Inseparable

“Water for me, thanks.” I smiled. As soon as the waiter left, Dane reached across the table for my hand. His fingers gently played with Abby’s charm bracelet.

“It’s very pretty. Like you.” He commented, studying each charm individually.

“It was Abby’s. Each piece represents a moment in her life.” I smiled, looking at the bracelet. “Mom bought it for her when she got sick.”

“It’s nice that you wear it every day.” Dane said softly.

“It reminds me of the good times we had together. If I’m ever feeling sad, I can look at this and be happy. Like this one,” I said, pointing to the small martini glass. “I gave to her for our sixteenth birthday, after we got really drunk on Cosmopolitans after a marathon of Sex and the city.” I giggled, remembering how angry mom had been when she’d discovered how much we’d drunk.

“And this one,” I pointed to the tiny charm shaped like a book. “Mom gave her that when she graduated high school. She was so sick, but determined to graduate.”

“I love that you look at these and see happy memories, Lil.” Dane said, squeezing my hand, admiration in his eyes.

The waiter placed our pizzas in front of us. They looked and tasted delicious, so much so that I was almost ready to pack up my bags and move to New York.

“Good?” Dane asked. I nodded happily, unable to answer with my mouth full of pizza.

Chapter Twenty-One

After dinner, we headed to our final stop for the night, the Empire State Building. From the outside it was impressive. We waited in line with the other hundreds of people who apparently also could not leave New York without seeing it from the top of the building. Danes arm was snaked around my waist, as we waited for our turn.

Finally, we were let through. Stepping out of the lift, the New York skyline hit me with all its breathtaking beauty. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and put the view from my room to shame.

“It’s amazing,” I breathed, as I leaned against the railing. There were so many lights sparkling in the night, and it created the most beautiful picture.

“Lily,” Dane whispered. I turned to face him. “Hold out your hand.” I did what he asked, confused. He placed something in the palm of my hand, wrapping my fingers tightly around it. Pulling my hand back, I opened it. There lay a tiny charm of the Empire State Building.

“I wanted to get you something to show you how much I love you. I know it’s lame, but I wanted you to have a happy memory with me to add to your bracelet.” His voice was so low it was barely above a whisper as he waited for my reaction.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, wiping the tears from my eyes. The little charm sparkled as the light caught it. I held out my wrist for him to clip it on. “When did you even get this?” I asked.

“The other night when I left you after Reece was here. I needed to walk, to get some fresh air. And I saw this in the window of a shop. As soon as I saw it I thought of you.” He rolled my wrist to admire the charm. It looked perfect, like it belonged there, among all the other memories.

“I love you so much,” I said, smiling. I put my arms around his neck, gently stroking the back of his hair. “I can’t believe you did this for me.” I lifted my head, pressing my lips against his. This was the perfect end to a wonderful night.

We arrived back at the hotel just after ten. Dane walked me to my room, I smiled shyly, so badly wanting him to come in, to spend the night with me.

“Coming inside?” I asked coyly.

“How can I say no to that?” He said, pressing me against the wall, kissing my neck. I could already feel his hardness pressing against me. With my back to the door, and my attention on Dane, I somehow managed to swipe my key and open the door. We stumbled inside, the door barely closed before he began ripping my clothes off.

“In such a hurry.” I giggled, as he struggled to get my sweater over my head. His kissed my breasts, his hands working fast to unbuckle my jeans. Once undone, I wiggled free of them.

“Oh!” I cried, shocked when he hoisted me onto his hips and carried me to the bedroom, his lips on mine the entire way. He lay me down on the bed, ripping his shirt off and hastily removing his pants. Kneeling before me, he grabbed hold of my panties and yanked them off, burying his mouth between my legs.

“Good god, Dane!” I yelped, gripping the back of his head as his tongue worked its way deep inside of me. I was so ready, that reaching climax was not going to take long. His mouth hit a rhythm, circling the exact right spot. My toes curled over as I began to orgasm, every touch now wreaking sensitivity. “Yes! That’s it…oh god!” I gasped, my hands trying to force him deeper inside. I pushed him away as his touch became too much.

“You taste so good.” He said, climbing on top of me on the bed. He moved my legs further apart, plunging himself inside me. He kissed me as I gasped, thrusting himself deeper inside of me. He kissed me again, I could taste myself on his lips, and his tongue. The pressure of the orgasm began to build as his movements increased in pace. I watched him as he reached his orgasm inside of me, the expression on his face making me feel so good. He slowed to almost a stop, still inside of me, his weight now pressing down on me. I kissed him, tiny shivers racing down my spine, both my body and mind still shocked that he was all mine.

“Someone’s having fun.” Abby joked dryly, eyeing the naked form of Dane lying beside me. I resisted the urge to throw the sheet over him, which was ridiculous, because Abby’s spirit, or whatever this was, had probably seen everything, already. I blushed as I thought about what she might’ve seen.

“I am having fun.” I replied honestly. “He is such a wonderful guy, Abs.”

“I know.” She said simply. “Remember that, no matter what. Remember how much he loves you.” I was about to ask her what she meant by that when her expression turned serious. “Steffy is going to be gone by Sunday, Lil. You need to speed things up.”

“Gone?” I repeated, alarmed. “What do you mean, gone?”

“Any chance of finding her will be gone, too.” She added sadly.