The Beginning of Us (277 page)

When I open my eyes, all the air leaves my lungs. The reason I have become so mushy is standing in front of me with that beautiful sexy smile on her face. I no longer want to be that macho man who fucks around and treats a woman like they mean nothing. I want to be romantic and make her the happiest woman in the world because this woman is the most important person in my life.

I smile and pull the black velvet box out of my jeans pocket. My hand shakes as I hand it to her. Her eyes are glued to it. I think she is just as nervous as I am. She pulls it open very slowly and gasps, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth when she sees what’s inside.

“Slade” I close my eyes as she sighs my name.
Will I always have this reaction to her?
Fuck, I hope so. “It’s beautiful.” She still hasn’t taken her eyes off of it. “You shouldn’t have.” She takes her hand over her mouth and runs her hand over picking it up. “It’s so beautiful,” she repeats.

When she told me the story about her tattoo she got for her dad, it gave me an idea. Even though I didn’t know it at the time, my heart was empty until she came along, and I wanted to give her something that symbolized how she made me feel.

“I wanted you to know that when I told you I would wait, I meant it.” She looks up at me. “I wanted to prove it to you, Angel.” I take the box from her hand and remove the piece of jewelry. “You have my heart, Angel, now and for always.” I lean down, giving her a slow kiss as I taste her tears. “May I?” I ask as her mouth pulls away from mine.

She nods and turns around, pulling her hair to the side for me. I clasp it around her neck and turn her around so I can look at it on her. “I had this made for you Angel.” She reaches up and runs her fingers over it. It looks so beautiful around her neck. It’s a platinum heart shape necklace filled in with a variety of diamonds. “I wanted to give you my heart because, for the first time in my life, I feel complete. You have changed my life, and I could never thank you enough for what you have given me.”

Tears fall from her eyes, and I bend down to kiss them away. I don’t want her to cry. I just want her to know how I feel about her.

“I love it baby. I love it.” She looks in my eyes, and it’s almost like she’s telling me she loves me. She brings her body to mine. “I love it,” she repeats before she kisses me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Angel.” She deserves so much more, and I’m going to give it all to her when she’s ready. “Come on. We should get back inside.”

She nods as I lead her back into the house. She stops me when we walk inside. “I’m going to go freshen up real quick. I’ll meet you back at the table in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” I kiss her forehead before she walks off.

“Where is Samantha?” my mom asks as I walk into the dining room.

“She went to the restroom. She’ll be right out.” I take a drink of my whiskey.
Fuck, how does Dad drink this shit?

“Is she okay?” Holly asks.

“She’s great,” I nod. I smile as I see her enter the dining room with my heart around her neck. It looks as beautiful as she is. I’m just glad Josh was able to get it done with the short notice I gave him.

“Thank you everyone.” She stands next to me behind her chair. “For the dinner, for the gifts, and for a perfect day that I will never forget.” I look down to see her knuckles turn white as she grips the chair. I can tell she’s getting emotional.

My mom gets up from her chair and walks over to her, pulling Angel away from her chair. “You deserved it. We love you, Samantha. Don’t forget that.” My mom pulls her in for a hug, and it tugs at my heart. Who could not love this beautiful angel?

Even though it’s her birthday, I’m the one who received the best gift anyone could ask for. She is standing in front of me in a little pink dress with silver glittery fuck me high heels and my heart around her neck, making me the happiest man in the world.

“We’re going to get out of here, Mom.” I stand up from my chair. “Thanks so much for everything.”

We all say our goodbyes and head to the bar.

*****

Fusion Nightlife is already busy when we arrive. I tighten my hold on Angel’s hand as we make our way through the crowded people over to the bar.

“What do you guys want to drink?” I notice Angel is having trouble standing. I think I will get her a bottle of water.

“I’ll take a Long Island!” Angel yells over the music.

Of course she will.
I just nod to her.

Angel lets go of my hand and turns to Holly. “Hey, I need to use the restroom. You need to go?” Holly nods, following her off to the restroom.

I feel around my pockets and come up empty. “Fuck!”

“What?” Josh yells while he and Micah follow me outside to my truck.

“I forgot my wallet.” I jump in the truck, digging around in my center console, when I hear Josh and Micah both say shit. I find my wallet and jump out of my truck. I turn around to walk back towards the entrance, but come to a dead stop.

Fuck!

“Hi, Slade.” Mindy, a girl I hooked up with once, is standing in front of me. I had met her at a party that Josh and I went to. The only reason I remember her name is because not only did the sex suck, but the bitch was fucking crazy. She had stalked me for weeks after we’d hooked up. She would show up at my parents’ house and hang out, waiting for me to come home.

“What do you want, Mindy?” I take a look at her and notice that her dark green eyes are bloodshot, meaning she must be drunk.
Great.

“I just saw you walk outside and thought I would come and say hi.” She smiles and it makes me nauseous.

I nod and walk around her. “Come on, guys.”

“Having a guy’s night out?” she asks from behind me as I walk back to the door.

“No.” I turn and look at her. “We are out celebrating my girlfriend’s birthday.” I smile proudly when her face drops. I turn around and walk back into the club.

“Hey there, sexy.” I feel two familiar hands wrap around my stomach from behind as I pay for our drinks.

I turn around and grab her face, bringing her lips to mine and giving her a soft peck. “Hi, Angel.” I smile as she laughs.

“You want to go dance with me?” She grabs my hand as she nods her head.

I laugh. “Angel, I don’t dance.”

“Why not?” She frowns.

“I just don’t.” I shrug. The problem is that I can’t dance. I suck at dancing. “I’ll go find us a table, though, if you want to dance with Holly.” I know my brother doesn’t dance either.

“Okay.” She gives me a quick kiss and takes off with Holly.

“Let’s find a table somewhere,” I say to the guys as they follow me to the back of the club. We get lucky, finding a round booth for all of us to sit at. We just sit down when Angel comes storming up to the table looking pissed. She sits down next to me, picks up her drink, and puts her straw in her mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

Before she can say anything, Holly speaks up. “Some bitch just came up to Sam and said—”

Angel puts her hand up and stops her. “Don’t.” She gives Holly a hard stare. Holly takes in a deep breath and places her hands on her hips.

“It doesn’t matter. I know what we have,” Angel says as she picks up her Long Island and downs it. She just downed an entire drink in a matter of seconds.
Shit!
She’s going to be so trashed. “I’m not mad at you.” She waves her hand in the air towards me.

I reach up and place my hands in her hair. I lean down and she opens her mouth, letting me give her a deep kiss. I pull away, smiling at her. I hate that people are always going to tell her stuff, but I can’t help how proud I am that she knows how I feel about her.

“Hopefully it will blow over eventually.”

“What do you mean?” Josh asks her.

“That hopefully it won’t always be like this. You know, girls thinking they can slide into Slade’s pants when I’m not around.” She takes in a deep breath as she stares at her empty drink.

I never thought that my past would one day catch up with me. I was careless, doing whoever the fuck I wanted. Now Angel is the one who is always going to have to hear about it. “Angel, it doesn’t matter. You know how I feel about you, and so do they. They are just jealous because they know how important you are.” She nods and leans over, grabbing my drink and drinking it.

She looks up at me smiling, then laughs. I relax my back into the seat and wrap my arm around her. God, she is one hell of a woman.
And all mine!

Josh flags down a waitress. “Hey, can we get five tequila shots, please.”

“Oh, God,” Angel sighs. It sounds just like how she says it when I fuck her.

Fuck. Me.

I clear my throat. “What?”

“Tequila.” She looks from me to Josh. “I’m going to get so drunk.” She laughs at Josh.

“You already are,” he laughs back at her.

“So true.” She winks at me, letting me know that whoever had pissed her off is long forgotten.

“Here you guys go.” The waitress sets down a tray with five shots of tequila.

We pass them out then raise our glasses. “To Angel on her birthday.”

“Thanks again, everyone,” she smiles. “You all are the best friends a girl can have.”

We all down our drinks.

Four hours later, I’m carrying a trashed Angel to our bed. She had laughed and giggled all the way home from the bar. Micah and I had to carry the girls out.

“Baby,” she whispers as I lay her down on the bed. “I want you.” She reaches up, grabbing hold of my shirt as she pulls my face down to hers.

“Angel, I don’t think we should. You’re very drunk, and I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Please.” She sticks her tongue out, licking my bottom lip. She knows I love it when she does that. “I need my birthday spankings.”

“Fuck me.” I lay my head down in the crook of her neck, and stand in between her legs as they hang over the bed. She brings them up to wrap around my waist.

I run my hands up her smooth legs until I come to her lace thong. I grip them in my hand and pull them down at a slow pace, knowing it’s driving her crazy.

“Yes. Please.” She lifts her hips up off the bed, giving me easier access to pull them down. I stand up and she uncrosses her legs so that I can pull her underwear all the way off. She places her heels on the end of the bed and spreads her legs wide so I can see her pussy. My eyebrows shoot up as I watch her hand travel down her dress and stop between her legs.

“What are you doing, Angel?” I rasp out.

“I’m showing you want I want you to do.” She takes her bottom lip in her mouth as she enters a finger into herself. “Slade,” she moans, bringing her other hand up to cup her breasts over her dress.

“Fuck,” I whisper.

“Slade.” She looks up to me through heavy eyes. “Please. I want it to be you.”

I kick my shoes off while undoing my belt and jeans, then reach up and take my shirt over my head. “How do you want it, Angel?” I lean down and grab her hand, pulling her to stand. She sags in my arms as I try to hold her up. “Lift your arms.” I pull her dress up and over her head, then toss it to the floor. I stand there staring at her breasts. I had no idea she wasn’t wearing a bra, and it turns me on even more.

I lay her back on the bed and remove her heels before I crawl to straddle her.

“What do you want, Angel?” I run a hand over a breast.

“Whatever you want,” she pants, as her back bows.

I arch an eyebrow. “Whatever I want?”
She is full of surprises tonight.

“Yes. Whatever you want,” she pants. “Please.”

“Whatever Angel wants.” I get up as she protests. “Where are you going?” She reaches out for me, but her hands fall to her sides.

“To get a few things.” I pull out the handcuffs and the little vibrating toy we have never used. I think it’s a great night to try it. I walk over to the bed and stand. She sits up and licks her lip as she stares at my hard dick. I’m not going to let her have it in her mouth tonight. Tonight is all about me pleasing her. “Lay down on your back.”