Packing everything up was way easier since I could just fold the dry-cleaning bags over and place them in one side of my suitcase. Then I tossed my clean lingerie and other things into the other side, along with my favorite shoes. I was just zipping up my bag when the scent of coffee hit my nose. I looked over my shoulder and found Vaughn walking toward me, carrying a travel mug in both hands. “I can’t believe you got all my stuff cleaned.”
“It’s no big deal. I would’ve done it all myself so nobody else was touching your panties, but I figured it was okay since you didn’t mind. Plus, I didn’t want to lose out on spending any time with you.” He shrugged his broad shoulders and handed me one of the mugs. “But I figured you brought some of your favorite things, and I didn’t want you to have to worry about getting them cleaned when you got to Chicago. You’ll be busy enough with work once you get there.”
He really didn’t realize how much his thoughtfulness meant to me. We were short for time, but I couldn’t leave without making sure he understood. “I know we’re both new to this whole relationship thing, but from what I’ve seen with my parents’ relationship, a lot of the time it’s the little things that mean the most. And you’re the king of paying attention to the smallest things and turning them into big gestures. The bacon roses, hot air balloon, and now this…a girl could easily get used to being treated so well.”
“Go ahead.” He dropped a quick kiss on my lips and grabbed the handle of my suitcase to roll it toward the door. “Because I plan on doing stuff like that for you as often as I can.”
I swallowed down a lump in my throat at being separated from him for six whole weeks, reminding myself that it wouldn’t be that long for real because he was coming out to see me twice. “Just so long as you’re cool with me doing the same for you.”
“And that right there is why you’re the one I let my walls down for, Allie. You have no problem showing me how much I matter to you, and that’s not something I’m used to,” he admitted softly.
“Stop. You’re going to make me cry, and I can’t do that yet,” I sniffled. “If I have puffy eyes when we get to the airport, then I won’t be able to see when I start crying there.”
“We can’t have that, can we?” He offered me a small smile before jerking his head toward the bedroom. “I guess now’s not the time for a heart to heart anyway since we’d better get going.”
“Good point.” I followed him with my tote bag. “Luckily, you saved me a bunch of time by having my laundry done. I think I’m only going to need some of my cold-weather clothes and a few other things.”
“See, staying with me had another upside.” He flashed me a big grin as we made our way downstairs. “It gave you a head start on packing for your trip.”
It was also the start of a relationship which I hope stood the test of time, but that went without saying at the moment…or else I’d start crying again.“We made up so much time that it looks like I might even be earlier than necessary since I’m already checked in for my flight. I just need to roll my luggage to the bag drop and get through security”—I tapped on the screen of my phone to light it up and check the time—“and I have almost two hours before boarding begins.”
Vaughn nodded as he changed lanes. “Good. I don’t like the idea of you needing to run for your plane.”
“I don’t know. If I had a really good reason for being late, it might be worth it.” I flashed him a grin and waggled my eyebrows in an exaggerated gesture. “Maybe we should swing into the cell phone waiting lot and see how crowded it is. If it isn't too busy, we could fog up your windows a little bit before you drop me off.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time, baby.” Vaughn chuckled and shook his head. “Just hearing the suggestion from your lips has my dick hard again, but we both know it’s not really an option. LAX is too busy for us to get any privacy, and I’m not going to run the risk of anyone seeing the face you make when you come for me.”
“Darn,” I sighed. “I guess all the orgasms you gave me yesterday will have to tide me over until I see you in Chicago.”
Vaughn reached over to twine his fingers through mine. “It’s a good thing there were so many of them, huh? Even though you were telling me toward the end that you didn’t have any more in you.”