“I’m coming!” Nate yelled back.
“Tell Colin, I said to back off.”
Colin was Nate’s based friend. They’d met in boot camp and were fortunate enough to be assigned to the same Ranger unit once they’d finished their training. I liked Colin, but it was also fun to mess with him—the same way he did to me.
“All right.” The voices on the other end got softer as Nate pulled the phone away from his mouth so that he wasn’t yelling in my ear. Even so I heard a muffled, “Dani says to back off,” before there was what sounded like a tussle over the phone and I was no longer talking to Nate.
“Hey, beautiful, you want me to back off?”
“If you’re going to keep interrupting my conversation then, yes.”
“Aww, come on. You know you love talking to me.”
“I doubt that,” I laughed.
“Haha. Well, I only stole the phone to say congratulations on the new job!”
“Thanks, Colin.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll give the baby back the…umpf…phone.” He squeaked the last word.
“Hey, baby,” Nate said.
“Did you punch him?”
“Yep, right in the stomach. All right, Dani, I gotta get back, but I see you when I get home. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
With nothing to do for the night, I decided to take Marissa up on her rain check, so I sent her a quick text to see if she still was up for having dinner. While I was waiting for her to reply I hit play on my iPod. A few minutes later she texted back that she was in, and after a bit of back and forth, I let her pick the restaurant and we decided that she would pick me up at seven. She had wanted to see the new apartment anyway.
With Nate off this weekend, I had no desire to spend it unpacking and since there were still a few hours until Marissa arrived, I decided that I was going to finish sorting through our stuff, even if it killed me.
After a few hours of blood, sweat, and tears, the apartment was unpacked. And I said blood because thanks to the pocketknife I was using to open boxes, I’d managed to sustain a nice slice to the finger. Giving a quick glance to the clock on the wall, I realized I had about an hour to get ready, which was just enough time to jump in the shower and then get dressed. Since it was summer and I wasn’t sure where we were going, I opted for a simple yellow sundress paired with brown wrap sandals. I figured the outfit would work no matter where we went.
A little past seven there was a knock at the door. It really wasn’t a surprise that Marissa was late but I was impressed that it was only by a few minutes, because that was actually quite early for her.
“Hey, honey,” Marissa said as I stepped back to let her in.
“Hey, thanks for coming over tonight,” I said as she pulled me into a hug.
“Well, it sucks that Nate has to work late, but we still have to celebrate your new job.”
“Yeah, he’s off all weekend so we’ll do our own thing then. Do you want the tour before we go?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I do.”
I gave her a full tour of the apartment. We had two pretty big bedrooms, an eat in kitchen, plus a small dining room. The living room was rather large compared to most of the other apartments we’d seen, and we had two full bathrooms.
“Danielle, this place is gorgeous. I love it.”
“Thanks. It seemed like it took forever to find it, but once I saw it I knew we’d found the right place.”
“All right, are you ready to go?”
“Yep, just let me grab my purse. Where are we heading anyway?”
“I called and got reservations at Paisanos.” Paisanos was an wonderful little Italian restaurant. The food was amazing and since it was a smaller establishment it was hard to get a table sometimes.
“With such short notice? How did you manage that?”
“Let’s just say I pulled some strings.”
With Marissa that usually meant that someone owed her a favor. I picked up my purse and we made our way out the door. The drive wasn’t very long and before I knew it we were sitting in the parking lot outside the restaurant. When we made it up to the hostess, Marissa gave her name and we were lead to a little seating area in the back, hidden by a wall.
When I turned the corner, I was shocked to see who was waiting for us.
“Surprise!”
That moment you’ve been waiting your entire life for.
“What are you guys doing here?”
Sitting around a rectangular table were my mom and dad, my brother, and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis.
“I thought…I thought you weren’t coming until next weekend,” I stuttered.
My mom got up from her chair to wrap her arms around me in a warm hug. “Oh, honey, we’ve been here for a week. We wouldn’t miss this celebration for the anything. My baby is now out in the world. New apartment, new job. I’m just so proud of you.”
“Whose idea was all of this?” I looked to Marissa, hoping that she would tell me, but her hands flew up in surrender.
“Don’t look at me. Nate had no idea he’d have to work tonight.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through my body, making me feel lighter than air. Nate had planned this party for me. It would have been so much nicer if he’d been able to get off base, but I was going to enjoy what he’d taken the time to do. I turned back around to the table only to be enveloped in a hug by my dad.
“Hey, kiddo. I can’t believe my baby’s gonna be a lawyer. I am one proud papa right now.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’m so glad you guys were able to come. Did you miss much of Williamsburg to get back here on time?”
“Nah, we finished seeing that place a week ago. We’ve just been hiding at the house until tonight.”
“Hey, brat.” I turned to see my brother, Liam, standing there.
“Hey, loser, how ya been?”
“Actually working, unlike other people I know,” he said with a smirk that turned into a grimace when I punched him in the arm. “Ow! Damn. Gotta tell Nate to stop teaching you how to fight back,” he laughed, still rubbing his arm.
“Yeah, well next time I’m gonna have him teach me how to take you all the way down.”
My brother and I had always been close, but that didn’t stop us from loving every moment of banter. Liam wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed me on the head. “Nice work on the job. Oh, and now that the two of you are living less than ten minutes away, I better see much more of you after tonight.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll see so much of my pretty face you’ll get tired of me.” I laughed.
“I doubt that. Now go say ‘hi’ to everyone else. You can tell me all about your new job later.”
“Thanks, Liam.”
Finally, I made my way over to Nate’s parents where both of them wrapped me in a hug. “Congratulations, Danielle. We are so happy to be here to celebrate with you. Nate really wanted to be here,” his mom said.
“Thank you for coming, Kathleen. And you, Paul.”
“We wouldn’t miss it. How’s the apartment?” Paul asked.
“It’s perfect. I actually finished unpacking this afternoon.”
“Baby girl, you better tell me that boy of mine did a lot of the unpacking yesterday or he’s gonna hear from me for making you work so hard,” Paul said with a smile.
I giggled. Nate’s dad was always so protective of me—about as much as my own father. “He actually did a lot of it himself. He has so much more energy than I do.”
Kathleen put her arm around me. “That’s good to hear.”
Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned to see one of the waiters. “Excuse me, if you wouldn’t mind taking your seats we can start by getting everyone’s drink orders.”
“That sounds perfect,” Marissa chimed in. Wow, she was very excited.
The table was long and rectangular, and had two extra place settings. I could only assume that Nate had planned on Colin being there as well. It made me a lit
tle sad to think that Nate was going to miss dinner, but I couldn’t let it ruin my night.
Liam stepped behind me to pull out the chair at the head of the table for me, and then took the seat on my right. Marissa took the seat on my left, and my parents chose the seats next to Liam. Finally Nate’s parents sat down next to Marissa, but this made the two seats at the end of the table stand out even more.
Once everyone was seated and our drinks orders were placed, the waiter returned to the table, an envelope in his hand. “Miss Renton? Someone just dropped this off for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the envelope and instantly I recognized Nate’s handwriting on the outside.
Danielle, my love.
I looked around the table and answered their questioning looks. “Nate had someone drop this off,” I said, holding up the envelope.
“Open it,” Marissa encouraged.
Peeling back the flap, I found a handwritten letter inside. It was so like Nate to write a letter to me since he couldn’t be there. As tech-savvy as he had to be for his job, he never took the easy way with me.
Read out loud was written on the front of the folded sheet of paper. I opened the letter and began to read.
My dearest Danielle,
From the first moment we met, I knew there was something special about you. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, or where it might lead us, but what I do know is that you hold a special place in my heart. I always hoped someday that connection would lead us down the path we are on today. A journey where anything is possible, as long as you’re willing to make the trip.
Danielle, you will always be my one and only true love. I will love you with everything I am for the rest of my life.
Nate
P.S. Turn Around…
My head snapped up to see everyone starring at something behind me. With shaking knees I stood up and slowly turned around and there was Nate, in full fatigues, on bended knee, holding out a box containing a gorgeous ring.
“My beautiful Danielle, please say that you’ll spend the rest of your life as my wife.”
The tears spilled over my lashes at the beauty of his proposal. It was everything I’d been waiting for. Nodding, since I was unable to speak, I threw myself into his arms, almost knocking him over in the process. He pulled back slightly so that he could press his lips to mine in one of the sweetest kisses we had ever shared. There were catcalls and cheering behind us, but it wasn’t enough to make me break the connection of our lips. It was only when it became a choice between ending the kiss or collapsing from lack of oxygen that I pulled away.
“You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet,” Nate whispered as he slipped the ring onto the third finger of my left hand. It was absolutely stunning. A single round stone surrounded by glittering diamonds set into the platinum band.
“Nate, it’s beautiful,” I said with complete awe in my voice.
Then I remembered the trick he’d played on me and smacked him in the arm.
“Ow, what was that for?” he laughed.
“That was for tricking me and making me think you weren’t coming tonight.”
Nate stood up and offered me his hand to help me to my feet. Before he let me turn around he bent down and whispered in my ear, “Yes, but admit it, it was more romantic that way.”
I had to smile at that. “You’re right, it was.”
When I turned to face our families, I saw the tears in our mothers’ eyes. Marissa looked like she was going to jump out of her skin, she was so excited. Nate’s arm wrapped around my waist.
“Thank you all so much for coming. I wanted to make this day special and I can’t wait to make this beautiful woman my wife.” He looked down at me. “I love you, Dani.”
“I love you too”
Apparently, Marissa couldn’t wait any longer because she started to screech and ran at me.
“Oh my God, honey, I’m so excited for you!” She pulled us both into her arms.
“Thanks, Marissa,” Nate said with a chuckle.
Hugs were passed around from all of our family and friends and in among the melee, I noticed that Colin had joined us. Our mothers oohed and ahhed at the ring, telling Nate what a wonderful job he did picking it out, while our fathers took turns shaking Nate’s hand. Liam gave me a bear hug, practically lifting me off the floor, when Colin came over.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Colin. So did you know he was hiding from me tonight?”
He smiled. “I did, that’s why I came in during his phone call to you. I didn’t want him to ruin the surprise.”
Stepping up on my toes, I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you guys,” he said with a smile.
Once the excitement died down we were able to take out seats again. Marissa moved to the other end of the table, with Colin taking the seat across from her so that Nate could sit next to me. He linked his fingers through mine and held on until dinner arrived.
All through dinner the conversation never faltered. We talked about my new job and the types of cases I would be handling. The restaurant had brought out a bottle of champagne for us to toast and even though dinner was delicious, dessert was even better. Although, that was when the questions kicked off.
Everyone wanted to know when we were getting married and I felt like shouting, “For crying out, he’s only just asked me!” I hadn’t had enough time to absorb the idea, let alone think of specifics. The only thing I did know was that I’d been waiting for what seemed like forever to have Nate’s ring on my finger, and I didn’t want to wait too long to put a ring on his. So I told them not to worry, the wedding wouldn’t be that far away.
When dinner had finally ended, Nate and I said our goodbyes to our family and friends. It was a good thing that Marissa had picked me up earlier because I was able to ride home with Nate. We considered going out to celebrate, but I wanted to go home to spend some time alone with him. There would be plenty of time later for a celebration with the rest of our friends.
The ride home took almost no time and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire way. This had to be one of the best days of my life. The job and man of my dreams—how could life get any better? We walked into the apartment and Nate’s eyes widened in shock.
“Everything’s done?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Yep. I wanted to be able to spend the weekend together, without having to worry about unpacking.”
He lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine. “Do you know how absolutely amazing you are?”
“Of course.” I giggled, which turned into a whimper as Nate kissed down my neck, stopping to suck at my pulse point for a moment.
He lifted his head to look at me. “Now I want to show you how wonderful I think you are.” Taking my hand, he led me to the bedroom. Time seemed to stop the minute we stepped over the threshold and the look in his eyes as he stood in the middle of the room, his legs slightly apart, his tongue running over his top lip, his eyes tracing a path down my body, was enough to set my skin on fire, and I felt as if I would melt from the inside out. I licked out over my bottom lip, watching him slowly clench and unclench his fists. He was trying to keep himself under control, but I could tell he was losing the battle when his hands started to shake. Finally, he stepped over to me, plunging his hands into my hair and bringing his face down to mine. His tongue parted my lips and slid into the warmth of my mouth.
Testing.
Tasting.
Teasing.
My feet shuffled backwards until the back of my legs hit the bed but Nate didn’t stop moving. It wasn’t until he’d pushed me down onto the bed and covered his body with mine, did he lift his lips.
His eyes held mine as his hands slid down to the hem of my dress, pulling it up and over my head. All I wanted was to feel skin-to-skin contact and Nate didn’t disappoint when he removed his shirt and let it drop to the floor with mine. The muscles that defined his chest and abs were smooth to t
he touch. Giving into my desire, I ran my hands up his torso, feeling every inch of him as the scent of his cologne overtook me. I skimmed my hands across his nipple, hearing his sharp intake of breath.
Once again, he covered my body with his, lowering his head to devour my lips. Warm, wet lips trailed a path down my neck, stopping to suck on the pulse point that he knew was my weakness. When his tongue swirled around the same spot, my back arched and a low moan escaped my lips. Even after all our years together, I could never control my body’s reaction to his touch and he took advantage, sliding my panties down my legs while his teeth and lips continued their path down to my breasts. The nerves around my nipples spiked with feeling as Nate’s tongue slowly flicked across the tight bud. But the delicious torment didn’t stop there. Strong, supple fingers slid down and he began rubbing slow circles around my clit.
“Oh God, Nate, please…” I begged.
His mouth lifted from my breasts, but only to toss a wicked smile my way before moving to tease the other nipple without so much as a word. When his finger slipped into me, he groaned.
“You are so responsive to my touch,” he whispered. One finger became two as he began to glide them in and out, his thumb still creating a delicious friction across the sensitive little nub. My body was bombarded with sensation and I cried out, only to be silenced when his lips reclaimed mine. Wasting no time, his fingers slipped from my body and he left the bed to quickly remove the rest of our clothing. Seconds later, I felt the head of his penis as he created small, slow circles, causing my body to tighten in anticipation as he gently pushed into me.
“Shit, you feel good.”
The thrusts of his body combined with his scent surrounding me made for a sensation filled combination. The long powerful strokes did their job in bringing my body to the edge and it was only a few more deep plunges before his eyes clenched shut and his release surged into me, sending sparks of pleasure rippling through my body, setting off my own release. With shaking arms, he let his body slip from mine and collapsed on the bed next to me. We were both panting heavily, trying to catch our breaths.
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