“No more lies.”
“No more lies.”
“No more walls to keep me out.”
She nodded, this one harder for her. “No more walls. But Lance? You’ll have to help me with that one.”
A small smile tilted the corner of his mouth, finally softening the seriousness of his expression. “I know, sweetheart. We’ll work on it together.”
She nodded, this time going up on her toes to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her, dragging her up against him, and she opened for him. When he broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard. His eyes roamed her face again, and he nodded once, like he was agreeing to something in his own mind.
Taking a step back, he held her at arms’ length. “Wait here.”
“What?”
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.” And with that he turned and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Lance moved quickly in the bedroom, not wanting to keep Abby waiting. First he got the ring out from where he’d stashed it, sliding the small velvet box into his pocket. Then he got the lighter out of the nightstand and lit the candles that they had in the room, one on each nightstand and a couple on the dresser. He would’ve liked more, but he hadn’t planned on doing this today. Lighting up the living room and kitchen with candles would’ve been better. But he was tired of waiting. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He was doing this now.
Tidying up the stray dirty clothes on the floor and straightening the sheets and comforter on the bed, he scanned the room one more time. This would have to do.
With a deep breath, he opened the door. Abby still stood in the middle of the living room where he left her, one arm hugging her body, the fingers of her other hand tugging at her lower lip. Her eyes met his, questioning.
Taking her by the hand, he led her into the bedroom, shutting the door so that the room was lit with the warm glow of candlelight. He backed her up to the foot of the bed and had her sit down.
She looked up at him, the golden light making her skin luminous, her eyes dark blue pools. Uncertainty crinkled her brows together. “Lance? What’s going on?”
He took her hands in his and gave her a smile that he hoped was reassuring. Kneeling in front of her, he scooted close enough so he could loop his arms around her.
Her hands went to his shoulders, a little smile appearing on her lips, but that crinkle of confusion still on her face. “What are you doing?”
“Abby, when I met you at that party this summer, you intrigued me. You rolled your eyes at me when I tried to charm you and snarked at me when I tried to flirt. You made me work hard for every date, every kiss, every step forward. And I fell in love with you for it. You’ve made me better, stronger, more confident than I would be on my own. If I hadn’t met you, I’d be living in Texas, working at my dad’s shop, miserable. You gave me the courage to take a chance, to live the life I wanted, and not the one planned for me.”
He tightened his arms around her, afraid she might try to interrupt him. But she let him speak. “I hope that I’ve made your life better, made you better, too. I want us to keep making each other better forever.” Letting go of her with one hand, he pulled the ring box out of his pocket, settling back on his heels so he could open it and show her the ring. He swallowed, meeting her eyes, that shone with unshed tears once again. “Abby, I love you. So much. Will you marry me?”
Her hand covered her mouth while she took a deep, shuddery breath. Then she threw her arms around his neck. “Yes!”
He caught her in his arms, holding her tightly against him. She lifted her head, and he kissed her, pouring all his love and happiness into that kiss. His free hand slid up to cradle her head, his other arm clamped across her back. He held her still while their tongues slid together, tasting and twirling around each other. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.
Pulling back, he broke the kiss and set her down. She kneeled in front of him while he pulled the ring out of the box. He took her trembling left hand in his and slid the ring onto her finger. She held out her hand, admiring the way the candlelight glinted off the princess-cut diamond in a simple white gold setting. It wasn’t the traditional solitaire. He wanted something that fit her, something simple and beautiful, but unexpected. So he chose this stone set in a slim band that swooped alongside two faces of the diamond, holding it flat against her finger.
“It’s beautiful.” The smile she gave him when she looked up stole his breath. “I love it.”
He reached for her again, unable to not touch her for long. Not now. Not with his ring on her finger. She came willingly, settling on his lap, straddling his thighs and wrapping her legs around him, her arms wrapping around his neck as his came around her waist, their mouths meeting with a hunger that eclipsed their last kiss.
Gathering his legs beneath him, he stood and placed her on the bed without breaking contact, settling over her. He let out a low growl of frustration. He didn’t want to let her go, but their clothes were still in the way, and that was intolerable. With a supreme effort of will, he reached behind his neck and untangled her hands from his hair, pulling her arms away from him and standing, his chest heaving.
She let out a distressed whimper. When his hands started undoing the buttons of his shirt, she licked her lips and sat up, pulling off her own shirt. Impatient with how long it took to undo shirt buttons, more so with Abby already topless and undoing the button of her jeans, he got halfway down and pulled off his shirt and undershirt together, his pants falling to his ankles as Abby kicked hers off.
Naked at last, he pushed her further up the bed, settling himself between her thighs. He locked eyes with her while he nuzzled over her pussy, opening her with his fingers. “I can’t wait to make you mine.”
Her hand came down to thread through his hair, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I’m already yours.”
“And now no one can doubt it.”
Before she could respond, he licked her and eased a finger inside her. She gasped, her eyes closing and her fingers tightening in his hair, tugging on his scalp. Not enough to hurt. Yet. By the time she came, he knew his skin would be stinging, but he didn’t care. He liked it when she became so lost to her own pleasure that she didn’t realize how hard she pulled his hair or how deep her nails dug into his skin.
He set right to work, no slow buildup this time. He wanted her too much to draw it out. Soon her muscles clenched on his fingers, her breathless cries growing louder, her hips moving and bucking on his tongue, until she let out a loud, “Oh!” and her knees came up, his free hand holding her down and the angle of his shoulders the only thing stopping her from clamping around his head. Her fingers yanked on his hair, holding him tight to her center, and he happily obliged, pumping his fingers and sliding his tongue over her clit, sustaining the orgasm until she relaxed, her fingers slipping out of his hair.
Rising over her, he positioned himself at her entrance. Her eyes came open, drugged with pleasure, and she reached for him, pulling his mouth to hers as he entered her in a slow, slick glide. Moaning at the feel of her, he broke the kiss so he could stare down into her face, loving the way she looked all flushed and dazed from one orgasm and building up to another. She gasped with each thrust, her arms and legs wrapped around him, her pussy gripping his cock. This was his favorite place, wrapped up in her like this. Here, everything made sense. Everything was right. All the things that had gone unsaid, now out in the open.
And they had made each other promises. She was his. Soon it would be official.
That thought was enough to send him over the edge, grinding himself against her as he came, capturing her lips in another kiss.
Yes, this was where they both belonged. Together.
Epilogue
“I still can’t believe you waited this long to tell me, bitch.” Megan gave Abby another glare as she relinquished Abby’s left hand. She’d been giving Abby a hard time all week, since Abby had finally told her about the engagement.
Abb
y held up her hands defensively. “You were busy! You’d just gotten back from meeting Chris’s parents, then you were dealing with Matt and his crap.” She shot a look at Hannah. “Sorry, but …”
Hannah chuckled. “No need to apologize to me. I think Megan might want you to grovel, though.”
Her eyes still narrowed, Megan nodded primly and took a sip of wine.
Abby shook her head. “Well, whatever. You were dealing with Matt having his existential crisis and getting ready for your show. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bitch, please. You would’ve given me something to take my mind off all my other stress. Matt is a moody bastard when things aren’t going well for him. Good news would’ve been welcome!”
“Sorry.” Abby felt a little guilty. But every time she’d talked to Megan after Spring Break, Megan had needed to vent, and it’d seemed wrong to rub her own happiness in her friend’s face. And then Megan had her show, and Abby hadn’t wanted to steal any of Megan’s well-deserved spotlight. So she’d waited until afterward, which ended up being about a month after Lance had proposed.
Now they were at a wine bar called The Barrel Room in Northlake, a small town just north of Spokane. It had been Megan’s idea. She’d said they needed to have a girls’ night out to celebrate, and that they should go somewhere classy. Hannah and her roommate Elena had come too.
“So have you thought about a date?” Elena asked.
Abby shook her head, sipping her own wine. She’d gotten a sweet white wine, which had been suggested by the cute blond bartender. Megan had urged Elena to flirt with the bartenders when they’d first walked in, since Elena was the only single one there, but it had quickly become obvious that both guys were taken. A petite brunette sat at one end of the bar, and every so often the blond guy would come talk to her and lean across the bar and kiss her. Next to her sat a redhead sporting a small but obvious baby bump. At first it had seemed odd that a pregnant woman was parked at the bar, but the dark-haired bartender with the striking golden eyes obviously belonged with her. He was even more attentive to her than the blond one was to the brunette.
Watching the couples interact fascinated Abby, who didn’t have a frame of reference for what healthy married couples acted like. And the rings on the women’s fingers made her think they were probably married.
Megan clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait to help you plan the wedding. Are you going to have a long engagement and wait until after you graduate? Or do you want to just do it this summer?”
Abby shook her head again. “I don’t know. Lance said something about eloping. My mom won’t come regardless, and I don’t want my brother there, even if I knew where he was these days. I’m glad he took my advice and left. I just wish he hadn’t gotten money from Mom to do it.” She shrugged. “Anyway. Lance’s family will want to be there, and he’d like them there too, so maybe we’ll just do something small this summer, either up here or down there. We haven’t really decided.”
“I’ll start looking into places that would be good,” Megan said. “Even if there are only a few of us, you need a real wedding. I’m not letting you just go to the courthouse or The Hitching Post. You deserve a beautiful dress and to feel like a princess for a day.”
Conversation drifted to classes and summer plans. Abby resumed watching the couples at the bar, a warm glow filling her from their obvious happiness. Especially when the dark-haired bartender came around behind his wife, his hand on her belly. She could see them in profile looking into each other’s eyes, smiles on their faces.
Giggling drew her attention back to the table. Megan, Hannah, and Elena were crowded together looking at Megan’s phone.
“Oh my God! Your professor brought that up in class?” Hannah blushed, her hand covering her mouth.
Megan nodded, handing her phone to Elena so she could take a closer look. “Yes. We were talking about the role of art in shaping society. This speaks directly to women’s sexuality and encourages a healthy view of women’s desire. It was completely relevant.”
Abby immediately knew what they were talking about. Megan had showed her the series of paintings of male celebrities going down on women. "Oh my God, Megan. You're corrupting Hannah and Elena with those paintings too?"
Megan smirked. "Matt took care of that for Hannah a long time ago. And if Elena is living with Hannah, I doubt she's all that innocent."
Elena burst out laughing. "The titles! Holy shit. 'What's Gilbert Grape Eating.' That's priceless."
Abby and Megan exchanged a look. "Breakfast Hamm and Hey Girl were my favorite. We didn't get the one for Leo."
Hannah snorted. "That's because you probably didn't develop an obsession with Leonardo DiCaprio after seeing The Great Gatsby and watch every movie he's ever been in."
Elena rolled her eyes. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a movie from the early nineties that he was in."
"She's familiar with his entire body of work."
Elena muttered, "I wish I was familiar with his body."
Megan threw back her head and laughed. Abby chuckled too, shaking her head. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she looked down to see a text notification from Lance.
She didn’t even realize she was smiling until Hannah nudged her. “Look at that smile. It must be Lance. Sexting you?” There was a wicked gleam in Hannah’s eyes, even as her cheeks flushed from her own comments.
Abby chuckled. “No. He’s just asking how much longer I’m going to be.” She typed back, It might be a while longer. We’re having fun.
The three dots appeared, and he responded. Good. But I miss you.
She sent him back a lips emoji.
He texted her again a couple of minutes later. I can’t wait to be married to you.
Her smile felt like it might split her face.
Me either.
The End
We writers like to talk about how writing is such a solitary activity. And it’s true, it is. But it’s a group effort to publish a book. My group is small, but they rock.
A special thank you to Leslie and Deb for editing assistance. And to my beta readers, Nancy, Angelina, and Courtney. I always appreciate your feedback. And to my Book Junkies, who encourage me and reassure me that people do want to read these stories. And who said, “I love Lance and Abby!” when I mentioned the idea for this book.
Finally, thank you to my family for giving me the time I need to write. I’d go crazy without your support.
I’d also like to point out that the paintings discussed in the Epilogue actually exist. I discovered them when someone posted an article on Facebook from the Huffington Post. The paintings are from a series called “A Dream Come True” by Alexandra Rubenstein. You can find her work at www.alexandrarubinstein.com. When I saw the paintings, I knew Megan would love them, and had to find a way to bring them up. Check them out, as well as Ms. Rubenstein’s other work.
And thank you for reading.
I listen to music while I write, usually on Pandora. Songs come on that seem so fitting for the story I’m currently working on, so I thought I’d compile them in a list for you.
Better Place by Rachel Platten
Wake Me Up by Avicii
The Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers
Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips
I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
Flaws by Bastille
I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons
Home by Phillip Phillips
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Jerica MacMillan is a lifelong reader and lover of romance. Nothing beats escaping into a book and watching people fall in love, overcome obstacles, and find their happily ever after. She was named a semi finalist in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write 2015 contest.
Jerica is living her happily ever after in North Idaho with her husband and two children. She spends her days building with blocks, admiring preschooler artwork, and writing while her baby naps in the sling. Sign up to join her Book Club at www.JericaMacMillan.com.
Other Titles
Players of Marycliff University
Summer Fling, Book 1
One summer is all they have ...
Lance is a notorious player on and off the football field who never sees a girl more than twice. But with graduation now behind him, his days of carefree flirting are numbered. As soon as his summer internship is over, his parents expect him to return to Texas to take his place in the family business. He’s done everything he can to delay the inevitable, and he’s determined to live it up his last summer as his own man.
Abby comes from a world where men don’t stick around. Lance’s interest does nothing but put her on guard, especially when she finds out he’ll be leaving in less than two months. With two years left of college and a mom who relies on her for everything, Abby doesn’t have the patience for relationships that are doomed from the start. But Lance's persistence wears down her defenses. Abby convinces herself they’ll just have a summer fling, and she’ll be able to come through unscathed.
Unsaid Things (Players of Marycliff University #4) Page 19