He sounded as miserable as I felt. I nodded. "I'd like that." I gave him a teary smile and then threw my arms around him, hugging him close for a moment and then I jumped back, realizing I hadn't showered in a week and I was appalled at myself. "Oh God." My hands went to my hair.
"What's the matter?" he asked, confused.
"I… I need a shower… will you wait here?" And then I looked around my apartment. It was a mess. "Oh God…"
He chuckled. "Sweetheart, you're beautiful. Go take your shower, and I'll pick up around here for you."
"Oh, no… it's my mess…"
"Go, I've got this."
"If you're sure…"
"Go," he said with a grin and then he leaned forward and kissed me.
I smiled and then headed into the bathroom and took the quickest shower on the planet. By the time I got out and had wrapped myself in a towel, Brian had my apartment back to its sunny self. He had changed the sheets on my bed, I could hear the washing machine humming, and he was sitting on the now made bed. I walked over to him and hugged him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, beautiful. Feel better?"
I nodded. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too." He kissed me, and I shifted, loosening the towel enough that it dropped to the floor. He lifted me up and turned, laying me down on the bed and then moving to join me. "Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure," I replied, pulling his lips down to mine.
We kissed and then when we came up for air, I pulled his Polo shirt over his head and tossed it aside while he took off his tennis shoes and jeans. I scooted back on the bed, and he crawled over me, a condom in hand. I took it from him and after opening it, rolled it down his erection. I kissed my way up his chest, back to his lips, while my hands explored his shoulders, back, and then settled in his hair, and he pushed his cock into my wet core. We moved together, our strokes building the orgasm between us, lighting the fire that always burned hot between us.
I wrapped my legs around his hips as he pumped in and out of me, his face at my neck as he panted and whispered words of love to me. My heart was near to bursting as we both slid over the edge, screaming out our pleasure.
"God, I've missed you," he whispered against my lips.
I smiled. "I missed you too."
He cuddled me close, his arms wrapping around me and twisting us so that he was on his back and I could lay on his chest. "I love you, Jane Adams."
"I love you too." I smiled, my heart beating out a happy little melody now that we'd talked and reconnected. I pushed up on his chest suddenly. "Oh my God, I have less than two weeks to finish and edit my book for the publisher!"
He chuckled and drew me back down, kissing me. "Can it wait just another hour or so?"
I grinned and kissed him back. "I suppose another hour won't make a difference."
With that, he went right back to loving me again. And again.Chapter 20JaneNovember"Bill, it's gorgeous!" I told the man as I walked around the custom made desk that he'd created for me. It would fit perfectly in the room with the curved window. He'd carved it out of walnut, modeling it on a late nineteenth century English piece that I'd liked. It had antiqued brass handles on the drawers on one side, and shelves on the other. The top though, he'd covered in soft black leather. I ran my hand over it lovingly.
"I'm glad you like it. They were fun pieces to work on." He gestured to two other nearby pieces that seemed to match the design of my new desk.
"Oh, did someone order bookcases like my desk? They are lovely," I replied looking at them.
"Surprise?" Brian said, grinning.
I looked from him to the bookcases. "What? Did you have these made too?" My eyes widened. "Brian, it's too much—"
"Stop." He put a finger over my lips. "It's not. I would give you the world."
I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Thank you."
"How about we take these home now?"
I nodded. I'd mostly moved into his house over the last several weeks. We still used my apartment, occasionally, when he had to work late or was on call. It was just easier, but we hadn't left anything but the small kitchen table, the sofa-bed and the tv there. We kept nonperishable food items there too, just in case, but we had moved everything else of mine into his place in Brooklyn.
"My brother is going to meet us at the house and help us get them in."
"Owen's coming over?" I said, surprised. "I invited Ellie over too. I wanted to show off the house." I blushed. "She hasn't seen it yet, but I wanted to wait for the desk. And I wanted to tell her our news."