Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

LETTIE

W hile he orders room service, I change out of my dress. Clean the makeup from my face and brush my teeth. I pop on my pajamas—cotton camisole and matching yellow boy shorts.

Still shocked that Dane flew to Florida to see me, a memory hits me.

Dane and I were about eight or nine years old, playing with his Stretch Armstrong. The action figure had blonde hair and a stocky muscular body that you could pull and twist. We put marks on the pavement with chalk every twelve inches and held onto an arm and a leg. Wanting to see how far he could stretch the toy before he broke, we started toe to toe, then backed up one foot at the same time. We made it to six feet each for a total of twelve feet before Stretch Armstrong's rubber skin spat. Of course, we pulled harder and stepped back another foot when what could only be described as goo leaked from his body.

I can't recall ever thinking about this moment before. What triggers memories?

"Damn, Le ttie, or should I call you Elizabeth?"

As he drinks me in, he takes a step forward, and I take a step back. We play this game until my back is against the wall. He has taken off his button down, leaving his washboard abs free to admire.

I know he's upset that Jasper called me Elizabeth.

"Is that what you're going by now? Lettie isn't good enough. Do you want me to call you Elizabeth?"

His words are like phantom slaps across my skin. He knows the only one who called me Elizabeth was my mom and dad.

"No."

He runs his strong hands over his jaw. "Why?"

"You know why."

"So, why are you letting someone you just met call you Elizabeth?"

I shrug as he tilts my chin so that our eyes collide. Pushing my words up my throat, I say, "Jasper said it sounds more befitting an Olympic Champion."

"Lettie baby, when are you going to understand that you're perfect the way you are? But I have to admit I'm scared that you're letting this guy control you. And I don't care what name they announce you as or what scrolls across the bottom of ESPN, I just don't want another man…"

"It's not like that. He's hard to argue with, so I just let him call me whatever he wants."

Dane's br ows pinch together, "So Elizabeth is the answer? That doesn't sound like my Lettie Bug, letting people boss her around."

"In fairness, it's easier to be bossed when I'm on my meds." I chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood. "Are you going to kiss me, or are we gonna argue about my name?"

"Kissing you isn't enough, baby." With one thumb caressing my face, and the other hand stroking my legs, he presses his knee between my thighs, spreading them wide, pushing my boy shorts to the side. "If you need to relax, don't have expensive wine with someone else. Come to me." The pads of his fingers sweep through my folds, leaving me breathing heavy. "I can't stand to think of you looking like ten stars out of five with another man. That dress… those heels… your hair in the comb I gave you."

My eyes close at the sound of his gruff voice.

"What do you need from me, Elizabeth?"

"Don't call me that. I hate that name."

"What do you need from me?"

"I need you to love me."

His lips lightly touch mine. "Done." He slides his middle finger into me. "Lettie, I've always loved you and always will. Never thought I would explore your body or feel your juices on my fingers, but now that I have… I'm not letting a guy like Jasper convince you that you aren't good enough the way you are."

He pumps in and out while pressing his thumb against my clit. Circling. "I've missed you. I've missed this," I pant.

The soft assault continues against my center, and our desire only intensifies until we reach our destination, breathless and fully consumed by each other.

With my head resting against the wall, feeling utter bliss after another blinding orgasm from my boyfriend's fingers. "Do you remember when we tested Stretch Armstrong?" I raise my head to look at Dane's face.

"You're thinking about Stretch Armstrong? I must need to up my game." He gives me a soft smile, but his eyes are questioning.

"I was just thinking maybe you could stretch me and twist me like we used to do to him."

A mischievous grin explodes across his face. "So bad. But yeah, baby, I'll do anything and everything you want. If you want to experiment, I'm down. Does my bad girl want a little pain?" He pinches my bundle of nerves, and I yelp.

My neck and face feel one hundred degrees, embarrassment causes me to look away. He brings my chin back to center. "Don't be embarrassed. We're sharing this part of our lives now, and I want it to be honest and true. If I'm not giving you what you need, tell me."

"You do. But what if I'm not living up to the fiction in your head?"

"You're the winds of a hurricane. You're the feather falling from the sky. You're the girl cruising with the top down, enjoying life. Baby, you're perfect to me. Just the way you are. And if I want something from you, I'll ask. Lik e now, I want you to sit on my face. I need an appetizer."

I slap his chest playfully, but he discards my pajama shorts and picks me up. I wrap my hot center against the ridges of his abdomen. They should be illegal, not over-defined like a weightlifter, but better than any athlete I've seen. I'm sure Brooke, Adalee, and Harper would argue that their man has the premier body.

He lies on the bed and pulls my center toward his face. Dane knows how to please me, stroking me soft then hard, lapping me, then striking with precision. I finish just when the door chimes and the food arrives. He wipes his mouth on his forearm. Shades of pink kiss my skin as I run into the bathroom.

Returning in my pajamas to the living area, Dane has Netflix pulled up. " Remember the Titans or After ? I know you read the After series."

"Honestly, can we watch a movie that leaves me laughing? Anything Jennifer Anniston."

"Old school, I like it."

He turns on The Good Girl . I grab a chicken finger and throw it at him, but he just picks up another one, dipping it into the ranch, and rewards me with an effervescent smile. Then he feeds me. "Open." I part my mouth, and he sticks it in an inch or so. "If I have one job now, that's to feed your body and your heart."

I bite off the end, chewing under his gaze. "I give you an A plus. I may give you extra credit after the movie."

He tugs me into his shoulder, and he presses play. As I snuggle into his naked chest, an overpowering sense of happiness washes over me. We're cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie like we've done hundreds of times, but now we're more than best friends—we're a couple.

I wouldn't let myself believe that my crush on him would ever get to the next level. He never let on that he felt the same way. Yet here we are, wrapped up in each other, and it feels like we're meant to be. As a content sigh escapes me, I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling grateful for this moment and for the person beside me. He looks down at me, brushing a stray hair from my face, making my heart flutter.