Fearless

by Rachel Van Dyken

“Y-you…” She covered her mouth with her hands.

  “I?” Grinning, I pulled her into my arms. “Yes?”

  “You.” Her lower lip trembled. “You bought us a house.”

  “I did.”

  “The house I saw last time we went to that bed and breakfast across the bay—the house with the red door.”

  “Yup.”

  “The house that wasn’t even for sale when we first saw it.”

  I shrugged sheepishly. Yeah, it had been hell to get the people to move out, but when I offered them twice the market rate and told them my story, I was almost afraid they were going to try to give it to me for free. Had they not been an elderly couple that vacationed in Florida half the year I wouldn’t have even pushed it.

  “Look again,” I whispered. “This time see if you can’t focus on the large bay window in the front.”

  Kiersten, shakily lifted the binoculars back up to her face—but this time when she saw the rest of the surprise, she dropped them and fell into my arms sobbing.

  Because above the window I’d had a metal sign made for all to see.

  It read simply…The Beginning.

  Chapter Eleven

  Emotions are a funny thing. They drive us to either make good or bad choices, they can either make our day or ruin it. Emotions for the most part cant’ be trusted because a lot of times, they help us justify our own bad behavior. They allow us to stay mad at someone, to take offense, to keep forgiveness at bay because we’ve been hurt or are still hurting. That’s why, I can honestly say, when I look at Kiersten? It’s not my emotions speaking—but my heart. Because the heart is pure in its pursuit—whereas your emotions can cause you to stumble. Why in the hell would I want to stumble in the race towards owning every part of her soul?—Wes

  Wes

  When Kiersten didn’t stop crying, I panicked. Had I gone too far? I knew she was still sensitive about everything that had happened, but I wanted to prove to her that the house we bought…it was our new beginning. The fresh start, the one we had dreamed about, the one we’d stayed up late in the hospital to talk about.

  I rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, but if anything, my touch made it worse. She didn’t stop trembling.

  And then without a word, she shot out of the chair and freaking attacked me—not in the sense that the tiny girl beat me with her fist and it tickled like she had a feather in her hands. Hell, no. She launched herself into my arms, wrapped her legs around my waist, and kissed me so hard on the mouth that I stumbled backwards, nearly colliding with the sliding glass door and giving myself a concussion.

  With a grunt, I gripped her body in my hands and lifted her higher so I wouldn’t’ drop her then returned her kiss.

  With. Every. Damn. Ounce. Of strength I had.

  Kiersten’s response was to drop the jacket I’d lovingly placed on her shoulders and claw at my shirt.

  Denying her would be like willingly shooting myself in the foot.

  I freed up one of my hands and opened the sliding glass door then stepped through and shut it behind us. Kiersten opened her mouth, sucking on my tongue, making my knees shake a bit and blood roar in my veins. Where the hell were the bedrooms? I saw a living room, I saw no bed, I saw a hallway, okay hallways were good, right? Because they led to rooms?

  “Holy shit.” I bit off when Kiersten’s nails dug into my back. Was my shirt off? How? How was that physically possible? I’d been holding her and then…I looked around, pieces of my shirt lay around the floor. I broke off our kiss. “Tell me the truth—were you Wonder Woman in another life?”

  Kiersten’s answer?

  Her clear green eyes narrowed as she wrapped her arms tighter around my neck and tugged my ear with her teeth.

  “Yup,” I said hoarsely. “We’ll get you spandex later.”

  Gently, I let her slide down my body and set her feet on the floor. Staring into her eyes, I smiled, and then I grabbed her hand and made a run for it. I was the romantic guy, the one who took things slow, the one who wanted to savor every moment with the girl I loved.

  But right then? In that moment? I was a man possessed with such an obsessive need to claim what was mine—that I ran.

  I freaking ran.

  Like I was going for a Superbowl Ring and I dragged Kiersten behind me.

  I pushed the first door open.

  Bathroom. I groaned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

  Was I sweating?

  Kiersten tugged my arm towards the end of the hall, and opened the door.

  We both froze.

  She dropped my hand and covered her face.

  White daffodils were spread across the bed in the shape of a heart. In the middle, our initials stood out against the red satin.

  A small trail of orange and yellow daffodils led us to the bed and to a waiting desk with a bottle of champagne and a card.

  Kiersten picked it up and nodded once, twice, then shook her head and handed it to me without saying anything.

  Snatching it, I read the first few lines.

  Wes Freaking Michels. HAH! Fun fact, Daffodils are symbolic of new beginnings and fresh starts. Thus, the reason your room is littered with them. Saylor never wants to see another daffodil in her entire life so please, keep all flowers contained lest she stuff one in my mouth while I’m sleeping. I love you two. I was trying to think of a wedding gift that would do you both justice—that would show my love for my best friends. All that kept coming to me was that you guys got a second chance to write a very original story. A love story. One that’s so epic that even your grandchildren won’t believe it. So here you go. Attached to this note is a pen. I wrote the first part, hope you don’t mind. Enjoy your wedding night, enjoy the new beginning, and know…you’re stuck with me forever. Tell Kiersten not to roll her eyes. It’s rude.

  Laughing, I grabbed the simple pen that was taped to the card and flipped it over to see what Gabe had written.

  “Girl runs into boy…” I read aloud.

  Kiersten looked down at the card and read the next part, “Girl feels up boy.”

  I chuckled while Kiersten crossed her arms and scowled.

  “Boy chases girl.”

  “Girl—” Kiersten’s voice was hoarse. “—decides she wants to be chased.”

  The next part was hard for me to read, I wasn’t sure why.

  Kiersten put her hand over mine and slowly spoke for me. “Boy gets very sick.”

  “Girl—” I held Kiersten tight. “—sticks by his side.”

  “Boy and girl…” Tears streamed down Kiersten’s face, and she sniffed softly before she continued. “…fall asleep holding hands, and he tells her that even death couldn’t keep him from a lifetime of her smiles.”

  A tear fell from my face onto Kiersten’s head as I murmured, “Boy lives.”

  “Girl lives,” she whispered.

  “They lived,” we said in unison…

  The last line was a picture of us together with a giant heart drawn around it. Under the picture Gabe had written… So LIVE.

  Chapter Twelve

  Love is beautiful. A gift from God. I think it’s sad, how easily we throw around the word without actually understanding the sacrifice behind its meaning. Love in its definition isn’t about a strong feeling towards someone, but an action. If people truly understood what it was—our world would be changed. Love is sacrifice, it’s holding someone’s hand even though you know they can’t feel it, like Gabe did with Kimmy. Love’s watching someone lose all their hair, and still finding them to be the most beautiful person you’ve ever come across. Love is more action than feeling…Love, isn’t just the way Wes looks at me, but the way he serves everyone around him as if he is nothing—and they are everything.—Mrs. Weston Michels

  Kiersten

  Wes placed the card back on the table, and his hands had a slight shake to them as he leaned his weight against the wood.

  The room was silent, except for our breathing.

  “You.” Wes nodded wi
thout looking at me. “Are a gift.”

  It was one of those moments where I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to answer him, I wasn’t sure if he needed me to or if he was going to say more. All I knew was that I already felt the need to cry and I had no idea why!

  “Historically, gifts were brought to kings in order to honor them.” Slowly, Wes moved away from the table and approached me, sinking to his knees on the floor. “People would travel all over the world, bringing their most prized possessions to place them at the feet of king they wanted to honor.”

  He gripped my hands, his blue eyes flashing with determination. “It’s weird, wanting to honor the gift rather than the recipient. But here I am, on my knees, in front of the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received. If a king was placed behind you, if an entire monarchy was watching me fall to my knees, I’d still fall. I’d still lay down in front of the gift rather than the ruler, because the gift is that precious to me. More than gold, more than diamonds, more than the most expensive jewels in the world. You are more rare…” He cupped my face, brushing a kiss across my lips. “…than the rarest of jewels. I’d search the world for you. If I lost you, if you lost me, I’d never stop searching…for the gift, for you, not the King, because the treasure is you.”

  Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t…. Did this happen to people? In real life? The most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on, one of the richest men in the world, an NFL player was on his knees in front of me telling me that I was the most precious thing in the world.

  Every girl should be told her worth the way Wes was telling me of mine. In that instant, my heart soared and I experienced true security. All because he told me I was important, special…a treasure.

  Sniffling, I joined him on the floor, moving closer until we were chest-to-chest, both of us on our knees. “Then you’re my gift.”

  Wes’s gaze never wavered from my face.

  “If there was a king behind you, an emperor, a czar, I’d still honor the gift before I honored the recipient.”

  Wes’s forehead touched mine.

  I reached out and touched his skin. The shirt he’d been wearing was in pieces in the other room. “Should I honor the gift now?” I asked breathlessly.

  Wes’s brow furrowed as if he was confused. And then my hand moved to his belt, easily slipping it from his pants.

  “Yeah.” His smile was warm, inviting. “I think—” His voice cracked. “I would like that.”

  Wes’s mouth was on mine, coaxing it open with his tongue before my hands were able to move any farther. My fingertips paused on his skin, feeling his warmth, memorizing the way his every exhale responded to my touch.

  “Sweetheart…” he whispered, lips grazing mine over and over again like he was nibbling and tasting rather than kissing.

  “Hmm…” My hands were seriously paralyzed, as if I wanted to peel back every layer of clothing separating us, but I could only focus on one thing at a time, and right now, he was tasting me and that was all I could think about. The way his tongue pressed against the inside of my mouth, the way he kissed, it was like he was trying to make love with his mouth—before anything else ever even happened. No wonder I had fallen hard and fast for the man—he was, incredible.

  “I’m going to help you take off your dress.” His mouth moved to my ear, kissing my neck and then returning to my ear to whisper, “And then…” his voice trailed off.

  My heart pounded. And then? I waited, but Wes was already working with the zipper of my dress. In a swift movement, he had me pulled to my feet as my dress fell to the floor.

  He stared at my silver stiletto heels and then slowly, his gaze rose from the heels to my knees, where he stopped again. I fought the urge to hide, his stare was so…hungry, so possessive. When his eyes reached the garters, he cursed softly, tore his gaze away, then cursed some more.

  Wes reached out and pulled my hips towards him. “I have this really stupid, male desire to just…” He shook his head. “Damn, to just rip apart every stitch of clothing you have on. With my teeth. Then put it back on you, only so I can enjoy the feeling of my teeth grazing your skin as I rip those garters back off again. Over and over again. I doubt I’d tire of the process. Then again, it just prolongs the inevitable.”

  “The inevitable?” I pressed my body against his.

  “Hell.” He closed his eyes. “The inevitable, when I’m inside you.”

  Inside.

  The word itself caused my entire body to flare to life. Adrenaline surged through my system. “So, what are you waiting for?”

  Wes chuckled. “Oh, I’m not waiting, I’m…taking a time out.”

  “A time out?” I repeated. “Like in Football.”

  Wes licked his lips and winked. “The quarterback needs to tell the rest of the team the play.”

  “You’re a one man team.” I pointed out.

  “Oh sweetheart…” He captured my mouth with his briefly then pulled back. “It’s cute that you think that.”

  Before I had a chance to respond he lifted me into the air and carried me over to the bed, I had no choice but to wrap my legs around him and hold on as he softly joined me, his body hovering over mine.

  “I’m not sure if I should be horrified that you think I’m a one-man team…” Wes slowly lowered his head to my thigh and winked. “Or amused.”

  My body arched as he bit the garter, his tongue dancing around the inside of my thigh as he explored every inch of territory, his teeth emerged, nibbling the same place he’d just kissed.

  I let out a moan.

  “Teeth, tongue…” Wes peered up at me and crooked his finger. “And imagine, that was just my mouth.”

  “Uhh—”

  He silenced me by very slowly peeling down the stockings, throwing the garters behind him, and then tilting his head as he examined my lacy white underwear.

  I shifted uncomfortably. It was nerve wracking having a man that beautiful stare at me like that.

  “Remind me…” He leaned down, kissing the white lace at the top of the panties. “To buy out Victoria’s Secret.”

  “Hilarious…” My raspy laugh turned into a gasp as he slowly peeled the panties down and continued kissing.

  “Nothing funny about it.” He blew across my skin. “I just want to see you in nothing but this for the rest of my life—that too much to ask?”

  “N-no.” His fingers grabbed the thin piece of material holding the underwear in place, and slowly slid them off. What I saw in Wes’s eyes made my heart soar. It wasn’t just approval, it was awe.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Every touch. Every caress. Every brush of skin against skin was like getting a shot of electricity directly into my heart. It was like being brought back to a world of light, after a lifetime of darkness. –Wes Michels

  Wes

  There were no words I could use to explain to Kiersten what I saw when I looked at her.

  I’m sure they existed. I just didn’t know them yet or hadn’t been gifted with adequate logical thought to pull them out of the air and use them. I was too distracted by her red hair and green eyes, and the white garters that seriously almost stopped my heart all over again.

  And then her tan skin against the white? It was too much. I actually wondered if it was possible for a man to have a stroke just because his sensory organs were taking in too much all at once.

  Like being placed in front of a strobe light or something.

  My eyes couldn’t open wide enough.

  My hands couldn’t explore enough.

  Damn, but God had had perfection in mind when he’d made this girl. She was….just…beautiful, effortlessly so.

  From her high cheekbones to her mop of red hair spilling all over the white satin pillowcase.

  I hadn’t really had a lot of control to begin with. So I knew I was on borrowed time as she tilted my chin up and then leaned down to kiss me.

  That one touch. That one innocent kiss. Was enough to set me on fire. />
  With a growl, I pushed her back onto the bed, pressing her body into the mattress, covering her with my own. With one hand I cupped her face while my other caressed her side.

  Kiersten’s hands moved to my pants. I lifted my body off her briefly so that I could slide them off.

  But sliding hadn’t been her plan. She broke off our kiss and with a jerk used both hands to tug my pants down. I didn’t have time to stop her or tell her to go slower or try to be romantic—because her next action rendered me unconscious, or maybe just speechless?

  Boxers? Gone.

  Nothing.

  But.

  Skin.

  If there was ever a time to cry tears of joy—now would be it. Kiersten wrapped her arms around my neck, and our bodies fit, so perfectly that it had to be a trick of the mind. How was that even possible?

  I tried slowing down my kiss, the retreat was so hard it was painful, but Kiersten held onto my head so tight that I couldn’t help but plunge my tongue into the depths of her mouth and lose myself.

  Kiersten let out a tiny moan as my hands moved to brace her hips, and then I slid inside her, slowly at first, only because I knew if I went any faster, I would cease to make the night memorable for her.

  Kiersten’s hands dug into my back, causing me to arch up and take her with me… “Shit,” I muttered through clenched teeth. The friction of the movement almost made me black out.

  “Oh…” Kiersten’s eyes fluttered open then closed. “Did I hurt you?”

  “What?” I roared. “No, no, not hurting, definitely—” I stopped talking. What the hell was I doing? “Yeah, Kiersten, it hurts, right here.” I kissed her softly and then pushed farther into her, then retreated. “Think you could help with that?”

  She shrugged innocently, then locked her legs behind my back, pulling me all the way into her body—inviting me in, coaxing me, killing me.

  Sweet death.

  Everything about her was warm—tight—perfect. I gritted my teeth together.

  “How’s it feel now?” Her mouth met mine in a frenzied kiss.