“I’ll see you tonight, beautiful. I’m wrapping up at the office now.”
“I can’t wait to see you,” I said. “Love you.”
“Love you, too, Hailey.”
Chapter 21
Bryan
I was excited about seeing Hailey tonight. Every cell in my body missed her whenever she wasn’t around. I went through the house, straightening things up and changing the sheets on my bed, preparing myself for a wonderful evening in. The permanent chill of the winter months had officially descended on the San Diego area, and going outside had now become a spectator sport. I threw open the curtains in my room, allowing the eventual moonlight to pour in through the windows, so it could coat the body of the woman I was going to worship tonight.
After we talked, of course.
The fact that Hailey was this enthusiastic about the gallery was wonderful. I was looking forward to showcasing John’s artwork and finishing this path of closure I’d careened us both down. I couldn’t imagine how those paintings haunted Hailey every day from the back of her storage shed. I couldn’t imagine walking into my place of work every day knowing that a vital piece of John was just sitting there, collecting dust and screaming out my name.
I set the kitchen table with places for us to sit. I dug around and pulled out some apple-scented candles, perfect for the impending Thanksgiving festivities. I pulled out a sleek bottle of red wine and opened it, pouring it into a decanter that would allow it to aerate while we cooked, and then I started pulling out things we would need to make dinner together.
It was one thing we still had yet to do, and I was looking forward to brushing kisses on her sweet, soft neck.
One thing about Hailey was that she was prompt. She might live her life by her own rules, but if she gave you a time when she was going to show up, she was the person who was five minutes early. So, when my doorbell rang out into my house at a few minutes before five, I smiled and strode over to let her in.
I opened the door and couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. Bags were hanging from her arms that I took instantly, allowing her to breathe while her fingers regained their blood supply. She was wearing this comfortable-looking floor-length skirt and an off-the-shoulder shirt that boasted of colors and patterns that never matched one another. She had a light scarf around her neck that matched the sandals she refused to give up, and just as I set all the bags up on the counter, she wrapped her cold arms around me and held me tightly.
“I see you still aren’t willing to let summer go,” I said, grinning.
“I just hate close-toed shoes,” she said.
“And coats, apparently.”
I began unpacking the bags while she stole my warmth, and there wasn’t an ounce of it that bothered me. Her body pressed tightly into mine catapulted my heart rate to heights that were probably unhealthy at best. I loved the way she made my skin tingle with her touch. I loved the way she pressed cold kiss after cold kiss onto my back, warming her lips with my clothed skin. I could feel her heart racing against my back while her hands rubbed along my stomach, but when they started to travel down toward my belt buckle, I had to reluctantly grab them and stop her.
“Aww, no fun,” she said, pouting.
“Dinner first. Then recreational activities.”
“Spoilsport,” she said.
“Beautiful.”
I turned around in her arms and wrapped her up in my arms. I brought my lips down to kiss hers, savoring the sweetness of their touch. Despite how chilled her body was, her mouth provided me a warmth that outmatched my own, and soon, my tongue was lapping her up while our bodies pressed tigh
tly against one another’s.
It wasn’t until she moaned that I pulled away, eager to get dinner cooked so I could claim my dessert for the night.
“I can feel your stomach growling against me,” I said. “Did you not eat lunch?”
“I forgot it at home,” she said.
“Then we really need to get cooking. What do you want to cook?” I asked.
“Can’t I just eat you?”
“Oh, beautiful, why do you think I didn’t insist on making a dessert?”
She grinned at me before she reached for the vegetables. She pulled the bag off the counter and sauntered over to the sink, reaching for the cutting board before she plucked out a knife. The two of us began preparing dinner with little to no conversation between the two of us. That was another thing about Hailey I didn’t understand but enjoyed.
The silence that always descended between us was comfortable.