Page 150 of A Time for Love
I spin sharply, and she stumbles into me. Without a word, I crouch and toss her over my shoulder, continuing my stride to the boathouse.
“Let go of me!”
“No. I’ve shared you enough,” I grumble. “I need you for myself for ten uninterrupted minutes.”
She exhales, dropping her head onto my back. Then she stretches and pinches my ass. “Needy much?”
I push the door shut behind me, muting the party.
“Very,” I admit. “I’m not ashamed of it.”
Gently, I let her slide out of my hold on the familiar workbench, peppering her with kisses.
“Love this clingy side of you.”
“You haven’t seen the half of it,” I breathe into her neck.
She leans back on her hands, smiling. “Can’t wait for our big day,” she says. “Or…come to think about it, we could always elope.”
“It’s a strategy,” I say, sliding my hands down her knees. “Might keep us on the run from both our mothers for the rest of our lives.”
Jackie throws her head back laughing, the tips of her hair brushing the worn wood.
“But sure. I could rock a beard. Maybe some tattoos,” I add, as my fingers slip beneath the hem of her dress, pressing into warm skin.
Eyes hooded, she wraps her arms around my neck, soft lips gliding over mine. I taste her and bask in the heat of her touch, pulling her closer until there’s no space between us.
“It’s a good sign,” she breathes, “when your partner is willing to entertain your most peculiar ideas.”
Nine years later, I don’t know how we survived the distance. Or our mistakes. But the signs were always there.
Just waiting for us to be ready.
Waiting for the right time for love.
THE END
