel his erection twitch against my thigh.

  “Brenna, you are seriously testing my control.”

  Tucker’s voice is deep and husky and my shorts are getting wetter by the second. I’m so turned on right now, having his body so close to mine. Thoughts from earlier are running through my mind. All I want to do is push him down on the bed and have my way with him.

  “Who said I wanted you to stay in control?” I run my hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling his head down closer to mine. Leaning up as far as I can to lock my lips on his.

  This kiss isn’t soft and our teeth clash as he pushes his tongue into my mouth. Deep, wet, and slow like we are making love with kisses alone.

  Tucker slides his hand under my shirt. I can feel the rough callouses on his palm as he slowly runs a hand up my side, the other tightly holding my hip.

  Breaking away, he trails kisses down my jaw to my neck as he pulls my tank up and over my head. His tongue makes a slow sweep across my nipple before he lightly bites it. His other hand has slid into my shorts and he makes a growling sound when he realizes I’m not wearing panties. Gripping my ass in his big hand, Tucker lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist.

  Pulling his head back up to mine, I kiss him with every bit of passion I’m feeling in this moment. Rubbing my chest against his pulls another moan from both of us. My body is on fire. My center is now lined up perfectly with his very hard dick, so I slowly rock my hips against his.

  Tucker turns us towards the bed wrapping his arms tightly back around my waist to hold me up as my legs fall from his side. When my feet touch the floor he pushes me back onto the bed. My shorts are gone before my body stops bouncing. He pulls my legs over his shoulders with one hand, while pushing his shorts down with the other. Before they hit the floor he is lined up and ready to slam home.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  What the fuck?

  Who the hell is beating on my door this late?

  Tucker drops my legs from his shoulders. He reaches down for his shorts and pulls them back on, then drops beside me on the bed. “I don’t know who that is, but they have the worst fucking timing in the world.”

  “Whoever it is, I may kill them.”

  Tucker laughs a little at my threat. We are both a little frustrated and whoever is at the door better be there because someone is dying.

  Grabbing my clothes from the floor and reassembling myself, I make my way towards the door.

  Looking through the peep hole, I see Lexi standing there. I am going to beat her!

  I jerk open the door and I stare her down. I must look pissed because she takes a step back.

  “I guess I interrupted, huh?”

  “You know Lexi, I’ve heard of cock block, but you my friend have become a twat block as well.”

  “Wow, sorry, I needed some milk.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me right now! Milk? It’s like midnight! Why the hell do you need milk?”

  “For my cereal. You know I eat cereal before bed. I forgot to buy milk at the store earlier.”

  Rolling my eyes I simply point to the fridge. She can get it herself. I may choke her if I let go of this door.

  I’m still holding the door open, waiting for Lexi to leave, when she yells over her shoulder. “Sorry Tucker, just needed some milk, didn’t mean to be a cock block!” Winking at me she runs out the door.

  I can hear Tucker laughing as I slam it shut, nearly missing her ass.

  When I enter my room, I see him stretched out on my bed, one arm thrown over his eyes. This is a sight a girl could get used to. Moving his arm, he motions me over while turning over and lifting the cover so I can crawl under them. Then he pulls me close and curves his body against my back.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “She has the worst timing ever.”

/>   “It’s okay. We have plenty of time,” he whispers, placing a soft kiss on the back of my neck.

  “I want that time, Tucker. I want every second.”

  “Me too, Brenna. Me too.”

  In Tucker’s arms is where I’m meant to be. What I feel when he’s near is something I’ve never felt before; content, safe, home, a forever kind of love.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tucker

  Waking up with Brenna in my arms has to be the best feeling in the world. It’s something I want to experience every morning for the rest of our lives. I lean over her to watch her sleep. She’s beautiful inside and out, but she doesn’t realize it.

  She was never one of those girls who were overly concerned with their appearance. Why would she be though, with such natural beauty? Simply put, she takes my breath away every time I lay eyes on her. Always has. Always will.

  We’ve talked about so much, but there’s so much more to say. I can finally feel our paths merging into one.

  Brenna’s body moves as she sleeps, and I need all the control I can muster to keep from flipping her onto her back and burying myself inside her. Gripping onto her hip, I try to hold her still. If she keeps on rubbing her ass against my dick like that, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.

  “Be still, Brenna.”

  I hear her soft giggle. This little shit knew exactly what she was doing. Rolling her over onto her back I give her the sternest face I can manage.

  “Good morning, Tucker.” She smiles up at me.

  “Good morning to you too,” I say as I lean down to kiss her softly. She tries to deepen the kiss. I pull away and grin down at her instead.

  The look on her face is adorable; she’s seriously scowling at me right now. I lean down and place a peck on her nose before rolling over and out of her bed.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Bathroom, if that’s okay with you. Thought about brushing my teeth and taking a shower, too.”

  She sighs. “Sometimes you’re a smart ass. You know that?”

  She throws her pillow at me when I give her my biggest smile.

  Jerking her cover away, I grab her ankle and pull her across the bed to me. I lean over to place my mouth so close to her ear, my lips brush it with every word. “One of these days in the very near future, you will love this smart ass.”

  I remove myself from the bed and head to the living room for my overnight bag. As soon as I pick it up, I remember the pendant necklace I put inside to give to her. Unzipping the side pocket and reaching in, I pull out the little velvet bag that it’s been in here all these years.

  Both bags now in hand, I drop one in the bathroom and take the other to Brenna, who I see is still lying in the same position on the bed.

  “Get up, woman. I’m hungry.”

  Brenna laughs. “You think I’m gonna cook for you, Tucker Wade?”

  “I’m hopeful. I’ll even give you a prize if you do.” I hold up the small bag.

  Brenna jumps out of bed like a little girl who was just told Santa came last night. “Give me.”

  I hold it high and out of her reach, laughing as she jumps, trying to grab onto it. There is no way she can reach it. I’m at least a half of a foot taller than her. She grabs my arm with both of hers and pulls down with all her weight.

  So here is this woman, literally hanging from my arm, trying to get a present. I can’t help but laugh. Some things never change.

  “Greedy little thing, aren’t ya?” I lower my arm a little so her feet touch the floor, and as soon as she lets go I raise it back over her head. “You gonna make me breakfast?”

  Pouting, she has one hand on her hip, the other out palm turned up, waiting for her gift, her little foot tapping away. She is absolutely adorable.

  “I’m gonna take that as a yes.” I drop the bag, but catch it right before it hits her hand.

  “Tucker! You’re so mean!” Her foot stomps again.

  Laughing, I lean down to kiss her. When my lips are a breath away from hers, she nips my bottom lip, making me groan. She may very well be the death of me. Wrapping one arm around her waist, I pull her against me as close as possible and kiss her like it’s our last time.

  I can’t take too many more of these moments before I lose all control. So, taking a step back, I hold out the bag for her to take. She hesitates for a moment and I can tell she’s up to something. She must think I’m not going to hand it over this time.

  She places her small hand on my chest and rises on her tiptoes, planting a kiss at the base of my throat. Then she snatches the bag, runs around me, and out of the room.

  I rush out of the room and find her in the kitchen, holding up the necklace in one hand, covering her mouth with the other. When she looks at me I see a tear escape and roll down her cheek. I stop in my tracks, unsure if that’s a sad tear or a happy one. The last thing I ever want to do is make her cry.

  Brenna runs across the floor and launches herself at my chest, throwing her arms around my neck and placing soft kisses all over my face. If this is how she reacts to a pendant with an old tree engraved on it, I can’t wait to see what she does when I buy her something else.

  “Oh my God, Tucker! I love it! Thank you so much.”

  “Did you look on the back?”

  She releases her hold on me and steps back, flipping it over and reading the words I put there six years ago; Forever Mine

  “I don’t know what to say. I love it. All of it,” she says as another tear falls. I don’t know if she knows exactly what the engraving signifies, but I’m hopeful it will spark a memory.

  “It was your sixteenth birthday present. I was planning to give it to you the day after your party.”

  Her eyes fall to the floor. “And I ruined it.”

  I know she feels guilty, but it’s not her fault. She didn’t know I was coming for her. We need to get all this out in the open, so we can put it behind us. The sooner the better.

  “I almost threw it away,” I say. “Mom came in and caught me. She took it and said she was putting it up. She told me that day to bide my time and one day you’d be mine again.”

  “I’m so glad you didn’t throw it away. And she was right. I will be yours again, Tucker, if that’s what you want.”

  I pull her close again and hold her tight. “That’s what I’ve always wanted, for as long as I can remember.”

  “Then you have me.”

  After sharing another kiss and stepping back, I tell her to get to making me some breakfast while I shower. This earns me a smack on my bare chest, and her a slap to the ass as she turns around.

  She lets out a squeal and jumps a little before she laughs. I smile like I was just handed the key to the city as I head back to the bathroom for a quick shower.

  One thing’s for sure, no matter what the next few weeks bring; I plan on keeping my girl, for now and for always. Just like the engraving says. She is forever mine.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brenna

  Smiling from ear to ear, I set out to make us breakfast. When I take out the bread and eggs to make French toast, I remember I have no milk. Damn Lexi! I swear I may kick her ass before the weekend is over.

  I go outside to beat on her door like I’m the police ready to serve an arrest warrant.

  Lexi jerks her door open. “Fuck, Brenna. I thought you were the police.”

  “Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it Lexi? I hope you were sleeping, too.”

  “I was, and almost pissed myself when the pounding woke me up. Talk about a rude awakening.”

  “Yeah, well, your timing sucks, so we’re even. I need my milk so I can fix Tucker something to eat.”

  “You’re cooking? This I have to see.”

  “Shut up, hooker! I can cook.”

  I follow Lexi inside while she goes to the fridge to grab the milk. I’m still in my night clothes, so standing outside on the sidewalk isn’t the best idea. When she comes back and hands me the milk, she notices my necklace.r />
  “I’ve never seen this before.”

  “Tucker just gave it to me. He got it for me six years ago.” I flip it over to show her the back.

  “Oh my God, that’s so sweet. That man has it bad.”

  “You think?”

  “Jeez, Brenna. Open your eyes. That man is crazy in love with you and I’m betting he has been since y’all were kids.”

  “I hope you’re right. Well, throw on some clothes and come on over to eat if you want. The door will be open.”

  I go back to my apartment and see the bathroom door still closed. Good thing French toast doesn’t take long to cook or he may starve at the rate I’m going. I head to the kitchen to heat up my flat grill.

  About five minutes later, Lexi strolls in. She jumps up on the counter, watching the food cook like that will speed it up. I really love Lexi. We’ve known each other since our freshman year, and since she’s pretty much a loner like me, we get along great. We keep each other company when we’re bored and lonely and keep to ourselves when we’re not.

  “Where’s Tucker?” she asks.

  “He’s in the shower.”

  “Did he tell you that I ran into him in the parking lot last night?”

  “So that’s what took so long. What did you do, Lexi?”

  “Me?” she asked, pointing her finger at her chest. “I didn’t do anything but talk to him.”

  “About?”

  Just as she’s about to answer, I hear the bathroom door open. I really hope he’s dressed since Lexi is here. I don’t need her drooling over him when she sees his body wearing nothing but a towel.

  “Lexi’s here, Tucker. Just so you know.” I say loud enough for him to hear.

  Lexi’s jaw drops. “Damn, Brenna. I was hoping to catch him like he caught you yesterday.”

  I scowl at her. “Shut up and watch the food while I run to the bathroom.”

  When I come back into the kitchen, Lexi grins at me and hops off the counter, taking a seat at the table.