“Fine,” she whimpers, and I can’t resist the urge to give her a preview of what’s to come.
Backing her against the wall, I run my palms down her shoulders. I want to pin her arms over her head and give her more than a taste, but even with blood filtering to my dick, I’m aware of her triggers. She feels safe with me, and I’ll never do anything to undermine that; instead, I trail my lips across her collarbone to the hollow of her neck following the arching curve that leads straight to her mouth.
I kiss her slowly, savoring the lush fullness of her lower lip, groaning as she flicks her tongue over mine as our mouths open to one another. Together we’re learning the fine art of taking it slow. So far, it’s been very rewarding.
When I finally pull away, she’s flushed. I tap my fingertip on her nose. “I’m going to drag the bed upstairs,” I say, tacking on, “for tonight.”
She bites her lip as she nods, and I almost lose my resolve to continue unpacking until she gently shoves me away. “Let’s get to work then.”
“By the way,” I call to her on my way out the door, “I promised Max we’d get Chinese tonight.”
“It is Sunday,” she says with a smile that grips my heart.
Grace Kane loves me. Every time I realize it, I fall in love with her all over again. This woman who sings too loudly in the car and loves too fiercely. She’s not as fragile as she thinks she is, but that doesn’t stop her from caring too much. She’s learning boundaries. We both are. Every day we take new steps—together and apart—but we always find our way back to each other.
There are a hopeless amount of boxes in the living room. We’ve managed to clear out both trucks, but it will take weeks for us to sort through the lives we’ve brought along with us. I find Grace sitting cross-legged on a stack of boxes.
“I’m not ever sure where toilet paper is,” she admits.
“We can grab some on our way to dinner."
She frowns at this suggestion. “I thought we were going to eat here.”
“Do you know where the forks are? Or plates?” I ask her. "It's easier to go out."
“They’ll give us chopsticks.”
She’s determined to undermine my plan to get her out of the house.
“I think we need to get away from all the chaos for just a little bit.”
I offer her my hand and she takes it. Pulling her to her feet, I swat her butt. “Now, get upstairs and change.”
“I don’t think I need to get dressed up for the Lucky Dragon,” she says, just as Max appears on the stairs wearing his button-down and tie.
“Well, he’s dressed up,” I say, pretending to be surprised.
She grumbles something about setting the bar too high and races up the stairs. I join her, opening my overnight bag and pulling out a towel.
“I thought you didn’t know where towels were,” she says.
“I like to be prepared,” I tell her. “Plus, I knew I’d be a hot mess by the time we finished today.”
"You're my hot mess." She kisses my shoulder on her way to check boxes.
I shower quickly, allowing the hot water to soak into my sore muscles. Pausing as it streams over me, I center myself. I’m here with her. I’ve given Grace her dream, and in doing so, made mine come true.
When I finish dressing, I comb my hair and encourage myself in the mirror before I finally head downstairs.
“This is all I could find,” she says, motioning to a breezy summer dress.
I frown, realizing I should have packed for her as well. “I don’t want you to be cold."
“I won’t be with you beside me.”
“Where did you find that?” She motions the slate gray button-down I’ve paired with jeans.
“I labeled my boxes really well,” I tell her with a wink, and she rolls her eyes.
We take her car. I had to pull out every trump card I had when her old Civic finally bit the dust, but she'd finally let me buy her a Grand Cherokee. She couldn’t argue that it would be a safer and more reliable car for both her and Max.
We pile inside it after I double-check that Max is bolstered properly.
“I do wish that we’d been able to have our first dinner at home,” she says wistfully, her eyes lingering on our house as we drive toward the Lucky Dragon.
“Next Sunday we’ll do it right, Sunshine,” I promise her. “We’ll have Renee over, and we’ll know where the dishes are.”
She laughs at this, taking my hand as I maneuver the steep road. “I guess you’re right. It’s one less thing to stress about.”
There’s been so little stress in my life now that she’s in it. I no longer find myself preoccupied with the past. Although, I do look to the future. It’s easier to enjoy every day now that I have her to share my life with.
The Luck Dragon’s parking lot is empty as we pull in. That’s not unusual since it’s mostly a take-out joint, but as we reach the door, we find a sign, “Closed for a private event.”
“Oh no!” Grace cries as she reads it.