I CHECK my phone for the time before sliding it into my pocket. Penny and I are both in the English building on Thursday afternoons, but my seminar ends half an hour before her creative writing class. Even though the end of January has been wet and miserable so far and I stepped in a puddle of half-melted ice earlier, I can’t stop smiling. As soon as she comes out of the building, I’m going to surprise her with a trip to the bookstore.
Maybe for other girls, you get her flowers or chocolate or trips to the spa. I know what my girl likes, though, and that’s books instead of flowers, gummy bears instead of chocolate, and semi-public orgasms instead of spa treatments.
Fuck, I’m grinning like an absolute asshole. I used to tease James about it, but now I get it. You have the girl you need in your life, and it feels like anything is possible. We’re deep into the season now, where every game counts just a little bit more, but I’m relaxed. Aside from the fact that UMass is ahead of us by a game and Dad and I haven’t spoken since Christmas, life is good. Penny’s my redheaded angel, and if not for the fact I know I wouldn’t want a relationship with anyone but her, I can’t believe I went almost twenty-one years before experiencing what it feels like to be able to call a girl mine.
She’s practically skipping on her way out of the building as she chats with a classmate, but as soon as she sees me, she runs into my arms and jumps. I catch her weight easily, making her laugh against my lips as she graces me with a kiss. She’s warm from being inside a toasty classroom for over an hour. I kiss her back for a couple of seconds before setting her down.
“What are you doing here?” she says. “Thought you had practice.”
“I’ve got about two hours before I need to be at the rink.” I clap a gloved hand atop her head. “Figured that’s enough time for the surprise I have planned.”
Her grin lights up her entire face. “A surprise?”
“You have the time?”
“For you, always.” She takes my hand as we start down the sidewalk. “What is it?”
“Don’t you know how surprises work?”
She keeps begging me for hints the whole walk over. One of the nice things about McKee is that Moorbridge is entwined with the campus, so you can hop around both without always needing to get in the car. We could have taken the bus; it’s chilly out, with piles of snow on either side of the sidewalk and ice melt crunching underneath our shoes, but it feels pleasant with her by my side.
She realizes I’m heading for Book Magic when we turn the corner onto Main Street, and she starts skipping for real, practically dragging me to the entrance. I stop her just before she runs inside, though, and say, “Here are the rules.”
She pouts, those big blue eyes fluttering. “Rules?”
“Well, one rule,” I amend. I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of this. “Whatever you want, I’m buying.”
A slow smile works its way over her face. “Whatever I want?”
“Anything.”
“Wow,” she breathes. “This is better than sex.”
“Well,” I say, “not better, but—”
“Bye!” She pushes open the door and runs inside before I can finish my sentence.
I follow, shaking my head, but I can’t stop smiling. She might think that a trip to the indie bookstore in town is better than getting down to business, but I’ll change her mind later. I’ve been dying to come on her tits again, and I know my dirty girl won’t say no to that.
I find her in the romance section, which I was expecting; she already has three books tucked under her arm. She beams at me in a way that makes my chest hurt, and I can’t help but cup her face with both my hands and tilt it up for a kiss. Her lips are just a little chapped and cold, and I have this unstoppable urge to look around the store until I see someone and introduce Penny as my girl.
When we break apart, the mischievous look on her face is gone. She just looks happy. I still don’t know what happened in her past that sometimes makes her shy away from me, but I hope she’s realizing that whatever it is, I’m not going anywhere.
And then I do spot someone, a woman a couple years older than us, wearing a Book Magic t-shirt. Her black-framed glasses, plus the curly brown hair, give her an owlish look. She nods at the book at the top of Penny’s stack. “That one is great.”
“Oh, awesome,” she says. “I don’t read that much historical romance, but it’s been on my list for a while.”
The woman nods as she straightens a display. “When you finish it, come in and tell me what you thought. It’s my favorite in the series—Miles is such a wonderful hero.”
“She’s writing a book,” I say, gesturing to Penny. “My girlfriend. It’s seriously good.”
“Cooper,” she says, blushing.
“What?” I say. “It is, and I read so you know I’m not lying. It’s a romance novel.”
The woman gives us an interested look. “We have a creative writing group that meets here twice a month,” she says. “Do you go to McKee? You could join us.”
“Um, I’d…” Penny gives me a wild-eyed look.
“She’d love to,” I finish.
She blushes deeper, but says, “That sounds amazing, I really would love to. When’s the next meeting?”
I leave Penny to chat with Monica—the woman introduces herself as we keep talking—and wander to the fantasy section. I pick out a couple books for myself, then snag a copy of Daisy Miller, which I need for my Modernism class. By the time I meet Penny at the register, she has ten books in her arms and is chatting with Monica like they’re old friends.
“I’ll email you the first chapter tonight,” Penny says as I take the books out of her arms. She reaches up to kiss my cheek. “Thanks, babe.”
Monica steps around the counter to do the checkout. “He supports your writing and he’s buying? Make sure you keep this one.”
