“Baby,” I murmured as I stepped out of the vehicle. “You’re up.”
Tegyn grinned. “I told you I’d wait up for you.”
I took the steps to the door two at a time and had her in my arms in a matter of seconds. I backed her into the laundry room, grabbed her waist, and lifted her onto the dryer where she promptly wrapped her legs around me.
“Hi,” she whispered, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Hi yourself.” I buried my face in her neck so I could inhale her scent. “What perfume?” I asked, determined to make a mental note. We were going to have birthdays and so many holidays together in our future. I planned to spoil the hell out of her.
“Dolce & Gabana Floral Drops. I love it,” she responded in a husky voice.
“Hm. Sounds intense,” I teased as I kissed my way to her ear. “What else do you love?” I continued to push, hoping for one particular answer.
“Playing in the rain. Dancing in the waves. Bubble baths.” She giggled.
“That’s a whole lot of wet.” I chuckled as I pulled on the neck of her shirt to expose more of her collar bone.
“You have no idea.” She moaned. “So wet.”
I paused. “We still talking about things you love, Tegyn?”
She pushed me back to look me in the eye. “Mostly. Although there’s one more thing I love…”
“A lot?” I asked as I stared into her sparkling eyes.
“Oh yeah. This is the kind of love you never get over, never recuperate from. This is the love they write poems and cheesy movies about.” Tegyn moaned as my hands moved under her shirt, slid up her sides and I moved to cup her breasts.
“You’re not wearing a bra,” I noted as the blood rushed to my groin.
She shook her head. “It’s late. I took it off after putting Keyon to bed.” She smirked while I toyed with her nipples. “I can’t concentrate with you doing that,” Tegyn whispered.
“What’s there to concentrate on, baby? This is all about feeling.” I grinned as I lifted her shirt, hoping to finally get to enjoy every square inch of her body.
Tegyn pushed her shirt down and groaned. “I’m trying to tell you all about my feelings, you big jerk.”
I laughed. “I’m a jerk?’
“Well, you’re jerking me around,” she pointed out. She wasn’t wrong. I truly enjoyed teasing her. “Let me finish.”
I lifted my hands and took a step back. “Okay. I’m listening. Hands off so I can concentrate.”
“Good, because I love you, DeSean. I’ve loved you for a long time, and maybe these years and the pain that we’ve experienced apart had to happen so we could truly appreciate and not squander this second chance.” She shrugged. “That’s all. So, I’m going to be philosophical instead of bitter. And I’m going to treasure each and every moment we have together. Starting now.”
I was frozen. I couldn’t move. For years, I’d wanted to hear this. The first time around, she refused to tell me how she felt. She didn’t want to get too attached to a married man. And now, she was ready to embrace every bit of this, including me.
“Say something. I never had you pegged for the strong and silent type.” She smiled shyly.
“I love you, Tegyn. I’m going to take you upstairs and show you how much.” I scooped her up off the dryer and began carrying her to the stairs.
“No! Not up the stairs. I don’t want to die tonight.” She giggled as she tried to kick free.
I grinned. “Okay, if you feel that strongly about it, we can go caveman style. I’ll grab you by the hair, drag you back to my cave…”
“What if we do it feminist style?” She waggled her brows at me as I set her on her feet in front of the first step.
“How’s that go? You carry me?” My brow rose.
“No. We hold hands and walk up together, side by side.” She tugged on the back of my neck so I’d lower my face for a kiss.