Perfectly Loved Page 12

  He leaned forward and I immediately regretted asking the question. His green eyes shone as they filled with lust. Oh, I knew that look well. Actually, too well. It was the same one that made me tense my thighs, got my blood rushing through my veins, and fuzzed my brain like fog on a spring morning. It made me weak. Each time he gave me that look, I knew what would come next — me. And it would happen within the next twenty-four hours, whether at the mercy of my hand… or his tongue.

  “We can just go right upstairs to that attic, get naked, and do what I know we both want. Because, sweet pea, that’s where I’m planning to fuck you before you leave the mountains. I’ll take you in my arms, flip you over on that same bed where we made love for the first time, and I will remind you exactly why we’re so good together.”

  He didn’t just say that! Surprised at the little drip in my underwear while my heart rate jumped up before starting its marathon. Somewhere deep inside I wanted him to do exactly that, and he knew it.

  “I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth.”

  “Said the girl who begged me to fuck her two months ago,” he said with pride.

  Hey, I’d had a moment of weakness! While April – who was, after all, my best friend – was trying to build a relationship with the new man in her life, and loneliness filled my schedule, I had fallen prey to Dave’s dazzling eyes, hard mouth, and swift tongue. Recalling that moment, delectable shivers covered my body, swirled around my nipples, hardening them, and flew down between my legs where the swell was becoming unbearable. And now I’d need to change my panties before I did anything else.

  Mrs. Bowers was squealing from the side. She looked like she was enjoying this better than a party with the imaginary ghosts she sometimes claimed visited her on a weekly basis. I still couldn’t believe we were having this conversation right in front of her. This was probably more action than she’d gotten in decades. He came closer, took my hand, and rubbed his finger over my knuckles. He was definitely pulling out all the stops today. I felt my mouth dry, and if it hadn’t been for Mrs. Bowers sitting so close to us, I would have probably stripped him right there.

  “Come on, put what happened in the past aside for now. You can start avoiding me again after the weekend.”

  “You know, this could be my last Thanksgiving. I’d love a home cooked meal instead of eating out of the can,” Mrs. Bowers added. Given she had food delivered every third day, I knew she was exaggerating. Besides, we’d been here almost a week ago, and I’d bet that fridge was still full. Why did she want us together so badly? Probably for entertainment purposes. But then again, she had always been an advocate for me and Dave. I wasn’t going to win this round, but I’d show them yet! If there was anyone who had enough determination to make this Thanksgiving a good one, without Dave throwing me over his lap, it was me. I could remain civil no matter how much hotness oozed from his pores.

  But what was it exactly that I wanted to show them? How stubborn I could be? How set I was I to live on my own and continue on my terms and not anyone else’s? I shook my head and decided not to overthink things. Still, if I was going to be stuck here, held captive by the naked hunk who turned my body into mush and an old witch who had all of a sudden learned how to laugh, then I’d make the best of it. I always did. Besides, I had a few questions of my own for Mrs. Bowers that I needed answered. We were in the middle of nowhere, and I was one with nature. If there was anyone who could cope with these two, it was me.

  Only I didn’t expect Fate to have a funny sense of humor that came in the form of an old lady whose last wish would knock me off my feet.

  Chapter 12

  Dave

  Eleven years earlier

  “Happy Birthday!” I yelled out, as soon as Millie joined us in the kitchen that third morning. For me, it had been three long days of planning and preparing for this perfect day. For the past three nights, when everyone was sleeping, I snuck up to the attic, rearranged the boxes, opened the window to get rid of the stale air, and swept, dusted and cleaned the entire room. It now resembled one of the downstairs bedrooms. And thank goodness there was a mattress. It was old, but still in fair condition. Unless Mr. and Mrs. Bowers came up here at night, I doubted they’d ever see the changes I’d made.

  Yesterday, under the pretense of getting groceries, I took the truck and I drove to the general store, where I’d bought invisible glow-in-the-dark paint. I picked up a set of fresh sheets and a pillow as well.

  “What is all that for?” Justin asked as he loaded the cart.

  “None of your business.”

  “Well, now I really want to know. What about these?” He pointed to the fresh sheets. “Did you wet yours at night?”

  “Fuck off, Justin,” I warned. I loved my brother, and it felt weird for me not to share my secret with him, but I couldn’t risk Millie finding out and getting embarrassed over the sheets I was planning for us to use.

  As I sipped a cup of coffee, Millie shuffled her feet toward each one of us, blushed, and thanked us for the small gifts. She got a light scarf from April, a new organizer from Justin, and a handmade, wooden jewelry box from me. It was for her necklace, which she wore on special occasions. As she came into my embrace, I asked, “Where’s your necklace?”

  “I left it at home.”

  “Happy birthday,” I said to her again, my voice lower and full of meaning. Her cheeks turned red once more, and I wondered whether she knew how long I’d been waiting for this day. A few months might not have seemed like an eternity to a normal person, but to someone like me, who was on the verge of becoming a man, time slowed down the closer we got to the inevitable day.

  Mrs. Bowers was just removing the cake from the fridge when someone knocked on the front door.

  “Perfect timing.” Mr. Bowers opened the door to find my father standing with a bouquet of wildflowers in his hands.

  “You didn’t think I’d forget about your birthday, did you?”

  Millie ran over and hugged him. She had tears streaking down her cheeks. “Thank you. This means so much. I can’t believe you guys are making so much fuss over my birthday.”

  “Birthdays are an important milestone,” my father said.

  “Until you turn seventy. Then you want time to slow down.” Mr. Bowers coughed again and sat down. His hands were shaking, and he could barely keep his body upright today.

  “Just wait until you see what we’ve got planned for you today.” Justin brought a cup of water to Mr. Bowers.

  “There’s more?” Millie asked.

  April then came up to her. “Of course there’s more. Since you haven’t celebrated a birthday in years, we have a lot to make up for.”

  I felt my chest tighten for Millie. There was so much she’d missed out on and so much I wanted to show her as well, but the way my family was hogging her, it didn’t look like I’d get to spend any alone time with her today.

  Mrs. Bowers cut the cake and plated a slice for everyone.

  “I’d never had cake for breakfast before.”

  “Well, today is a day of many firsts,” I whispered into her ear and saw her bite her lip. She was probably wondering when and where we’d get a chance to be alone, and she’d have to wonder some more. I still had to figure out how I’d get her away from everyone.

  My father stayed long enough to have cake and a cup of coffee. As I walked him to the car, so he could get back to the renovations, he draped his arm over me and said, “So, Millie’s eighteen now.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “You two need to be safe, son, if you know what I mean.”

  He couldn’t have known we were dating, could he? And why did it feel like I was way too old for this talk? Maybe because I’d never been serious about a girl before. I knew that I’d never loved anyone the way I loved Millie.

  “Son, I’m not blind. We all see what’s going on between you two. Just promise me you’ll take care of that girl, will ya?”

  “I will, Dad. I promise. So… yo
u’re okay with this? I mean, we live in the same house.”

  “You’re old enough to do right by her. She’s been through too much, and I love her like my own daughter. If there’s anyone who can handle this situation with dignity and maturity, it’s you two.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “If I haven’t said it, son, you make me proud. You all do. There aren’t many young people who would devote their summer helping the Bowers.”

  “Hey, we’re ready to get the day started.” April came out and hugged our father goodbye. “I wish you could stay.”

  “Me too, honey. But once I’m done with the office, I have a surprise for you too.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, and it might have something to do with a brand new set of saws.”

  My sister has been hounding my dad to let her analyze a dead body on her own. While she hadn’t finished school yet, April couldn’t wait to get her hands dirty as she dreamt of becoming a forensic analyst.

  Once our dad left, we spent the day horseback riding through the mountains. While there were plenty of horses living in the wild around here, it was nice to be in the company of tame ones.

  By the time night fell, I was exhausted. Millie and April were sitting downstairs in their pajamas, sipping tea and organizing the pictures they’d taken that day on a laptop. If eight months ago I’d tried to imagine that smile on Millie’s face, I’d have failed. She had changed so much. She didn’t startle as easily and wasn’t frightened when a glass fell off a countertop, shattering. The ease in her movements and the joy in life she’d inhale with every breath was mesmerizing.

  My brother turned in early, and so did the Bowers. I sat in one of the chairs, watching Millie pull a pillow to her chest. She gripped it nervously, again sneaking those daring peeks at me every once in a while. That spark I’d seen in her eyes three nights ago was back, and so was that devious smile. Was she thinking what I was thinking? April looked from me to Millie and back, but this time I couldn’t pretend any longer.

  “Are you two, like, together?” she asked.

  “Would you be upset?” Millie asked.

  What? She wasn’t objecting to the question. Was Millie ready to tell everyone about us?

  My sister shook her head, to which Millie replied, “We’re sort of seeing where things are going.”

  “Well, finally!” April said. “Oh, my God! You’re going to be my sister-in-law!”

  “Wait, April. Slow down.”

  “Nope, too late. I already have you pictured in my mind with babies in your lap.”

  “April, I think it’s time you put those pajamas to good use and went on to dreaming,” I said. Truthfully, I just couldn’t wait until she left the two of us alone.

  “Okay, okay. I can take a hint. But I call dibs on maid of honor.” She pointed to Millie, who laughed. “And I want details.”

  The two of them had become best friends, so I guessed I should have expected Millie to overshare her life of secretly dating my sister’s brother. Jesus, that sounded twisted.

  When April left, awkward silence filled the room. We remained sitting across from each other, playing ‘Who blinks first?’ I lost.

  “Did you have a good birthday?”

  “I can’t imagine it getting any better.”

  “Well, maybe I can change that, then.” I strolled over to her and took her hand in mine. It was cold and clammy, but it didn’t matter. She stood and followed me in silence as I led her up the small stairs in the back of the house toward the attic. When she saw the spotless room, she gasped.

  “You’ve been busy.”

  “I wanted this night to be special, Millie.”

  “Wow.” She looked around the room until her gaze stopped on the mattress and the crisp sheets there. “Dave, this is amazing.”

  “Watch this,” I whispered, and turned off the lights. The glow-in-the-dark stars I’d painted all over the ceiling lit up the room.

  “This is beautiful. When did you have time to do this?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” I stepped behind her and wrapped my arms around her. “Happy birthday, baby.”

  She twisted in my embrace to face me. I swept the bangs that covered her beautiful bright eyes. Truthfully, they could have been the center of the night sky.

  Feeling myself grow hard for her in an instant, I whispered, “You’re gorgeous.”

  “You’re not too shabby yourself.” She lifted up on her tiptoes and gently touched her lips to mine. “Are we really going to do this?”

  “If you want.”

  “Of course I do. I’m just nervous.”

  I wanted to say that I was as well, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to give Millie any doubts because I didn’t have any. She had captured my heart the moment I saw her in that hallway, and had never let go. Sometimes I still wondered what drew me to her so much, and then I stopped wondering when she looked at me with those gorgeous crystal eyes. And soon I wouldn’t have to wonder any more. I took her face in my hands and kissed her deeper. Her mouth responded at the first touch, stealing my breath. My hands grazed all over her body, wanting to touch her everywhere at the same time, while hers ventured right for my shorts.

  “Slow down, baby.” I pulled away from her lips long enough to see her dazed face. “We have all night.”

  “Okay.” She looked at me with her doe eyes, partly confused and partly expecting me to take the lead role, I guessed.

  “How can you have so much restraint?”

  “I don’t. But I don’t want to do something wrong and for you to freak out.”

  The stories she’d told me about her past were enough to scare any girl. I didn’t want any of my actions to remind her of those bad moments in her life. I wanted tonight to be the beginning of all the good ones between us.

  “I won’t. I promise. Just please don’t stop kissing me.”

  Fear mixed with apprehension flashed in her eyes.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No, something’s wrong.”

  “I’m just afraid that I’ll blink and wake up in that beat-up old house I used to sleep in. I’m afraid I’ll close my eyes for a bit longer and you’ll be gone, your whole family will be gone, and everything I’ve ever loved will vanish.”

  “It won’t. I will never leave you, Millie. I want to love you for the rest of my life, the way I do now.”

  “You love me?”

  “Yes, I love you.”

  She swept the tears off her face with the back of her hand.

  “Make love to me, Dave. I want you to make love to me because I’ve never believed I could find a soul mate on this planet, yet I found so much more. You’re my kindred spirit, my best friend, and… you’re my everything, and I love you with my whole heart.”

  All right. That was enough talking. I grasped the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. She stared at my naked torso before doing the same with her top. Millie stood in front of me in her bra and tiny shorts. Her pink nipples pressed into the sheer fabric covering them. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. As she flicked the clasp of her bra at her back and it dropped to the floor, I lowered my shorts. My erection tented my boxer briefs, and while her gaze fixated there, I couldn’t take mine away from her breasts. That is, until she removed her bottoms, and then her panties.

  Hold it in.

  I was ready to explode the moment I saw that delicate mound waiting for me. She was shaved at the sides, leaving a trimmed strip of brown curls down the middle. I’d seen porn before, but no matter how many videos you watched, there was nothing better than the real thing in front of you, standing still and waiting.

  I lowered my briefs allowing my dick to spring free. Her mouth opened with a little gasp, and I took that first step toward her. Once my legs were moving, I couldn’t stop until her body was a breath away from mine, the heat of her skin burning me. She lifted my hand and brought it to her breast. It was like a light switch for me
. Coming out of my daze, that touch of her against my palm set me alive, and instinct took over. I lifted her in my arms and kissed her with desperate need.

  Her legs wrapped around my waist, her entire front pressing to my chest. The heat of our bodies blended into one temperature as I walked us toward the mattress and slowly set her down, never breaking our kiss. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I couldn’t pull my mouth away from Millie’s. It was during that moment that I knew her kisses would always impact me like a punch - but in the best way possible.

  She was on her back with her head turned toward me and I lay on my side, one of my arms underneath her neck, holding her, and the other one exploring the feel of her skin. I took my time, swirling my tongue with hers, changing the pressure of our kiss from hard ones to little pecks, pulling away every so often to skim the rim of her lips with my mouth. She had a little freckle underneath the lower seam, and although I’d seen it every single day, I never realized I’d be able to feel its tiny bump with my own tongue over and over again. When my hand cupped her breast, her full chest pushed into me, and that’s how I knew she wanted more.

  I rolled her tiny nipple between my fingers, teasing her, pulling it out and caressing it again. She pushed her hips into my leg, which was between hers, and rubbed against it, leaving a trail of dampness on my skin. An urge to discover more of her consumed me. I slid down her body, taking my time, leaving scattered kisses over her chest, breasts, and stomach on the way down, until I reached her pussy and licked down to her opening. I weaved my tongue between her folds and her back arched. I’d never gone down on a girl before and didn’t know what to expect, but from the reaction of her body, I was doing just fine. She smelled like the soap we’d shared in the downstairs bathroom and tasted tender and warm. Her juices glazed over my mouth as I parted her folds with my fingers, exposing her clit, and sucked her. I was gentle at first, but when her hands grasped my head and she pressed me harder to her, I began to devour her delicious flesh, flicking my tongue over her as fast as I could until her body shook underneath me and she cried out.