“Hey, come back here for a second.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto the armchair with me. She laughed as she fell into my lap. “Sorry,” I muttered. Was this even a good idea?
“What are you doing?” She giggled, linking her hands around my neck. Her eyes met mine as she leaned in and kissed me. God, her lips are so soft and sweet. I could go on kissing her forever. Pressing my mouth against hers, I found myself wondering how in the hell I’d gotten so lucky.
Because Andy had died. If he were still around, then none of this would be happening. I pushed the thought from my mind. I couldn’t think like that. If I let myself get inside my own head in that way, I’d ruin this. I’d ruin her.
“I wanted to give you something.” Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved the black velvet pouch.
“What’s this?” she asked, taking it from me. The color drained from her face. “I . . . it’s not . . .”
My eyes widened as I realized what she was thinking. “God, no,” I replied. I hadn’t even thought that . . . She raised her eyebrows at my tone. “I mean, not that I don’t want to marry you, but . . . just open the damn present.” She had me flustered. I couldn’t even get my words straight.
She laughed as she eased the tie loose and slipped her fingers inside. Her brow creased as she tipped the contents of the bag into the palm of her hand. A tiny little pink and silver ball fell out.
“Oh Seth, it’s beautiful,” she whispered. She held the charm in her hand, taking in all the tiny detail.
“It’s called a memory charm,” I began, “The top actually unscrews, and there is a tiny little hollow area inside. I went to Deb . . .” I cleared my throat. “There is a little piece of Andy in there. I wanted him to always be close to you. This way, he’s always there.”
She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with tears. Throwing her arms around my neck, she hugged me, her arms gripping me tightly.
“That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“Even though we’re trying this ‘us’ thing out, I never want you to feel like I’m trying to replace him,” I said, holding her tightly.
“And I love you for that.”
“I love you too, Em. You know that I’ll always be there for you, right? No matter what happens with us, you’ll always have me as a friend.”
***
I stood in front of her as she sat on the end of the bed, my fingers raking through her silky hair. She gazed up at me, her eyes full of love. God, she was beautiful. Her hands moved around the back of my waist, dipping under my shirt. The feel of her nails moving over my skin was incredible.
“We don’t have to do this,” I said, touching her cheek.
“I want to.” She stood up, her hands moving higher underneath my shirt.
Leaning down, I kissed her, my lips crushing against hers. Lifting my shirt over my head, I let it fall to the ground. She smiled, letting her hands roam over my naked chest.
I kissed her as my fingers fumbled to unbutton her shirt. My hand ran down the center of her chest, over the top of her white, lacy bra. My heart beat loudly in my chest. Was this really happening? Pushing the shirt down over her shoulders, I kissed her neck, my tongue running over her sweet, soft skin. She gasped, shrugging the shirt free of her arms.
Reaching behind her, I unclasped her bra, moving the straps down her shoulders, over her creamy white skin.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, taking in her beauty. She smiled, lowering her eyes as my gaze ran over her full breasts. Reaching up, my finger circled around her nipple as it stiffened against my touch.
Lowering her onto the bed, I kissed her neck, then along her jaw, slowly making my way around to her mouth, my hardness brushing past her thigh. Reaching behind her, I unzipped her skirt and lowered it down over her hips.
She’s so beautiful. I gazed at her below me, cupping her chin as my lips connected with hers. She reached down and unzipped my pants, freeing my erection. I groaned as her fingers closed around it, barely able to contain myself.
I shrugged off my jeans and boxer shorts and reached inside the drawer next to me for a condom. We kissed again, my lips wandering down her neck and over her breasts, curling my tongue around her left nipple.
“Oh,” she gasped, arching her back. Moving her legs apart, I pushed myself between them, my erection resting against her wet entrance. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she locked her legs around my waist as I eased myself inside her.
“You okay?” I whispered, kissing her nose. She nodded as I pressed my forehead against hers as I gently rocked inside of her. As cliché as it sounded, she was perfect. Everything about her amazed me. Being with Em had felt like heaven, a place I never wanted to leave.
“How are you?” I asked her. She lay in my arms, smiling as my fingers stroked her arm, her naked body molded against mine like we were a perfect fit.
“I’m good,” she said. “Better than good, actually. I’m great.”
“You’re better than great,” I teased, tilting her head back so I could kiss her.