Propose To Me

by Caroline Andrus

  Possessively, Dustin’s hand slid into the top of her jeans, reaching down to cup her womanhood, the soft, swelling folds already moist with her excitement. He slid a finger inside then gently rubbed. Cori groaned, then pulled away, going for Dustin’s shirt, pulling it over his head. Then she unbuttoned his jeans, sliding them down so he could step out of them.

  Dustin picked her up in his arms, and then carried her to the bed. He lay her down, his hands roaming her flushed, warm skin, his mouth sucking and teasing until she couldn’t stand it any longer.

  “I want you,” she whispered, freeing him from his confining underwear. “Please take me.”

  Dustin needed no further encouragement. He slid on a condom procured from his jeans, spread Cori’s legs and slipped inside. Entering easily to stroke her body with his own, Cori and Dustin began moving in rhythm. Unhurried, their movements were slow, wanting to enjoy each other instead of rushing their lovemaking to its inevitable conclusion. As much as the couple both wanted to come, they had both waited too long for this moment to hurry it one moment faster.

  ~ * ~

  Cori gave a groan, and then turned in Dustin’s arms to face him, her naked thighs brushing his. He opened his eyes and looked down at her sleepily, a huge grin on his face. “Marry me?” he asked, drawing her small body tight against him.

  Cori laughed with a nod and gave him a kiss. As they separated, she murmured, “I’m glad you didn’t wait any longer for the perfect moment to ask me, or I was going to have to ask you instead.”

  “This is the perfect moment,” Dustin said huskily, looking into her eyes. “You’re in my arms. We’re together, like we always should have been. And you love me like I love you.” He brushed his lips gently across her cheek. “It doesn’t get any more perfect than this.”

  “I’m glad we want the same things,” Cori said softly, hugging him. “I wasn’t sure we’d ever be on the same page.”

  “We’re in the same book, in the same chapter, reading the same page,” Dustin said lovingly. “Trust me, I wasn’t going to miss this chance.”

  “I’m glad we finally got it right,” Cori said dreamily as she caressed his cheek, running her fingers through his hair. “But I want more than one, if it's okay with you.” She giggled, seeing his expression. “Moment, that is. Not that I’d be opposed to more of the other shared joys later today.”

  “This is just the first of many,” Dustin assured her. “I promise you that, my sweet Cori.” Then he pulled her close for a passionate kiss.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Tara Fox Hall is an OSHA-certified safety and health inspector at a metal fabrication shop in upstate New York. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics with a double minor in chemistry and biology from Binghamton University. Her writing credits include over twenty short stories published in the nature magazines Catnip Blossoms, Meanwhile, and On The River. Her short horror stories have appeared in Deadman's Tome, Flashes in the Dark, Halloween Alliance, and Ghastly Door. She also coauthored the essay "The Allure of the Serial Killer," published in Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). She divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals of all species, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice.

  Works by the author with Melange Books, LLC

  The Promise Me Series

  Promise Me, Book 1

  Broken Promise, Book 2

  Taken in the Night, Book 3

  Taken for his Own, Book 4

  Promise Me Anthology, Book 4.5

  Immortal Confessions, Book 5

  Her Secret, Book 6

  Point of No Return, Book 7

  Lost Paradise, Book 8

  Dark Solace, Book 9

  Eye of the Storm, Book 10

  Tempest of Vengeance, Book 11

  Connect with Tara at:

  www.tarafoxhall.com

  RUNNING LATE

  by Caroline Andrus

  For my mom.

  She introduced me to books and I’ve never looked back.

  ~ Present Time ~

  The time on the clock sitting on the nightstand flashed 3:43 PM, taunting Paige and reminding her of her relentless lack of punctuality.

  “Shoot!” she cried as she pulled her sweater over her head and grabbed her cell phone from her bed. She was supposed to meet her boyfriend at the coffee shop in exactly two minutes.

  For the past few weeks, Will had been acting strange and Paige was starting to worry. She would ask him what was up and he'd just say, ‘Nothing’ and change the subject. They used to spend nearly every free moment together, but lately he was making excuses to get away from her. It felt like he was hiding something.

  Logically, she knew she was probably being crazy, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone else. It had been seven years since they’d first met and their relationship had reached a plateau; things had to change one way or another, and she was terrified that he was bringing their love story to an end. She had convinced herself that he wanted to meet her in public so that he could break up with her quietly, somewhere she wouldn't make a big scene.

  ~ * ~

  ~ Seven Years Ago ~

  “How much?” Paige asked the barista. A stray lock of hair escaped the messy bun she had pulled her long, ash brown locks into earlier, and was now dangling in her face. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed the offending stray hair behind her ear, and struggled to pull her wallet from the book bag she carried, which weighed in at roughly one hundred and twenty pounds of college textbooks.

  “No charge,” the barista replied.

  Paige looked up from her struggle in surprise, her wallet temporarily forgotten.

  “Huh?” she asked, pushing that pesky stray hair out of her face once more.

  “You're covered.”

  Paige blinked in surprise. “Is this one of those 'pay it forward' things?”

  The barista shrugged. She looked around conspiratorially before leaning in to inform her, in a hushed voice, “See the guy wearing the blue hoodie, sitting at the table in the back corner?” When Paige went to turn around, the barista whispered, “Don’t look at him now. He’s watching us. When you walked in I was at his table, refilling his coffee, when he asked me to charge your drink to his card.”

  The barista left and Paige casually looked over her shoulder and spotted him instantly. He was watching her. When her eyes locked with his, he glanced down, appearing to be trying to hide his smile.

  Paige quickly turned back to the counter and frowned. Did she know him? He didn't look familiar. Paige was pretty sure she'd remember those haunting brown eyes. Of course, Paige was usually running late and didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. She sure paid attention now, though. He was super cute, with short brown hair and a tan complexion. Though his hoodie and jeans covered his body, he appeared to be physically fit as well.

  She made her way to the other end of the counter and waited another minute for her drink, her eyes continuously making their way back to the handsome young man.

  When her drink order was up, she carefully grabbed the paper cup and held it in both hands, appreciating the warmth after coming in from the chilly, fall weather. She summoned all the courage she could muster, spun around, squared her shoulders and made her way to his table.

  “Thanks,” she said, stopping beside him. His focus was on a textbook resting on the table in front of him. Despite his intense focus on the book, she noticed his eyes weren't moving across the page.

  He looked up and gave her a shy smile. “You're welcome.” There was an awkward pause before he said, “Would you like to sit down?”

  She felt her face flush and nodded, taking the seat across from him. She was completely self-conscious of her appearance. She'd been running late for her morning class and had made it just in the nick of time, but only at the expense of looking like an abs
olute slob. Clearly, he must have felt sorry for the girl sitting in front of him who looked like she lived on the streets.

  “Thanks,” she said, her eyes locked on the coffee cup in her hand, her fingers tracing the letters printed on the paper. She removed the lid and blew on the piping hot liquid; steam rose and fogged her glasses. She had been in such a rush she hadn't even had time to put in her contacts.

  “I've seen you around,” he said.

  Was that hesitation she detected in his voice? “You have?” she said in surprise.

  “Yeah. You always come in here around this time.”

  “Oh.” She couldn’t deny she was a creature of habit.

  “I'm Will.”

  “Paige. Do you go to the U of M?” she asked. They were near the college she attended, which was why this was her coffee shop of choice, close to both her dorm and her classes.

  He nodded. “Yeah, I'm a junior. Majoring in Business Management.”

  “I'm a freshman. Undecided.”

  Is he too old for me? she wondered. She was eighteen and fresh out of high school, that meant if he was a junior, he was at least twenty-one. She'd only had one boyfriend in high school and he'd been the same age; she'd never had the confidence to really date.

  “Still don't know what you want to be when you grow up?” he asked her playfully.

  She laughed. “Nope. Not a clue. What made you decide on Business Management?”

  They spent the next hour talking about school and family and life. Paige was completely smitten and she was pretty sure he was, too. Especially when he asked for her number, then programmed his own into her phone. They parted ways when Paige realized she had only ten minutes to get to her next class and it was a fifteen-minute walk.

  Will offered to walk with her, but she respectfully declined, needing some time to process her coffee date. Was it a date?

  She spent most of that class—and the next class—daydreaming about Will instead of concentrating on the lectures. She hoped nothing covered that day would end up on the finals.

  ~ * ~

  ~ Present Time ~

  Paige grabbed her purse from her dresser, knocking a framed photo to the floor.

  “Shoot!” she cried, hurriedly reaching down and grabbing the frame. Thankfully, it was not broken. She paused a moment to smile at the image before her, a photo of her and Will on their first date. She returned it lovingly to the dresser, and slung the purse over her shoulder, after throwing her phone inside.

  ~ * ~

  ~ Seven Years Ago ~

  “What if he doesn't call?” Paige worried, staring at her phone.

  “He's going to call.”

  Classes were over for the day and she was lying on her stomach on her bed, staring at her phone. She'd shared all the juicy details about her meeting Will with her roommate, Lauren, who was playing the part of reassuring friend.

  “What if he doesn't?”

  “Shut up!” Lauren exclaimed with a laugh. “He's going to call. If everything you told me about this morning is true, he's as into you as you are into him.”

  Paige rolled onto her back, her phone still clutched in her hand, and shut her eyes.

  “You're probably right. He did really seem to be into me.”

  “Of course I am.”

  Before either girl could say one more word, Paige's phone began ringing. She stared at it. ‘WILL’ was displayed in big, bold letters.

  “Omigosh! It's him.” Paige stared at the device, which continued to ring and vibrate in her hand.

  “Answer it already!” Lauren insisted.

  “Oh, right.” Paige hit the talk button and said, “Hello?”

  “Hey stranger,” came Will's voice from the other end of the line.

  Her heart fluttered up into her throat and she smiled.

  “What's up?” she asked, trying to keep her cool.

  “Just finished classes for the day. I was wondering if you had dinner plans.”

  Lauren had come to sit beside her on the bed and had her ear pressed to the other side of the phone, trying to make out Will's side of the conversation. She gave Paige a thumbs up.

  “Um...not really, I had planned on just eating down in the mess hall.”

  “Well, if you could bring yourself to break those plans, I was hoping I could take you out.”

  “I suppose the mess hall would understand if I cancelled,” she tried to joke.

  “Do you like Italian?”

  “Who doesn't?”

  “Good answer. Can I pick you up at 5:45?”

  “Sure.”

  She gave him her dorm info and made plans for him to meet her in front of the building.

  “Oh. My. Gosh,” she breathed as she hung up, clutching the phone to her chest.

  “Told you he'd call,” Lauren said with a smug smile. Paige watched as she stood up from the bed and walked to Paige's closet.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You're not wearing that on your first date, are you?”

  She glanced down at her U of M hoodie, old faded jeans, and worn sneakers.

  “No. It's a wonder he even asked me out after seeing me like this.” She felt her face heat up in embarrassment as she pushed the stray hair out of her face once more.

  “I'll help tame that beast, too.” Lauren gestured to Paige's hair.

  “What would I do without you?”

  “Let's hope you never have to find out.”

  Will had called at about four thirty, so the girls had plenty of time to make Paige presentable.

  After a shower and a wardrobe change, followed by hair and makeup, Paige was ready.

  “There,” Lauren said as she bobby pinned the last stray hair out of Paige's face. “He'll wonder if you're even the same girl!”

  “Hopefully that won't scare him off,” Paige said with a laugh. “He did buy coffee for the me with the untamed hair and grunge clothes.”

  “He probably thought you were homeless,” Lauren joked.

  Paige glared and punched her friend playfully in the arm. She couldn't be too offended since she'd had the exact same thought after all. “I don't do mornings.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  At 5:40, the girls headed down to the front entrance of the dorm. Lauren insisted on escorting Paige, under the pretense of being a witness, just in case Will was actually a serial killer. Paige knew the real reason; her friend wanted to get a good look at Will, to see if he lived up to Paige's description.

  It was exactly 5:45 when a green SUV pulled to a stop in front of them. Paige waited with baited breath until she saw Will step around the front of the vehicle and smile at her. He looked delicious in a nice pair of blue jeans and a crisp button down dress shirt. Until that moment, she hadn't been aware that college guys even owned dress shirts. She hadn't been quite sure what to wear herself, but Lauren had insisted that you can never be overdressed. She had said, “It's best to look better than everyone else, versus looking like a slob in comparison.” Therefore, Lauren had helped her pick out an earth tone print dress from Paige's closet, paired with Lauren's brown cowboy boots and brown leather jacket.

  “You look amazing,” Will said as he stopped directly in front of her. They stood awkwardly for a moment, neither quite sure of the appropriate greeting. A hug? A handshake? Surely it was too soon for a kiss.

  Lauren broke the tension. “Hi, I'm Lauren, Paige's roommate.”

  “Will,” he introduced himself, offering Lauren his hand.

  “Now, I want you two to have a good time, but I expect her home by 9:30,” Lauren deadpanned.

  Will looked confused for a brief moment before Paige cut in. “She's kidding.” She forced a laugh, then glared at her friend.

  Lauren grinned innocently. “But seriously, before you go, stand next to each other and smile!”

  Will put one arm around Paige's shoulder. Even through her jacket, she could feel the warmth of his hand on her skin, sending tingles of pleasure straight down her arm. She looke
d up at him, a smile on her face. Lauren quickly snapped a couple photos on her phone and said her farewells.

  “Shall we?” Will gestured to the SUV.

  “Let's shall.”

  Will opened her door and helped her in, then returned to the driver's side.

  “Where are we eating?” she asked to fill the silence.

  “Have you ever been to Donatelli's?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  “It's a family restaurant in a suburb northeast of here. They've been around for years and years. My parents took me and my sisters there a lot as kids.”

  “Sounds good,” Paige replied. “How many sisters do you have?”

  “Two. I'm in the middle. Rachel is twenty-five and Sarah is seventeen.”

  “Do you get along with them?”

  “For the most part. I think there's a big enough age gap between each of us that we don't have as much sibling rivalry as we would have if we were closer in age.”

  Paige nodded.

  “What about you?” Will asked.

  “What about me?”

  He chuckled. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “Nope. It's just me.”

  “Do you like being an only child?”

  She shrugged. “I don't have anything to compare it to.” She paused in thought for a moment. “I always picture myself having at least three kids though, in the future.”

  Was it bad dating etiquette to talk about how many kids you want on a first date? She blushed, afraid she'd made a faux pas. Too late now.

  “Only three?” Will asked. She looked up at him in surprise, his face was dead serious. “I want at least seven. Maybe more.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

  He broke into a grin, then laughed. “No. I don't think I could handle that many. I want at least two—that much I know.”

  Paige tried not to smile. She failed miserably and broke into a fit of giggles as well.