Yes. I do. He needs me to commit completely.
I already am. I’m ready to be his. I never want to be apart from him again.
Maybe he needs me to understand the full scope of his love, the deep, the dark, the magnitude, before I throw myself to the wind. So he can always be sure I knew what I was getting myself into.
“Take me home, then,” I whisper.
Daniel locks up the shop and we walk hand in hand for five blocks, the trees growing denser, the houses larger. Kids play in the street and the sound of traffic grows more distant. Every time we reach a stoplight and have to wait for the crossing signal, Daniel pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead, my cheeks, my mouth, whispering fervently how much he’s needed me. More than once, we miss the signal completely and have to wait for the next one.
I’m sensitive everywhere. My breasts are heavy, the back of my neck is hot.
I want to be laid down and ravished by this long-lost man.
But the set of his jaw speaks to his determination and I have no choice but to ignore the swelling desire and keep walking, until finally, we stop in front of a house.
It’s robin’s egg blue. The windows are trimmed with fresh white.
Shade and sunlight dapple the yard, a hammock swaying lazily in the breeze.
It’s private and cozy and exactly the house I would have picked if I’d had a choice of every single residence on the block. It’s perfection.
“This…is…”
“Ours,” he says, unlatching the gate and pulling me through. “It’s ours, Tatum.”
The daisies planted on either side of the brick path blur with my tears. Wiping away the moisture with my shoulder, I watch Daniel unlock the door with capable fingers. It pains me to know this wonderful man who loves me has been living in this dream house without me, but never again. I’ll never let him leave again.
We step into a small entryway and I can see the entire first floor from there. The brand new, rustic kitchen to the left. Living room furniture gathered around a fireplace to my right. A staircase traveling upward from the center of the space. But instead of leading me up, he takes me past the stairs, toward a small door. When he pushes it open, I give up all hope of stemming my tears, because there is a desk bathed in sunlight. Framed Comeback Girl comics on the walls. A portable crib folded up in the corner. A big, thick, round rug on the floor covered in pillows of all shapes and sizes.
“You’ve been doing so well in school,” he breathes against my ear, his hand sliding along the back of my neck and taking hold. “This is where you’ll study. Where you’ll sketch.” His hand scrubs down my spine. “Right where I can see you. Right where you’re safe.”
“It’s incredible. The whole house…is incredible.” I make a choked sound. “You did all of this for me?”
He bares his teeth at my temple. “There is no end to what I would do for you.”
Love and lust are snaking through me at such a rapid rate, I can barely remain standing. I’m…worshipped by this man. He’s showing me the proof. Now I need to feel it.
Moreover, I want him to feel the proof that I worship him back.
I am done being waylaid. I need to get…way laid.
Thank God I didn’t say that out loud.
“I love it, Hos—Daniel.” I glide my palms up and down his pecs, listening to the growl kindle in his throat. “I want to live here with you forever. You, me and the baby.” I unfasten his jeans again, both of us already starting to breathe faster. “But right now, it’s just you and me…”
Unexpectedly, his left hand circles my throat, his hold firm, but gentle. He searches my eyes long and hard. “You making me a commitment, Tatum? Because if you are, it’s forever. No exceptions.”
“Forever,” I say, trembling under the onslaught of need, the wet rush between my legs. “Forever,” I echo, kissing the notch of his throat.
“No matter what, Tatum.” His jaw ticks. “Even when I’m a little insane?”
“Yes.” I lick the stubbled curve of his throat. “Because I know your love is stronger.”
A hoarse rendition of my name is his only response.
I trail my mouth down his chest and stomach, landing on my knees on the soft rug. I force myself to be careful unzipping over the large protrusion even though I’m desperate to get the taste of him in my mouth. He’s never been there before, but somehow my body already knows what his exact texture and size and flavor will be.
Perfect. Smooth and hard.