Emma turns her head and looks next to the couch, and sure enough, Manny is sitting there watching us with his tail wagging.
She starts to laugh and covers her face with her hands.
“Damn it, Pete. Your level of self-control is beyond anything I could ever imagine; I don’t know how you do it. I’ve wanted you for so long, and now we wait again,” she says with a pout on her beautiful face.
“Don’t worry, Belle. When our time is right, it will be worth the wait.”
She smiles up at me and I lean down to kiss her on the lips.
Yes, I want to savor this woman.
Yes, I’m dying inside to be with her in the most intimate way.
Yes, I hate that we have to wait for another time.
When that moment happens for us it’s going to be the first time I make love to my girl and the last time I ever tell a woman that she’s stolen my heart.
I love Emma and there’s no one else that I’ll ever want to spend my life with like I do with her.
Holy fucking hell. My panties are drenched, my heart is pounding out of my chest and the thoughts running through my mind are starting to cloud my reality. If the sexual tension between me and Pete gets any more intense I’m likely to combust right in front of him.
I let out a heavy sigh as he gets off of me and moves to sit at the end of the couch. I watch him through hooded eyes and there is nothing I want more than to strip him naked and ride him off into the sunset.
Then reality hits me and I can understand why he doesn’t want our first time to be here on Riley and Char’s couch. In fact, we’re better off waiting until the time is right. I know that this isn’t our first rodeo but I know it’s going to be amazing. The longer we wait the better it will be; I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
I quickly pull myself together and gather my thoughts. I get up from the couch and call Manny back into the kitchen.
He follows my every move and sits down next to me with his tail wagging.
“Stupid dog,” I mumble under my breath while picking up his food and water dishes.
“Hey, is that any way to talk to a family member?”
I turn around to see Pete laughing at me.
I look down to the dog and give him a genuine pout.
“Sorry, Manny, I’m just slightly bitter at the moment.”
I watch as his ears perk up and I let out a laugh.
Scratching behind his ears, I watch as his leg starts to go nuts thumping on the tile floor.
“Belle, you’re so cute when you’re bitter,” Pete says with a hint of humor in his voice.
“I’m even cuter when I’m….oh, never mind,” I say, turning away from him.
I blow a strand of hair out of my face and move toward the pantry to get Manny some food. Pete comes up behind me and grabs the water bowl from my hands.
“Here, let me help you. The faster we get out of here the sooner we get some things done today.”
I look over to him as he turns on the sink and fills Manny’s bowl.
“What kind of stuff do we have to do today?” I ask, leaning up against the countertop.
“Well, for starters, we both need to go home and get cleaned up,” he says, looking at his outfit and then mine. “We’re still in the same clothes we’ve been in since yesterday.”
I lift my arm to pretend I’m smelling my armpit.
“Nope, I’m still good.”
He looks at me and laughs.
I stick my finger in my mouth and slowly pull it out.
“Yup, I even taste good,” I say with a giggle as Pete drops Manny’s water bowl in the sink and tackles me to the ground.
He starts to tickle me and I can barely breathe I’m laughing so hard.
“Okay, okay, please stop. I’ll be good, I promise.”
He stops tickling me for a moment and leans down to kiss me.
“You’re going to kill me, little lady.”
I lift my head to kiss him on the lips and squirm out from underneath him. I get up off the floor and walk over to the sink, fill up Manny’s water bowl and set it down on the floor for him.
Standing back up, I look over at Pete who’s now standing alongside the refrigerator.
“Okay, how about if we do this. We can both go home, take a shower and get dressed. When you’re ready, you can come back to Derrick’s and get me since his house is on the way to the hospital. We can go check on Riley and Char and then have the rest of the night to ourselves. Sound good?”
He walks over to me, wraps his arms around me and pulls me in close to him.
“I like the way you think, Belle, especially the part when we get to spend the night alone together.”
“Me, too,” I say, standing on my tip toes to kiss his lips.
He swats me on the ass and pulls away.
“Manny looks to be good here, let’s get a move on.”
I walk back into the living room, fold up the blankets and put the pillows back in their place. Everything else seems to be in order as I look around the downstairs of the house.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I say, walking toward the front door.
Pete grabs my hand and we walk out the door and down the front porch steps to his truck.
“I’ll be back in an hour, is that enough time?”
“Yep, I’ll be ready to go.”
He leans down to give me a heart stopping kiss and gets into his truck.
I stand and watch as he pulls out of the driveway and down the road. After a few moments of staring out onto an empty street, I pull myself out of my Pete daze. I hop in my car and head down the street to Derrick’s house.
Opening the garage door, I see that his car isn’t there. At least I won’t be bothering them while I get myself ready.
I head into the kitchen and make a mug of coffee and quickly eat a bowl of oatmeal with a banana. I clean up my breakfast dishes and head up the stairs to take a quick shower. While getting myself dressed I hear the doorbell ring and rush down the stairs.
I open the door and there stands Pete in all of his handsome glory. Just the sight of him sends my senses into over drive. His bright blue eyes are looking down at me and I so badly want to jump into his arms.
Resisting my gut reaction to him, I step aside so he can come in. Even though I saw him less than an hour ago, I realize I’ve missed him.
“I’m almost ready; I just need to put on some socks and shoes.”
“No worries, Belle. Go ahead and finish getting ready; I’ll stay down here.”
“You can come up to my room and wait for me if you want,” I say, starting to walk up the stairs.
I stop midway when I notice he’s not behind me.
“Aren’t you going to come up?”
“Yeah, that’s probably not a good idea. If I get you anywhere near a bed, we’re not likely to leave the room for the rest of the day.”
My cheeks begin to blush at the thoughts and images that immediately flood my mind.
“You’re probably right. I’ll be back down as soon as I can.”
Oh my God, this man knows exactly what to do to affect me. I can’t wait to have him all to myself later tonight. To be honest, I don’t know where I plan to start with him, but once I’m done every inch of his body will be covered in trails of kisses from my lips.
I wait while Emma goes back upstairs to finish getting ready. I wasn’t joking with her when I said it’s best I stay downstairs. God only knows what I might do to her if we’re alone in a bedroom.
The sexual tension between us is getting intense to say the least. I don’t know that I have the willpower to stop myself the next time I’m on top of her.
I pace the kitchen for a few minutes and then a brilliant idea comes to mind.
I take a seat at the kitchen table and scroll through my contacts. I hit send on the one number and wait until she picks up the line.
“Hey, it’s Pete. I need a favor for tonight around seven o’clock…..”
??
?There will be two of us…..”
“I want you to put out your best for me …..”
“Thanks…..”
Well, that was easy. I guess it really is good to know people in high places. I’ve had this favor in need of a return and tonight is the perfect opportunity to cash it in. We’ll need to do some errands beforehand, but we should have plenty of time.
I want to make sure Emma will have everything she needs for our night out together.
Hopefully, Emma will be surprised; I think this is something she’ll like.
I want tonight to be a night Emma will never forget. I think it’s going to be perfect.
I hear her coming down the stairs and watch as she rounds the corner and sits down on my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck and places a gentle kiss to my lips.
“I’m all set. You ready?”
“Yep.”
“Okay then, let’s roll,” she says, hopping off of me and walking toward the front door.
I grab onto her hand and we walk out of the house and down the front steps.
“I’d offer to drive, but I know how much you love riding in the Mini. Oh wait, you’ve never taken a ride in my car.”
“Belle, as much as I’d love to ride in the Mini, I don’t think it was made for my six foot plus frame.
I watch as she lets out a giggle.
“Okay, tough guy, let’s take the macho truck,” she says, sticking her tongue out at me.
Dear God, between the way she looks at me with her eyes and the thoughts going through my mind of her tongue, I’m lucky if I don’t bust a load in my pants right now.
“Let’s go, shorty,” I say, swinging my arm around her neck and pulling her into a head lock.
We make our way over to Massachusetts General Hospital and up to the ICU. Once we reach the right floor, we find the rest of the family in the waiting area sitting around talking.
“Hey guys,” Emma says, walking toward Derrick. “Have you heard anything?”
He stands to give her a hug and reaches his arm out to pull me into a hug as well.
“Nah, not really. She still hasn’t woken up. The good news is that the doctors are happy with her scans and the neurological tests they’ve done, but we need her to wake up to know more.”
“At least there’s good news coming out of all of this,” Emma says, pulling away.
“Yeah, I know. It’s just all the waiting that sucks.”
I watch as the family interacts and discusses the things that they’ll need to do for Char while she’s in the hospital.
Each of the family members have agreed to take turns staying with Riley around the clock. Teresa has already contacted Char’s employer to let them know what’s been happening and Emma said that she’d take care of Manny as long as needed.
This is a strong family that will do just about anything to help someone in need. I’ve known just about all of them for years, and to be honest, they’re the closest things to a family that I have here in Boston.
I just wish there was something more I could do to help.
Emma starts to scan the room, waves to the rest of the crew and then takes a seat next to Derrick.
“So, where’s Chloe?” she asks.
“She just went in to see Char. Riley’s been hogging up all of the visiting hours with her and they’ll only let one person in at a time. He should be coming back out soon.”
Just as Derricks finishes his sentence, Riley comes walking into the visiting area.
Emma stands from her chair and walks over to him. She wraps her arms around him as he pulls her into his embrace with his good arm.
“You doing okay?” she asks him.
“No, this fucking sucks. I keep talking to her, telling her how much I love her and need her to wake up. She’s still knocked out; I just want my girl to open her eyes.”
Riley looks over to me and nods his head to say hi.
“Riley, you know Char; when she’s good and ready to wake up she will,” Emma says.
“Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps telling me. I just hate this waiting shit.”
“I know. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nah, Derrick and Chloe brought me some clean clothes and Bryce and Teresa have been keeping me fed. How’s Manny?”
Emma lets out a laugh and looks toward me.
“What’s so funny? What did you two do to my poor dog?”
“We didn’t do anything to him, it’s what he didn’t let us do,” I say, pulling Emma into me.
“Shut the fuck up. You two? You didn’t….not in my house….did you?”
“No man, your house is clean. No worries,” I say with a laugh.
“Manny is good. Pete and I let him out and fed him last night and this morning. I’ll keep an eye on him for you for as long as you need.”
“Thanks, guys, we really appreciate it. Just don’t be doing any funky business in my house. That’s just gross,” Riley says, running his fingers through his hair.
“No worries, little brother, anything we can do to help just let us know.”
He looks like absolute hell and it’s evident that the stress of Char is wearing on him. At least Emma and I were able to get him to smile for a few short minutes. It has to be hard. The waiting must suck for him. I can’t imagine the pain he’s going through sitting next to the girl he loves, knowing there’s nothing he can do to wake her up.
Pete and I spend another hour or so at the hospital and then decide to head out. I feel bad for leaving, but there really isn’t anything we can do but sit and wait like the rest of the family.
Riley and Derrick promise that they will keep us up to date with any news on Char. I give everyone a hug on my way out and Pete wraps his arm around me as we make our way to the elevator.
“You okay, Belle?” Pete asks, pulling me into him.
I look up and give him a half smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just wish Char would wake up. I feel for Riley and I hate that he has to be in so much pain right now. Is it wrong that we’re leaving?”
He leans down and kisses my forehead.
“You’re such a good person, Emma. We can stay as long as you want to, but all we’ll be doing is sitting and waiting.”
“I know; it just sucks for my brother.”
“It does, but we have to stay optimistic and hope for the best. Char is a fighter and when she does wake up she’s going to do everything she can to get her ass home to Riley.”
“Yeah she will and I’ll help her in any way I can.”
“We all will; it’s one of the things that makes this family so great. They’re always willing to help and support one another.”
The elevator stops on the first floor and the doors open. Pete grabs for my hand and we walk through the lobby of the hospital and out to his truck.
“Do you have anything you need to get done this afternoon?” he asks.
I stop in my tracks and look at him. “I don’t think so, why?”
“I have a little something planned for us, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t have anything you needed to do before I steal you away for the rest of the day.”
It’s still pretty early in the afternoon and I’m not quite sure what he has up his sleeve.
“Hmm, what kind of plans did you have in mind?”
“Don’t you worry about what I have in mind, just do me one favor.”
“Of course, what is it?”
A huge smile comes to his face.
“You have to do whatever I say, no questions asked and no arguments.”
I laugh out loud.
“I have to do whatever you say and give all control over to you? I don’t know what you have going on in that brain of yours, but I trust you enough to do whatever you want me to do.”
“That’s my girl,” he says, opening up the passenger side of the truck and letting me in.
I watch as my guy shuts the door and walks around the front of the truck.
I don’t know
how or why he came into my life, but I’m so happy he did. He makes me feel so special. He treats me like I am the only person in the whole wide world that matters to him.
I smile at him as he slides into his seat and reaches for my hand. Staring into my eyes, he brings my hand up to his lips and places a gentle kiss on it.
My heart melts when I’m around him.
He lets go of my hand and starts up the truck.
“So, our first stop is to get our wardrobe for tonight,” he says, looking in the review mirror and backing out of the parking spot.
“Ward—…”
“Ehh,” he says sticking his finger up at me. “No questions allowed. You said you’d do what I said.”
I cross my arms over my chest and stick out my bottom lip.
“You’re cute, Belle, but I’m not falling for the ‘pity me’ look.”
I let out a heavy sigh and watch as he starts to laugh.
“You’ll love it, I promise.”
“I know, I’m just playing with you,” I say with a wink and a smile.
“Okay, then we’re off. Sit back and enjoy the ride.”
I lean my head back onto the seat and watch as we travel through the streets of Boston. Pete steers the truck onto a street that looks all too familiar to me. It’s the place where Char took me the day after I arrived.
I’m not quite sure what Pete has planned for us, but shopping at Newberry Street is always a good idea in my opinion.
This place is a shopaholic’s paradise; there are eight blocks of amazing stores.
“I want you to find something nice to wear for tonight.”
“Okay,” I say, giving him a questionable glance. “Can you tell me what kind of outfit I should be looking for?”
“Yes, a dress,” he says grabbing for my hand. “I’ll go first so you have an idea of what I’ll be wearing.”
“Sounds good.”
We walk along the streets for a few minutes until we get to Alton Lane.
I’ve never been in this store, but I’ve heard about it and these people don’t play around.
Pete opens the door for me and we walk inside.
We are immediately greeted by a female salesperson that starts asking Pete questions and I have no clue what they’re talking about. She leads us over to a sitting area and Pete asks me to take a seat while he gets fitted, whatever that means.