My lips come down on hers as her fingers start pulling at my shirt. We crash down onto the mattress which is exactly where we stay for the rest of the afternoon.
The sun begins to set on Broken Hill as we lay in a mess of sheets and limbs. Tora’s head rests against my chest, listening to the steady rhythm of my heartbeat as my fingers draw circles on her thigh which is propped up over my hip. “What do you say I take you out for dinner?”
“Really?” she grumbles, splaying her fingers over my chest. “Wouldn’t you prefer staying in bed all night, watching a movie, and ordering take out?”
Fuck, that sounds good. I shake my head. “Not tonight,” I tell her. “I want to celebrate. Just you and me. I finally got you home and I want to do it right. We have the rest of our lives to stay in bed and watch movies.”
“Where will we go?” she questions. “Can I dress up?”
“It’s a surprise, and I fucking beg you to dress up,” I tell her, imagining the way she’ll look in her backless silver dress that I know is her favorite. She usually hates dressing up, but after all the upper-class auctions she’s had to attend over the last few years, she’s gotten used to it, and besides, she knows it’s a special occasion so why not dress up?
“I think I’ll wear the silver one,” she tells me. “But you have to wear a suit.”
“Got yourself a deal, babe.”
“Do I have time to shower?”
“Only if you plan on taking me with you.”
She climbs up off the bed and takes my hand, dragging me with her. “Look who’s got himself a deal now,” she chuckles with a grin that makes me want to take her all over again.
We get into the bathroom and I consider shaving but I know she likes the stubble, and besides, add the stubble with the suit and I can guarantee she’ll be putty in my hands.
We have a quick shower, somehow managing to keep our hands off one another and an hour later, I’m standing in the kitchen watching her come down the stairs looking like a fucking queen.
Eight years later and she still takes my breath away.
I walk forward and take her hand as my eyes continue traveling over her body, taking in her chestnut hair swept to the side, the minimal makeup which somehow manages to make her look like she’s glowing, the curve of her body, and of course, the way her dress falls around the top of her cleavage, showing off the perfect amount of skin.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her, drawing her into me and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. My hand curls around her back and travels across her warm skin before slipping under the fabric of her waist.
I watch her cheeks flush with the compliment as her eyes travel down my face, across my jaw, and down to my chest. “You don’t look so bad, yourself,” she murmurs.
“Screw dinner,” I say. “I want to take you back to bed.”
She shakes her head. “No way. I went to all this effort. You need to take me out and show me off.”
“How could I possibly say no?” I ask, leading her towards the front door. We step outside into the warm night and I usher her into the car before driving us to the restaurant which I had booked weeks in advance.
The closer we get to the restaurant, the more my palms begin to sweat. My heart races and I hope to God that tonight goes exactly how I have always planned.
I’ve been waiting for this night for too long, and if something goes drastically wrong, it might just kill me. Waiting the last few years to ask this woman to marry me has been the longest wait of my life and I don’t plan on waiting another night.
We get to the restaurant and just as she had requested, I show her off as my queen. People stare and watch as we walk by and I know that makes her feel good even though she’d probably never admit it.
I pull out her chair and help her get seated before dropping down into my own. Waiters come and go and before I know it, we’re halfway through an incredible dinner. “So, what are your plans?” I ask her, knowing we’re bound to talk about this sooner or later.
“What do you mean?” she asks. “For work?”
“Yeah.”
A smile lifts the corners of her lips. “Well, I was actually going to talk to you about that,” she starts. “I got an offer right before graduation. Well, two offers actually.”
“As an associate?” I ask. “Where?”
“Well, one is here in Broken Hill at Davies and Knight which is a really great firm, and the other is in L.A.”