WEST
“Pretty sure this is about the most un-Christmas-like thing I’ve ever done,” Southside huffs, still trying to catch her breath as she lays on my chest.
“You would’ve preferred porn?” I ask, glancing toward the theater screen.
“Not saying that, but It’s a Wonderful Life just feels like a weird choice,” she reasons, trying to glare at me, but there’s a smile ghosting on her lips.
“Well, it couldn’t have been too big a distraction, seeing as how you came in less than five minutes,” I tease, which makes her punch my arm like I fully expect her to.
“Girls can do that. It only ruins the sex if the guy taps out early.”
“That’ll never happen, so it’s not even worth talking about.”
Her brow lifts like I’ve just challenged her to a duel she’s sure she can beat me at.
“We’ll see,” she concludes, slipping off me to lie on the blanket I spread out over the carpet when we first got here.
The movie continues in the background while we stare at the ceiling rafters.
“I can’t believe Boone has an actual theater on the property. Is there a Starbucks, too? I could use some coffee,” she teases before a yawn slips out.
“No, you just need to rest. I probably should’ve let you get some sleep, but I can be so damn selfish sometimes.”
She giggles when I turn onto my side and kiss a trail down her neck, stopping when a tight nipple meets my lips before I draw it into my mouth. Then, her giggling turns into a soft moan.
“Thought you said I should rest,” she teases with a sigh.
“Not my fault. You know I’m powerless when you’re naked,” I say against her skin, drawing another laugh out of her.
It isn’t until she yawns again that I actually back off and give her space. Poor girl’s running on fumes. She doesn’t seem in a rush to leave, though. Instead, she’s thoughtful as her gaze drifts to the black and white images on the screen again.
“Did you have a nice time tonight?” I ask, moving my hand across the smoothness of her stomach.
I have her eyes again when she smiles a bit.
“I did. Your great-aunt is amazing,” she beams. “Apparently, she’s already planning our wedding here at Landry Manor, so there’s that.”
I laugh, imagining how that conversation must’ve gone. “Sorry if she scared you.”
Southside shrugs with a smirk. “Eh, not so much. Surprisingly, the idea of spending the rest of my life with you isn’t all that terrifying.”
Whenever our conversation shifts to talk of our future, I don’t feel the dread and frustration that used to creep in when Parker would do that shit. With Southside, all I want is a time machine to speed things up, so we can get to the part where she shares my last name and there’s no more going our separate ways at night. Like now, the idea of not getting to lie like this until the sun comes up is physically painful.
“How’d the talk go with your Grandpa?” she asks, snapping me out of the short-lived fantasy.
“Okay, I guess. He couldn’t tell me much, but he has a box of stuff he wants me to go through. Says he thinks it could help us. Apparently, he hired a private investigator before Mom married Vin, trying to convince her it was a bad move, but all the shit he presented her with didn’t matter. I guess, at the end of the day, she was just in love, willing to believe everything would all work out okay.”
Southside zones out in a thought. “What do you think he’ll have to show you?”
My shoulders lift with a shrug. “Not sure, but what I do know is that Boone Landry’s one of the most resourceful men I know.”
She seems comforted by this, and after pressing her lips to mine, she yawns again.
“All right. Time to turn in,” I announce, sitting up to search for our clothes.
Hopefully, I can sneak her back inside the main house without getting caught. With any luck, Grandpa’s asleep, or at least up in his bedroom reading by the fireplace like he’s known to do.
We stand and dress, then I gather the blankets and shut down the theater system. After that, I kill the two dim lights I left on, then we lock up and head out. With blankets bundled under one arm and my girl under the other, I let myself imagine it again—forever with her at my side.
I was already motivated to fix this shit we’ve somehow gotten into, but things have changed. It’s not just about saving what Southside and I have right now. It’s about seeing to it that I get to spend a lifetime with the only girl who’s ever mattered. The only one I’ve ever loved.
