Love Love (3 page)

Clark let out a hearty, sexy laugh,
and licked his lips. “Eat, Angel. You’re going to need your
strength.”

Oh
.

He didn’t say much while we were
eating, but I felt his eyes on me. When we were done, he took my
hand and led me to the brown wicker couch that sat facing his
mother’s plentiful garden. He sweetly took my face in his hands and
I relaxed into him. His thumb caressed my cheekbone and my eyelids
fluttered closed. His touch always did that to me. When I opened my
eyes, he was staring deeply into them.

“
I love you, Gabrielle
Willis. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, the
moment I bumped your shoulder in that crowded hallway of our high
school. I love everything about you…the way your lips turn up when
you smile, your generous heart, your flowery spirit, your two left
feet, and of course, your love of all things sweet.” He smiled
widely, then brushed his lips ever so softly against mine before he
pulled back. “You’re it for me, Gabby. There will never be anyone
else. I don’t want anyone else. I want to wake up to every single
sunrise with you, and at the end of my day, I want you to be my
sunset.”

Clark left me, but only for the
briefest of seconds, to slide off the couch and get down on one
knee. He placed my hand in his, brought it to his mouth for a kiss,
and then with the most sincere blue eyes I’d ever known, looked
into mine.

“
Gabrielle Christina
Willis,” his voice shook, “will you make me the happiest damn man
alive and marry me?”

My eyes grew wide and my lips suddenly
felt dry. I watched as Clark pulled a burgundy velvet ring box from
his pocket, my mouth dropped open at the sight of a gorgeous,
emerald-cut diamond sparkling brilliantly in the
moonlight.

He smiled nervously before he spoke.
“I like your mouth hanging open like that, Angel, but in this
particular case, it’s because I’m waiting on an answer.”

His words seemed to unfreeze my lips
and I began to laugh, something only Clark could make me do. I
cupped his face in my hands and leaned in close, teardrops falling
rapidly from my eyes. Moving in close so that our lips were
touching, I breathed, “Yes, I will marry you, Clark
Thompson.”

He locked his lips with mine, wrapping
his arms around me and kissing me like I was the air he needed to
breathe. When he pulled back, he took the ring from the plush
velvet and placed it on my finger, tears forming in the creases of
his eyes. “Do you have any freaking idea how happy you’ve just made
me? I love you so much, Angel, with every ounce of my heart. You
are my only.”

“
I love you too,
Clark…forever.” His head fell against mine, and I swore time stood
still. Everything about that moment was perfect. Clark was
perfect...perfect for me. I tangled my hands in his hair and sucked
on his bottom lip. “So can we have engagement sex now? Because I’ve
heard engagement sex is hot.”

Clark leaned in close to my ear, his
warm breath making my skin sizzle. “Angel, anything with you is
hot." He scooped me up under my knees and I kicked my legs in the
air, giggling ferociously. Draping my arms around him, I played
with the wisps of his hair and buried my face in his warmth. His
musky scent and the perfection of the moment made my heart pound
rapidly against my chest.

He set me down on the floor of his
room. The familiar room was filled with his delicious smell, hockey
trophies aligning the shelves, rumpled sheets, and piles of
clothes. I let out a deep breath and my whole body relaxed,
recognizing this as home. Smiling, I recalled all the times I snuck
into this room through the side window once Clark’s parents fell
asleep. It always felt like forbidden fruit and I was a health nut.
Glancing down at the giant sparkle on my finger, I looked over at
Clark.

“
You do know what this
means, don’t you? No more sneaking around! We can be together
whenever we like, and however...”

Clark dropped a wet kiss behind my ear
that made me shiver. "Get naked, wife-to-be. I want you in my bed
right now."

I didn't need to hear anything else. I
jumped on his bed and proceeded to do my best striptease, casually
sliding my t-shirt over my head and tossing it at him. It landed on
his face, and when he removed it, the sexy grin I received spurred
me on. I ran my hands down my body slowly, brushing the curves of
my breasts and leading to the zipper of my jeans, slowly unzipping
and shimmying them off, revealing my peppermint pink lace panties.
Clark's eyes grew wide as he tore his polo shirt over his head and
stepped out of his pants. I brought my hands behind my back and
unclasped my satin bra, seductively trailing the straps down my
arms until I fell back and hit my head on the wall. So much for my
seduction.

He lunged for me. "You okay,
Angel?"

I rubbed the back of my head.
"Yup...so much for my seduction."

He licked my bottom lip. "Oh, I quite
liked your seduction." His eyes moved over his erection. "Can't you
tell?"

I eyed the bulge in his boxers and
licked my lips, then chuckled. "I need something sweet. Bring me
that honey stick right now."

Clark smirked and tore off his boxers.
"Is this what I have to look forward to after we're
married?"

As he climbed over me I said, "Uh
huh...and so much more." I could picture Clark and I in our house
together, sitting side by side at the kitchen table eating pancakes
and bacon, planting flowers in the yard, brushing our teeth in the
same bathroom, snuggling together on the sofa for Friday movie
nights, and doing all of the things that married people do. The
thought of him being the last person I saw at the end of my day and
the first one I’d wake up to made my insides twist with happiness.
I could visualize a giggling shaggy-haired, blue-eyed mini version
of Clark running around barefoot in the backyard being chased by
his adoring father. Sigh. All of the things that people so easily
took for granted. I wouldn’t ever do that with Clark.

He settled between my thighs and
captured my mouth, delicately tracing my plump lips before slipping
inside and stroking my tongue with his. Breaking the kiss, his head
lowered until I felt his lips and tongue surround my nipple and
desire exploded between my legs. Clark's cell phone rang and he let
out a groan.

“
Don’t answer it,” I
moaned, and he didn’t, until whoever it was kept calling back and
the ringing in our ears wouldn't stop. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"I guess you better answer it, babe, it's obviously
important."

He reached for his cell phone on the
side table without straying from my body. "Hello?"

"Clark,
it's...Su...si...e..."

"Susie, you sound like you're wasted.
What’s up? I’m kind of busy." He stuck his tongue out at me and I
wanted to bite it.

"I'm at Naomi's
hou...se...and…everyone is…drun...k…I...need...a ride
home..."

A huge puff of air left Clark's chest.
"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Is Susie okay, babe?"

"Well, my sister’s completely drunk
again, and so is everyone else, so I have to pick her up. I'm
sorry, Angel."

I met his lips with mine. "Don't be,
babe. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you get back,
naked and ready."

He kissed me again and reluctantly
dragged his body off of mine. He sighed deeply. "I like the sound
of that."

Clark pulled on his stonewashed jeans
and blue polo and grabbed his keys. He walked over to me and held
on tight, moving his lips over mine tenderly. "God, I love you,
Angel. I can't wait for you to be my wife."

"Me too. Now hurry back." I swatted
his ass.

He turned around and gave me one more
peek into those fields of blue before he headed out.

That was the last time I ever saw
him.

***

I startle awake out of a dream to the
buzzing of my annoying alarm clock. Why I don’t set it to the radio
is beyond me. Maybe I like the shock value. Rubbing my crusty,
sleep-filled eyes, I drag my legs over the side of the bed and try
and get my bearings before stumbling into the bathroom. I pause for
a second to look in the mirror. Yes, this is my life. Every day is
the same. My hour and a half morning routine consists of getting
dressed, a not-so-pleasant ride on the subway to 62nd and Broadway,
a caffeine stopover at Starbucks, and finally, my arrival at Landon
& Castell Interior Design by nine a.m. That’s the time Robby
Mathers, my boss, likes me to be there, and he likes me prompt.
I’ve been working there for almost three years since I received my
Business Degree, and it’s a job for which I actually have my dad to
thank. He used his connections, but not before emphasizing how many
strings he had to pull and reading me the riot act about working
hard and proving myself. I guess I owe him for this one. Yeah,
maybe.

Stepping in the shower, I’m quickly
shocked awake by a blast of cold water. As I let the stream pour
over my face, I can’t help thinking to myself that all this
monotony is getting to me and I’m in desperate need of a spark.
Maybe I should bungee jump off of the Empire State Building or run
naked in Central Park. Nah, that would just be plain crazy, plus
I'd get arrested. That wouldn't end well. Unless there was a hot
guy dressed in a uniform fingerprinting me. Then it might just be
worth it. After all, there’s really nothing like a man in uniform.
I know it sounds like I have sex on the brain. I really
don't.

Let’s be real. I’ve always
liked guys. Even when they were boys. I remember chasing Michael
Bagley around the kindergarten playground, trying to get him to
kiss me. Then there was Jason Rasmussen in fourth grade. He played
the Tin Man in the school production of
The
Wizard of Oz
, while I played a short, chubby munchkin. God, he was cute.
He had the sweetest dimple on his left cheek and a birthmark just
above his perfectly shaped lips. Even now, thinking about him makes
me smile. I never managed to get much of his attention, but it
certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying.

So here I am. Twenty-five
years old and living in New York; The City That Never Sleeps. Of
course, it’s impossible to sleep when someone’s banging tin cans
outside your window. Nonetheless, New York is truly awesome. I
mean, I loved California; the palm trees, the beaches, the hot guys
on the boardwalk. Yeah, all of that was good. But New York City,
that's a whole other ball game. You can find anything here, and I
mean
anything
. A
vendor selling hot dogs on the street, a guy playing guitar in the
subway, or a naked cowboy in Times Square. It's all here. And the
energy wow! It electrifies me. Sets me on fire. Makes me
smile.

I make my way up the stairs of the
subway platform until I’m finally greeted by a patch of clear blue
sky. My heels click against the pavement while I stare up to the
heavens, thinking I might find the answer to what I’m searching
for. When there’s no response, I decide on my usual. An iced
vanilla latte from Starbucks. I’ve been drinking coffee since I was
a kid, back in the day when no one was looking and I’d put four
teaspoonfuls of sugar in it. Now, I’m onto the fancy stuff; the
lattes, the espressos, the mochaccinos…I can’t get through the day
without my caffeine fix. It’s my only addiction. Well, that and
candy…and chocolate. That’s it, though.

Standing in front of the Starbucks
sign, I hesitate. I’m so freaking predictable and need a change.
I’ve heard some friends of mine talk about this new gourmet coffee
shop around the corner that’s supposed to be mind-blowing. How can
coffee be mind-blowing? That might be a bit extreme. Regardless, I
need something different, so I keep walking until I reach The Brew
House. It seems like a regular coffee shop; lots of people chatting
away in cozy velvet booths and sitting on plush couches, drinking
coffee. Although I do like the colors more than Starbucks; olive
greens, splashes of burgundy, and desert creams, while local
artwork aligns the walls. There are various pieces of mismatched
furniture in a variety of fabrics. It’s eclectic and definitely my
style.

I see a couple with their
tongues down each other’s throats. Talk about a public display of
affection. Holy cow. I try to walk in further and notice my heels
are sticking to the floor. Yuck. I look down into the giant blue
eyes of a little blonde boy who’s blowing raspberries at me and
crushing his sugary doughnut into the ground, and at the same time
pouring his apple juice on my shoe. His mother, of course, doesn’t
notice.
I smile and blow one back at him
and he runs and hides behind his mother’s leg. I didn’t realize I
was that scary.