TWENTY-FOUR
Luke
I was slumped over her body where she lay on the counter. My jeans were wrapped around my ankles and I was fully sated and exhausted. But I lifted myself off her limp body; she was as worn out as I.
“I guess you weren’t the only one who learned a thing or two in college,” I whispered against her ear as I got up.
She giggled as she rubbed her cheek against the marble countertop.
“Bathroom?”
She pointed in the general direction of the hallway adjacent to the living room and I took off.
When I returned, she was sitting up on the counter, her skirt properly adjusted and her hands folded demurely in her lap, as if I hadn’t just rocked her world. I walked right up to her and kissed her pretty mouth. She sighed and moved to put her arms around me again. But I knew where that would lead.
“Let’s talk,” I suggested and helped her off the counter.
We sat on the couch and she tucked her body into mine. We were comfortable as we sat and the silence wasn’t as bad as it had been before.
When she hadn’t answered my declarations of love, I immediately assumed the worst. But that kiss had broken the tension and it seemed to free her mind. Her love was all I needed in this life.
“So, can we kick your roommates out or should we just find our own place?” I asked her.
She turned to look at me, fear in her eyes. “You want to live here?” She sounded incredulous.
Wasn’t that what I’d said just a few minutes ago?
“Of course. I mean, it doesn’t have to be this apartment, although, let’s be honest—this place is spectacular! I could see us living here for a while. Until we decide to buy a condo or something,” I explained.
She just stared at me.
“You want to live here?” she whispered again.
I nodded. She shook her head.
“Mallory, it took you leaving me twice to realize I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life without you. My truck is parked downstairs and it’s loaded with all my stuff. I hope some of this furniture is yours because I left everything to Wolfe, who is taking over my apartment lease,” I told her.
“But…,” she trailed off, her eyes closing as she searched for the words. “I just got back from the leasing agent for this place. I took my name off the lease and I have twenty-four hours to get out.” She laughed.
“So, we’re homeless.” I laughed along with her.
“Not exactly,” she said slowly. She looked deep into my eyes. “I haven’t sold the house yet.”
“Your dad’s house? I thought you wanted to live in Boston.”
I didn’t want her to put her dreams on hold for me.
“Yeah, well, it turns out I just wanted to figure out if I really belonged here. After the situation today, plus so much more, I think it’s safe to say this isn’t the place for me. But I had to make sure. Even when I got back here, I felt out of place. Casper is home.”
I was happy to hear her say it, but I still worried about the small town life not being enough for her. I opened my mouth to voice my fears but she stopped me.
“It will all work out,” she promised.
***
A few days later, we were back in Casper, living in her childhood home. We’d spent that entire night in Boston talking about our future, and we were both scared to death. But we were in it together. From there, we agreed to trust each other with our true thoughts, no matter what.
We met our group at The Landing for drinks to celebrate Mallory getting a job at the local bank. She didn’t want all the fuss, but our friends were dying to know everything that went on while we were in Boston. Well, the ladies were. The guys just pounded me on the back and Baker whispered in my ear.
He smiled. “It all comes back to sex.”
I laughed aloud as we grabbed our usual table and everyone ordered a drink. I stuck to water and announced I would be the designated driver. Rainey still wouldn’t drink alcohol, but she lifted her glass of cola to toast Mallory’s success.
“To Mal’s new job as junior bank manager!”
We all clinked glasses and I met Mallory’s eyes over our glasses.
She winked at me.
About the Author
Dawn Pendleton lives in Maine with her husband and their dog. She spends most of her time writing about strong heroines and sexy heroes. When she isn’t writing, it’s not uncommon to find her with her nose in a book or her eye behind the lens of a camera.
You can catch up with Dawn on her website: http://www.dawnpendleton.com