“Wow. Nick, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll give me a chance. Let me make it up to you for leaving like I did.”
“But wait! You’re leaving again—you said so back at the hospital!”
“No I didn’t!” He actually laughed, a big belly laugh. “Julia, I said something like I couldn’t wait to get started, or get going. I didn’t say I was leaving.”
“Then what was all that texting about?”
“I applied to the Physical Therapist program here at the university—it’s a master’s degree. I got in!”
“What? But you don’t need to work!”
“I don’t need to for the money, but I have to. For me. What am I going to do all day, for the rest of my life? I worked with a lot of PTs when I made the app—they wanted it for their patients. And I really want to do that kind of work, help people with their pain, that kind of stuff.”
“I know what PTs do,” I laughed. “How do you think I learned to walk again?”
“Oh yeah, of course you do. Sorry.”
“So, you’re staying in Greenwood?”
“Yes! Tell me you’ll give me a chance.”
I took a deep breath. I should have had a decision to make, but in my heart that decision was already made. “I have to tell you something, Nick.”
“Is there someone else? Tell me quick, Julia!”
“No! No, there’s no one else.” I was glad to see the relief on his face. “I do have a confession to make. Every day since the accident, I have thought of you, missed you, wished for you—”
Before I could get another word out, Nick said, “Julia,” and took my face in both of his hands. His thumb stroked my cheek, by my mouth. He looked into my eyes, and then slowly lowered his lips to mine. As soon as our lips touched, I let out an involuntary moan, and then gradually opening, tasting, we kissed more and more deeply until there was nothing but his lips on mine. It felt like a century since our last kiss, since the last time every cell in my body had come to blossoming life like this.
Too soon, he broke the kiss, and said the sweetest words, which he’d said to me once before. “Julia, I love you so much. No matter what happens, I always will. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!”
He jumped up, and pulled me to my feet by my hand. We walked towards the door, and then without warning, he scooped me up in his arms. I laughed in surprise, and curled close to his solid chest. He looked down at me and kissed me gently before he carried me over the threshold of our home.
When he set me down inside, I said, “I still can’t believe you did all this for me. Show me the house!”
We wandered from room to room, and the more I saw of it, the more I loved it. The combination of rustic looks with well-designed convenience and luxury in every detail was perfect. The walls were all white, and the floors were unfinished, because, as Nick explained, he thought we’d want to pick out the decor together. For the same reason, there was no furniture.
“Nick, I’m looking for one thing, but the house just doesn’t seem to have it.”
His face fell. “Oh no. Well, whatever it is, I’m sure we can have it added on. What is it?”
I whispered, “A bed!”
We laughed together, sounding a little nervous.
“I hate to say it, but I don’t have a bed here. We could…relax in my office, though.” He led me to a room overlooking the lake, furnished with a desk and shelves, complete with a computer and office machines, and also a huge leather couch. “I sleep here sometimes, if I’ve been working late.
I went to the window, to hide my nerves. The sun had gone down, and I could hear crickets tuning up outside. “We still have one problem, though, the same one we had before the accident. Most people would say we’re brother and sister. They DO say it. The gossip is going to be brutal.”
“Do you care?”
“I don’t love the idea, but to me, it’s totally worth it. But just like before, Mom and Joe are going to be the ones who have to hear it.”
“Your mom’s tough, Jule. And she loves you. She wants you to be happy. If you’re happy, that’s all she’ll care about. Hey, whatever happened to that chick, that crazy Suzanne?”
I laughed. “You know, I haven’t thought of her in forever. I don’t even know if she’s still in town.”
“See? The people who aren’t important just fade away. I do think it would be best to get married soon. That will stop a lot of wagging tongues.” He came up behind me at the window and put his arms around me. I could feel his warm breath in my hair.
I turned around in his arms and wrapped mine around him. I didn’t want to think about other people any more. I pressed myself against him, aligning our bodies the best I could. I took a deep breath and mustered up my courage. “Nick, will you make love to me?”
He kissed me then, and pulled me tighter against him. “I’ll do whatever you want. You sure you don’t want to wait for our wedding night?” I couldn’t tell, but I thought he might be teasing me.
“I’ve waited long enough. I want to have you. At last.”
He picked me up and carried me to the couch, and kneeling down, he put me on it as carefully as if I was made of glass. My bare shoulders felt the cool leather, but the rest of me was swathed in the thin, slick silk of my evening gown. Nick leaned over me and put his hands in my hair. He kissed my forehead, and the tip of my nose, and then my cheek.
“This little mole right here drives me crazy. I can’t look at it without wanting to kiss it.” He did kiss it then, and opening his mouth, he caressed it with his tongue and lips, then drew my mouth into the kiss. I don’t know what it was, the power he had to make every cell in my body wake up, heat up, and catch fire. I wanted him desperately.
He kissed his way down my neck to the tops of my breasts. Every spot that he kissed was little hot coal on my skin, but it was a delicious fire. His hands on the outside of my dress cupped and molded my breasts, lifting them so he could kiss more and more of them. My hands were in his crisp hair, urging him on. I was so impatient! I half sat up and pulled on his black bow tie, which made me chuckle.
“What’s funny?” he said.
“How many girls get to have their first time with a man in a tuxedo?”
“Julia. You’re…. It’s your first time?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “No one else was ever good enough.”
He put his arms around me and crushed me to his chest. “Oh, Julia. I will try my whole life to live up to that.” He held me for a long moment and then let go and took off his own tie, while I started to unbutton his shirt. Then I pushed it off his shoulders and put my hands on his chest. He was bigger, more powerfully muscled than he’d been that long-ago day at the lake. I kissed his chest, and tried to sit up.
He stood and pulled me up, then quickly turned me around and unzipped my dress all the way down. “Let’s get you out of this,” he said. He pushed the dress down and I stepped out of it. Underneath I wore a red lacy corset and red silk panties that matched the dress. He let out a huge wolf-whistle then, which made me laugh a little and feel less nervous. “That is some fancy underwear, Julia.”
He started to undo the hooks, and I said, “Let’s wait a bit.” I was thinking of my scars. What I was wearing hid most of them. Maybe we could turn the lights out before I took it off.
Together we sat on the couch and started kissing again. I loved the kissing, but I wanted to see him—all of him. I slid onto the floor and quickly knelt between his legs. He looked at me quizzically, but I went ahead and put both of my hands flat over the fly of his tuxedo pants. I could feel the hard ridge of his cock. I explored it the best I could over his clothes, rubbing and squeezing a little, but finally I said, “Can you take these off?”
Like a flash he stood, unbuttoned and unzipped, pushed down pants and underwear in one motion, took off shoes and socks—in an instant he was naked. I leaned back on my heels and gazed at him. He was all muscular planes and angles, power
coiled sleeping in his body. He sat down, extended his arms out on the back of the couch, and slid his hips forward.
Right in front of me, standing rigidly at attention, was his cock. Can a cock be beautiful? His was. It was the first one I’d ever seen in person. Of course, I have an internet connection, and we know what the internet is full of. But that was no match for the real thing.