Fighting to Be Free (Fighting to Be Free 1)

“Usually now’s the part where the guy kisses the girl,” she teased, squeezing my waist in a prompt.

“I thought you were the king of corny stuff.”

I laughed and stepped closer to her, pressing my body against hers. “I guess I’m not as corny as you always make me out to be,” I joked. I smiled at how adorable she looked in the soft light of the moon and streetlights. “I love you, Ellie,” I repeated the words for good measure, and then bent my head and captured her lips in a kiss that showed her exactly how true those words were.

By the time I pulled back we were both a little breathless. “Let’s get inside then, Stud.” She nodded over her shoulder towards the house.

I sighed and didn’t let go of her. “You sure? You don’t have to do this, Ellie. I don’t expect you to do this, I hate that I’ve asked you to. You deserve better than this.”

She smiled and trailed one hand up my body, setting it against my chest, hovering above my heart that was slamming in my chest still from the confession that she’d made.

“Jamie, I know you. I know who you are in here,” she tapped on my chest, “if you tell me that you only went back into this stuff to help out your mom, then I believe you. You said you wanted to go straight, well, in two months when your agreement is up with this Brett guy, then you’ll be able to go straight. I wouldn’t love you any less for this, your past is the past. Hopefully after this it’ll stay there and you’ll get a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance,” she replied. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers. “Besides, who else would put up with my sleep talking that you claim happens?” she asked sarcastically, giggling sheepishly.

I laughed and kissed her again, clamping her against me tightly. The heavens must have been smiling down at me after all. “I love your sleep talking,” I admitted.

She pulled away from me, taking my hand. “Come on, let’s go to bed,” she suggested. “And by the way, my mother is going to hate you even more than when my parents find out that you snuck in last night,” she said, giggling wickedly.

I groaned at that thought knowing how right that was. Her mother was going to throw a fit tomorrow when they saw me, but I guess it needed to be done - people would need to think I stayed there the night for the alibi to hold. I pulled Ellie to me, bending and sweeping her into my arms so that she wouldn’t hurt her feet on the gravelled driveway. She smiled up at me and pressed her lips to mine as I carried her into the house, wondering just how I’d gotten so damn lucky.

Chapter 20

Wriggling, she was wriggling against me, her body brushing against mine in ways that made the male part of me jump for joy. I smiled and pressed my face into her hair, breathing in the vanilla scent that made my skin prickle. I tightened my arms on her, trying to keep her still so I could go back to sleep but she was squirming, trying to get away.

“Jamie, I need to pee!” she whined.

I laughed and released my death grip that I had on her, rolling onto my back and untangling our legs. My eyes cracked open just in time to see her spring from the bed and hotfoot it to her bathroom. I was still tired so I settled back against her pillows, deciding on more sleep.

A minute later her bathroom door opened and she padded across the room. The bed dipped and then suddenly a heavy weight plopped onto my stomach making me let out a soft groan because I wasn’t expecting it. She giggled, her hands resting on my chest. Forcing my stinging eyes open, I looked up at the girl that made my whole body ache. She was straddling me, sitting on my stomach, smiling down at me. Her red hair hung loose around her face, tangles and snarls everywhere, her bangs flicking out the way she hated. In the sunlight that was streaming in though her window, she looked beautiful.

“You need to wake up, sleepy head. I can’t lie in anymore, I’m hungry,” she chirped. “Besides, it’s time you gave me my birthday present.”

FUUUUUUUUCK! Her present! “Oh shit, Ellie, I left it at my place. I didn’t know I was going to be coming over. I’m sorry.”

She rolled her eyes and bent forward, pressing her chest against mine, her face hovering close enough that I could taste her minty breath as it blew across my lips. She’d obviously taken the opportunity to brush her teeth while she was in the bathroom.

“Not that present, silly. This one,” she whispered. Her mouth pressed against mine in a soft kiss that took my breath away. I kissed her back immediately, running my hand up her back and twisting it into the back of her hair as the kiss deepened. She moaned into my mouth so I rolled her underneath me and broke the kiss, tracing my nose up the side of hers.

“Happy birthday, little girl.”

She grinned and nodded, looping her arms around my neck. “Yep, it totally is,” she confirmed.

I laughed at her happy expression and moved off of her but still kept my body pressed tight against hers. “So, I get you for the whole day, and the night, that’s what we agreed, right?” I asked, flicking my eyes to the alarm clock. It was almost half past ten; we’d already wasted most of the morning.

“Right,” she agreed.

I sighed contentedly, just looking at her face. I didn’t need anything else in the world other than that smile to always stay stretched across her full lips. “I love you, Ellie.” I loved saying those words -

I’d wanted to tell her for a long time, but I was waiting for the right moment. I guess last night wasn’t exactly the ‘right moment’ if you were looking at it on paper, but it had sure as heck felt pretty darn right at the time.