Fighting to Breathe (Shooting Stars 1)

“I figured you didn’t have anything here to cook, so I stopped off at the store and got some basics, and I also picked up stuff to make you dinner.”

“You’re gonna cook for me?”

“Well, I’m going to put a premade lasagna in the oven, open a bag of salad, and cut up some French bread.” I shrug.

“Smart ass.” He slaps my ass.

“I didn’t think you’d have any stuff to cook with here.”

“I have one pan and a coffeemaker.”

“I knew it.” I smile as he takes the bags from me and I follow behind him inside.

“Do you want a glass of wine?”

“Yes, please.” I slip off my coat, laying it on the end of the large island, and walk around, taking the stuff out of the bags he brought up for me. Once I have the lasagna unpacked, I turn on the stove and place it in the oven.

“I have something for you outside.”

“You have something for me?” I ask, but instead of explaining, he just takes my hand and leads me to the deck, where there is a large telescope set up with a red bow on it.

“This is the perfect place for you to use it.” His hand tugs mine, but my feet are frozen to the ground below. This is something I had dreamt of, a wish I shared with him, something I never, ever believed I would have,

and yet, here I am, in the house I fell in love with when I was a little girl, with the man who holds my heart, and he’s giving me a piece of a dream I never believed would come true.

“You got me a telescope?” I whisper, looking from the equipment to Austin.

“I did.”

“You remembered.” I close my eyes briefly, overwhelmed with emotion.

When I open them again, his eyes go soft and he takes a step toward me, touching my cheek. “I remember everything, Lea, every conversation, every touch, every kiss, every single thing about you, about us. I remember it all.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him what happened, why he didn’t come after me, why he let me go, but I can’t. I don’t want to ruin the moment, so instead, I step toward him and wrap my arms around his waist, laying my head on his chest and say a quiet, “Thank you.”

He grunts, making me smile, and I pull back, looking at the telescope then the sky, which is just turning dusky. “I wish it was really dark.”

“In a few months, you’ll have hours of darkness to sit outside under the stars,” he tells me.

“True, but I’m still going to use it tonight,” I say as I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him, and he smiles against my mouth.

“Mom and Dad are coming this weekend. They’re driving a bunch of furniture down from Anchorage for me,” Austin says as I snuggle in his lap on one of the deck loungers, where we came out to sit after we ate dinner standing in the kitchen.

“That’s nice.” I hug my sweater closer around while looking out at the ocean, watching as the sun sets on the horizon.

“How do you feel about having dinner with them and me?” he asks softly, almost like he’s concerned about my response, and my body, which had been relaxed, tenses up.

“I don’t know.” I lift my glass, taking another sip of wine so I can keep my mouth occupied. Austin’s mom wasn’t always the nicest person in the world when we were dating. Don’t get me wrong; she loves her son and is a great mother, but she did not like me at all and made it known regularly. His hand comes under my chin, tilting my head back, forcing me to look at him.

“Some of the people around town have already filled her in on the status of our relationship,” he informs me.

“Great,” I grumble, making a smile twitch his lips.

“Just dinner,” he says quietly.

“Sure,” I agree, but promise myself I will go stand out in the cold in nothing but a towel, with wet hair, so by the time she gets here, I will have pneumonia and will be unable to have dinner with her.

“It’ll be fine.”

“I know. You’ll be there with me, so I’m not worried about it.” I try to smile, but I’m pretty sure it comes off as a grimace.

Snuggling back down, resting my head under his chin he mutters. “She hasn’t liked anyone.”

“Pardon?” I ask, tilting my head back to meet his eyes again.

“There hasn’t been one woman I’ve dated or been with that she’s liked. Honestly, she would bring you up in front of them, telling them our story, making it sound like some kind of romantic tragedy.”

“She hated me,” I remind him shaking my head.

“She hated all of them more, baby.”

“I’m totally not taking that as a compliment,” I mutter, making him chuckle.

Shaking my head I relax back under his chin watching as the sunsets completely, leaving a pinkish hue in the sky.

“Are you tired?” he licks against my neck, causing goose bumps to break out across my skin and my nipples to harden.

“No.” I smile, pressing my neck closer to his mouth.

“Hmm.” I feel his smile then we’re up and moving into the house, going through the empty living room, up the stairs, and to the bedroom, where he lies me on the bed.

“I need to change,” I tell him, trying to sit up, but his hands on either side of me and his body over mine cage me in, preventing me from moving.

“All you brought were panties and a toothbrush,” he reminds me, while his hands slide under the edge of my shirt, running over the skin of my stomach.

“I know.”

“You have nothing to change into.”

“Oh,” I whisper as his mouth lowers to mine, pulling my bottom lip between his before traveling it down my neck and pulling open my sweater, pushing it off my shoulders, leaving me in my loose-fitting spaghetti-strap tank. Then his hands are on the buttons of my jeans, opening them up so the small V of my cream lace panties is showing.

“Austin,” I whimper as his mouth lowers over my lower belly and he nips the skin there, sending a zing of arousal to my core. Gripping my jeans he drags them down over my ass and hips, his warmth leaving me only long enough to toss the jeans behind him to the floor. When his body is covering mine again, I put my hands in his shirt and pull up, thankful when his hands go behind his head and he removes his black thermal, adding it to the pile on the ground.