Part 8 (2/2)
”Yeah, no kidding. Did you get everything into the washer without it dripping all over the floor?”
He laughs. ”Yeah. It wasn't as bad as it looked. I think next time we should just head to Ghirardelli's first and eat the chocolate there. Then we can come home and work it off. Wearing it isn't as hot as I thought it would be.”
I run my fingers down the center of his chest toward his taut abs. ”Actually, you wearing it was plenty hot. Tasted pretty d.a.m.n good too. And I can't complain about the clean-up.” My palms flatten against his sculpted pecs now, and he springs to life poking me in the belly.
”On second thought, it's not so bad at all.” With one of his hands threaded in my hair and his other firmly holding on to my a.s.s, he leans in and devours my mouth in a seriously scorching wet kiss. The sweet taste of chocolate on his tongue fills my senses and sends my body into overload. Again.
We just finished one round of the hottest s.e.x I've ever experienced. The warmth of Ty's tongue as he sucked the chilled whipped cream from my nipples. The heat of his tongue as I watched him lick chocolate from my lips. And not the ones attached to my face. Sweet mercy, that was just minutes ago and here we are ready to do it all over again.
”I'm going to go home with muscles I didn't know I had,” I tell Ty as he lowers himself to the floor and hikes my left thigh onto his shoulder.
”Shh. You have some more syrup down here. I thought I got it all earlier. I guess not.”
Holy s.h.i.+t. I think I just heard my skin sizzle with the flick of his tongue. ”Poor me,” I groan.
Poor me and poor him is all I can think of as we take turns getting our fill of each other. It isn't until we're breathless, trying to recover from round two, that we actually grab the soap which is why we got into the shower in the first place.
Give me a minute, though. With the tender touch of Ty's soapy hands tracing lazy circles over my body and the gentle ma.s.sage of him shampooing my hair, I just might be ready for round three.
My eyes flash open way before I'm ready to get out of bed. Tyler is sleeping on his back next to me with one arm resting above his head and his other hand on my thigh. The warmth of his touch brands my skin, and I'm hoping I'll still be able to feel it long after I leave today.
His sun-kissed bare chest is well-defined and smooth, with a golden happy trail that disappears under the bright white sheet covering his lower half. He's beautiful. And he was all mine for two of the best weeks of my life. From parading around the town like a couple of tourists to acting like an old retired couple, we've made one h.e.l.l of a pair.
I'm not ready to leave it all behind.
I'm not ready to say goodbye and not know when we're going to have this again.
I've been bidding farewell to Tyler Gelson for more than half my life. You'd think I'd be used to it. But for many reasons, it's even harder now. When he left for college, I knew there wouldn't ever be anything between us, so I used it as a time to heal my heart and move on. It worked for the most part. I dated. I went to prom. I did what most teenage girls do. I hooked up with teenage boys. I sure as h.e.l.l didn't fret over my first love who was older than me and out of reach. Not much anyway.
Ty would come home to visit his family for the holidays or for anything else his mom summoned him for. I'd see him. He'd see me. It'd be awkward. And then he was gone before I could get used to seeing him again.
When I finally left for my own college experience, the run-ins with Ty happened even less. But when I did see him, even though there were uncomfortable stares, I knew there was something there. And not only on my part. I was no longer some naive girl with a nagging crush. I knew my feelings for him were real, and I knew he had feelings for me too.
That night at prom, when our dates ditched us, I discovered just how much he felt for me when we made love for the very first time on a soft plaid blanket under the stars at the top of a deserted street most of us called Hookup Hill. Silly me, I talked myself into thinking it was just a pity lay on his part. He couldn't possibly share the same feelings I had, could he?
But years later when I looked into his eyes after I introduced him to Nick, I knew I was wrong. He did have feelings for me. Real feelings. A lot of feelings. And it was too late.
Ty had come home for a quick visit for the Fourth of July holiday. Shel and I were home for the summer. Nick and I had been dating for months but he had never met my family. So I invited him to join us. But, I didn't know of Ty's plan to make an appearance. I can still remember the punch in my gut when I saw him and his long stare as he took in Nick's arm around my waist holding me tightly against him.
What sucked a.s.s about that bittersweet day was that I had just realized Tyler Gelson, the great love of my life, really did love me and and there wasn't a d.a.m.n thing I could do about it. I had moved on. I loved Nick. Not the way I loved Ty, but it was something. That had to be the hardest goodbye of all. It was like I was saying goodbye forever. there wasn't a d.a.m.n thing I could do about it. I had moved on. I loved Nick. Not the way I loved Ty, but it was something. That had to be the hardest goodbye of all. It was like I was saying goodbye forever.
Thankfully, I got a second chance. And this time, I'm going to do everything I can so I never have to say goodbye to Tyler again. From now on, it's going to be a till next time till next time kind of thing. kind of thing.
Ty lets out a breathy sigh, and my gaze focuses on his chest rising up and down.
This gorgeous man is mine. And I'm not going anywhere. Geographically, yes. But my heart will always be with him, no matter how many miles are between us.
I've finally got him back, and I'm not ever letting go.
Chapter 10
It's summer, yet I wake up s.h.i.+vering. I'm home now, and I'm alone in my bed without the warmth of Ty's lean, hard body lying next to me. Not exactly what I want to dwell on as soon as I wake up this morning. I'd rather think about our two weeks of record-breaking heat together. And I'm not talking about the temperature in the Bay Area either. Every minute with him was amazing, falling into a routine, enjoying each other's company, both inside the bedroom and out.
My phone rings, the sound of the Friday Night Lights theme song filling my room. I reach across my fluffy comforter and pillows to s.n.a.t.c.h my phone from the charging station on my bedside table.
”h.e.l.lo.”
”Hey, Melly Belly,” Ty says, his voice cheerful so early in the morning. ”How are you still in bed? I woke up hours ago. I can't sleep without you next to me.”
My heart squeezes. ”I can't either.”
”You should have just stayed.”
I run my hand through my hair. ”Yeah, I should have. I don't have anything going on except for taking care of my pooches. I miss them and I'm sure my mom can use the break.”
”When do you get to pick them up?”
”My mom's finally back from her vacation so I'm going to pick them up today. They'll keep me busy, at least. I'm probably gonna go insane watching the clock tick till I see you again.” There's an awkward silence as I consider what to say next. ”And when exactly is that again?”
He clears his throat. ”Not for at least three weeks. I volunteer at the local teen center. We need to get the cla.s.ses up and running before I can get away. I'm kicking myself for taking this gig. I wanna jump on a plane and be there with you.”
”Soon, babe. You know you're going to have a great time with those kids. I'm glad you're doing it again.”
”We both have a soft spot for struggling adolescents, don't we?” I can sense the smile in his eyes. ”There's just something about the ones who are a little rough around the edges.”
”Project?” I tease.
”No. That's not it. I think it's watching them succeed against all odds that does it for me. I try to help in any way I can.”
”Yup, I know the feeling. I'm a sucker for a happy ending too. When I see my kids, the ones who most thought were a lost cause, cross the stage and get their diplomas at graduation, it makes all the extra hours of phone calls and come-to-Jesus talks worth it.” This last May, I had a student introduce me to his mom. She thanked me, shaking my hand and not letting go. She expressed how grateful she was to me for being there for her son and how she didn't think she would've seen him graduate if it hadn't been for me. She's a single mom, working two jobs to care for her elderly mother and her two children. Because of that responsibility, she wasn't always aware that her son was ditching and getting into trouble all the time. He loves his mom, but has some serious daddy issues. But he figured it out. Now, he has a high school diploma to get him started and he got a part-time job at the airport. Each of my students has a story to tell. I could flip the pages of the yearbook and share all their sob stories, some more sad, depressing, and maddening than others. But the best tales are the ones where the students beat the odds to find success, just like Ty described.
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