My body still throbbed, especially between my legs, and when he settled himself between them, his hard cock sliding along my very wet folds, I moaned involuntarily. The thought of him pushing inside me had every part of my arousal waking from the blissed out state he’d just put me in.
Spreading my legs a little wider, I tilted my hips, trying to welcome him inside.
“I love you, Princess,” he whispered against my lips.
My body stilled, the word ‘princess’ sending all sorts of dark thoughts through my head.
Daniel, obviously sensing the change in me, pulled back a little to look in my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing . . . ” I said carefully. “I just . . . I don’t really like being called princess.”
He stilled, his gaze suddenly curious. “Why?”
I bit my lip. I didn’t really want to have this conversation right now. Especially considering his cock was so close to entering me. “It doesn’t matter.”
He pulled back even farther, drawing his cock away from me. I frowned.
“It obviously does. Why don’t you like it?”
I sighed. “My dad used to call me that, but not in the way you’d think. It was kind of derogatory.”
His brows pulled tighter as he mulled over my words. Lifting himself up off me so he was looming over me instead, he locked his gaze on mine, love and tenderness shining from him.
“You know what?” he said, leaning down to kiss my nose before pushing back up again. “I’m not going to stop calling you princess. You want to know why?”
I narrowed my eyes with confusion and nodded.
“Well, like you said, when your dad called you princess, it was derogatory. Because his view of a ‘princess’ is someone of high stature. Someone with money and power. Someone who is above everyone else.”
I cocked my head to the side a little, not sure where he was going with his line of thought.
He smiled down at me. A soft, loving smile that made me warm and happy inside. “Me?” he said. “When I think princess, I think of someone kind and loving, someone patient and understanding. I see someone beautiful and content. I see someone who is thoughtful and sacrificing, with just the right amount of innocence. To me, a princess is someone who knows how to hold herself, but more importantly, believes in those around her as well as herself. And strength. A princess has a strength of character that only a few can claim to hold.” He kissed my forehead. “So to me, you are a princess, and when you hear me call you that, you better believe that’s how I see you.”
I blinked up at him, emotion swelling up inside me. He really thought that of me? I swallowed, not sure I could successfully push down the lump that had grown in my throat.
Pressing himself back down on top of me, he took my mouth with the sweetest kiss I’d ever experienced. Then, he entered me . . .
Chapter 18
Daniel
My chest ached and my stomach churned. I didn’t know how something I’d been so sure about before—something I’d wanted for so long—could taste so bittersweet.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and swallowed. An hour. One hour and two minutes, to be precise. That was when I was due to leave. I wished I could just leave already. The blank space of time was maddening.
Turning my cell over in my hands, I pushed back the need to call Amy. We’d said our goodbyes the night before. I didn’t want to drag it out for her like some form of punishment.
I knew it was hard for her. I could see it in her eyes when we were making love the night before. She didn’t cry. She was too tough for that, but I could tell it wasn’t too far under the surface of her tough exterior.
I glanced at the clock again. Fifty-eight minutes.
My thumb ran over the screen of my cell and unlocked it. I clenched my jaw.
Don’t do it . . .
A picture of Amy stared back at me from the screen. I’d obviously not closed down my pictures folder when I’d lain in bed for two hours just staring at her this morning.
Double tapping the home button, I opened my contacts. Again, Amy’s face smiled back at me. Before I could reinforce my reason not to, I touched my thumb to her number and held the cell to my ear.
My heart thundered as I listened to it ring. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I thought it may have been a fear of her not answering. A fear that she’d already given up.
“Hello?”
A flash of something went through my chest at the sound of her voice. I wanted it to be happiness, but I thought it might’ve been panic.
“Daniel?”
I swallowed. “Hey, Princess.”
There was a brief pause before she answered, “Hey.” Her voice was soft, emotional.
“Is it bad to feel like I miss you already?” I asked.
I heard her laugh quietly. “I miss you too.”
We sat in silence for a few heartbeats, both of us knowing all too well what we were thinking. We’d said it all the night before.
“I don’t think it’d be so bad if I knew I was going to be able to see you occasionally,” she whispered.
I knew what she meant. If we had the chance to see each other over the next six months, we’d be able to reassure each other we were still okay. That we were still committed. We’d be able to see the conviction in our eyes.
What we were about to face was going to be tough, and I knew we needed to just trust each other, but our relationship was still so new. It was hard.
But Mom was right. If we got through this and were both still in it one hundred percent, then we would get through anything. I believed that. Down to my very core.
“I love you, Princess. Just remember that. I’ll be thinking of you every spare minute I have. And I’ll be counting down the seconds until I see you again.”
I heard her breath hitch a little. “Me too,” she whispered.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “I hate that I have to leave you.”
“I know,” she said. There was a little more conviction in her voice this time. “We’ll get through it, though. I know we will.”
Tilting my head back, I stared up at the ceiling. As much as I loved hearing her voice, it was a bad idea to have called her. Every second that drew me closer to leaving, made me feel that much worse, and listening to her soft voice only amplified it further.
“I better go, Princess. I just wanted to hear your voice one last time before I left.”
There was a soft sigh on the other end of the line before I heard her hum with agreement. “Okay. Be safe,” she said. “Miss me . . .”
I laughed humorlessly. “Oh, I will, Princess. More than you could know.”
“Bye, Daniel. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Touching my thumb to the screen to end the call, I tossed my cell onto the bed beside me and flopped back dramatically. I had to get out of here. I seriously didn’t think I was going to stay sane if I waited another minute.
Launching myself to my feet, I snatched up my bag and strode for the stairs.
Walking into the kitchen, I found Mom perched at the island bench with photos spread out over the entire surface. She smiled when she looked up, before guiltily glancing back at the photos.
“I was just taking a trip down memory lane,” she said with a giggle.
Sinking down on the stool beside her, I looked over the montage she’d created. Most of the pictures were of pre-teen Ryan and me, before she and Dad had split.
Picking up a picture of the two of us covered head to toe in mud, I grinned. We would’ve been around six at the time. I remembered exactly when the picture was taken. It had been summer, and we’d just endured a week of non-stop rain.
in the history of mud fights. Mom had tried to be stern when she saw us, but we saw her smiling when she thought we weren’t looking.
Dad, on the other hand, didn’t see the funny side of it at all. All he saw was the large patch of grass that was now a churned-up mud pit. I remember, for the rest of that summer, Ryan and I had been made to plant more lawn seed and tend to it until it resembled the immaculate grass it had once been.
That was the summer I remembered my parents arguing more than usual. And it only got worse after that.
Putting the photo back down, I looked up to see Mom watching me.
“It’s strange to think you boys are all grown up now,” she said wistfully. “It’s hard to let go. I have this instinct to want to help and protect and be there for you both.” She shook her head as she looked back over the photos. “It’s just weird. I know people with children your age who still do everything for them, treat them like they can’t look after themselves. And look at you . . . a marine. You’re officially one of our country’s protectors. You have all this responsibility, and those kids—those adults—don’t even know how to wash their own clothes. That’s crazy, right? It’s just so extreme.”
I smiled at her. “You don’t think I could handle the responsibility?”
She gazed at me in contemplation. “No, it’s not that. It’s more like I don’t think it’s fair that you should be given that much responsibility at your age, when there are others who don’t even know how to wipe their own butt without their mom’s help.” She sighed. “I don’t know. I just think there should be a happy medium there somewhere, you know?”
Reading between the lines, I got what she was trying to get at without actually saying the words. As a marine, there was always a possibility of going to war. A possibility of facing a life-and-death situation. I got that, and while people like Amy’s friends, either partying on in frat houses or touring the country singing to packed out stadiums, seemed to be taking an easier road, it was still a choice. We all had one, and we all knew what our limitations were.
I gave Mom a kind smile. “There are still some of us living in the happy medium, Mom. Ryan’s one of them. He’s not ready to take on the responsibility Dad wants him to, but he sure doesn’t need you to wipe his ass, either.”
She laughed a light tinkling sound before settling into a satisfied smile and sighing. “I guess we’d better get going if you’re going to be on time,” she said.
Glancing at the clock, I saw she was right. Finally, it was time to go. I just hoped the next six months went quickly.
Chapter 19
Amy
I was in a funk. I couldn’t help it. Talking to Daniel had been unexpected and wonderful, but it didn’t change the fact that I already missed him like crazy.
I’d wanted to tell him. I’d wanted to say it all. But I could hear it in his voice that he was already feeling terrible. I didn’t want to add to it.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I placed my cell on the nightstand and stared out the window. I didn’t know how I was going to get through the next six months. It really felt like Daniel had become some kind of essential part of my being. Like without him I might not continue to exist. Sounds dramatic, I know, but I couldn’t stop the thought from surfacing.
A knock on the door had me turning to find Amber grinning at me from the hall. “How much do you love me?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“Nah-uh. I wanna know how much you love me.”
I shook my head at her, but a smile crept onto my lips just the same. “Infinity,” I said dryly. “Now what have you done?”
She skipped into the room and jumped on the bed. “Alex just fired his PA.”
“Ooo . . . kay,” I said, dragging the word out with confusion. “And this piece of information means I should love you a lot how . . . ?”
“Because you, my friend, are going to be his new PA.”
I blinked at her, thoughts running through my head at breakneck speed. She said what? I was what? Was she serious? How did this happen?
“You’re welcome,” she said, flipping over onto her back and staring up at the ceiling with a satisfied smirk.
“Wait. What do you mean? Amber, I don’t want charity. I don’t want Alex to feel like he has to hire me because you begged him, or he thinks I’m a charity case, or he feels sorry for me.”
She rolled her eyes in my direction. “Alex is too much of a shrewd businessman to do charity cases, Amy. He’s hiring you because he knows you—meaning he knows you’re efficient and a hard worker, and he knows all the stuff you’ve done with your mom.”
She was talking about all the charity work and hobnobbing I’d had to do over the years. I saw it as pretty pointless at the time, but I was quickly realizing it had its benefits.
“Are you serious?” I asked, hearing the slight pleading tone in my voice. I didn’t want to let myself hope, but if I could get this job with Alex, it would completely save me. I could start to take control of my own life. “He really wants to hire me?”
I was speechless. I honestly didn’t know what to say. Grateful didn’t even come close to what I was feeling.
“He wants you to come in first thing in the morning so he can start your training.”
“Oh my God, Amber. You have no idea how much I needed this.”
She gave me a sardonic look. “I wouldn’t be much of a best friend if I didn’t have an idea, Aims.”
I laughed, realizing just how much I needed that too. Launching myself at her, I squeezed her tight. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Just don’t go ripping him off or hitting on him and you’ll be fine,” she laughed.
I pulled back and gazed at her with wide eyes. “Oh my God. Is that what happened with his last PA?”
Amber’s expression turned deadly, and she nodded. “Bitch.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I may think your brothers are hot, but they’re like brothers to me too. And besides,” I added with a grin, “I have my very own piece of hotness.”
She opened her mouth to reply—some smart-assed comment I was sure—but was interrupted by the sound of my cell ringing. Sitting up, I frowned, wondering who it could be. I didn’t think Daniel would call me again.
Seeing ‘Mom’ flashing on the screen made my whole body still. Why was she trying to call me?
I felt Amber peering over my shoulder. “What the fuck?”
Licking my suddenly dry lips, I gave Amber a worried glance before answering the call. “Mother,” I said, disappointed my voice didn’t come out sounding as confident as I wanted it to.
“Amy,” she said. Of course, her voice sounded just as self-important as it always did. “How are you, dear?”
The fake pleasantness of her tone irritated me. “What can I do for you, Mother?”
I heard her sigh. “Look, I really don’t like all this disagreement between us. I was hoping we could try to work it out.”
I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t stop hope from flaring up inside me. Maybe my decision to move out had made them both realize I was my own person with my own goals and dreams.
“I’m listening . . .” I said cautiously.
Amber narrowed her eyes at me and subtly shook her head.
“Do you think you might be able to come home so we can discuss this face-to-face? I’d really like to see you.”
I held the cell away from my ear and glanced at the screen, a little shocked. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but thought maybe it was to check if I was really talking to my mom.
“You want me to come home?”
Amber started shaking her head vigorously, mouthing ‘NO.’
“Just to talk. Do you think you could do that?”
I hesitated, caught between wanting to please her and wanting to please Amber. But what did I want? I knew that was the question I should be asking. If I was going to be honest with myself, w
hich I had vowed to be, I knew, deep down, I still held hope of having some form of relationship with my parents. I wanted them to love me for who I was, and respect me enough to let me make my own decisions. Had they finally realized that was what they needed to do? Had my moving out pushed them to see that?
“I guess I could do that,” I said quietly.