The Suit (27 page)

I glance down at the paper and clear my throat. My hands are trembling for some reason, but I try hard to hold them steady as I begin.

Edie was devastated when Johnny left in the middle of the night without a word. After they made love that evening, she couldn’t believe he’d be so cowardly as to sneak out on her, but he did.

Well, he nailed that one.

When Johnny left Edie, soft and warm and naked in bed that night, he knew the woman owned his heart. She’s the best person he has ever known; his best friend. There would be no other for him, but he was afraid to tell her how he felt. If she rejected him, he wasn’t sure he could take it. So before he left, he wrote her a letter telling her he loved her, he wanted her, and he’d return for her if she wanted him to.

Tears begin to well up in my eyes as I look up at Suit and he motions with his hand for me to continue.

He waited for weeks to hear from her, but there was nothing. Finally, he decided he had to return and face her. To hear once and for all that she didn’t want him. It was the only way he could attempt to move on. So he booked the first flight he could and flew back to North Carolina to tell her everything he should have said the night he left.

There’
s no more writing on the page so I look up to see Suit standing erect with his arms at his sides and staring at me. He takes one large step toward me and my body trembles with anticipation. Please God, let him kiss me. When he nears me, the heat of his body radiating across my skin, I say, “There’s nothing more to read.”

“There is, but that depends on what you say after I say what I have to say,” he replies. His hand reaches up and he gently grazes my cheek with his knuckles. His touch feels like an electrical current surging through me and I lean into it slightly as I close my eyes, relishing it.

“I’m sorry, Edie. I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I’m not proud, as a man, to admit I was scared you might reject me, but I was. This past summer has been the best of my life. I know what we started, our agreement, was meant to be casual, no feelings or strings attached, but I’ve fallen in love with you. I’m miserable without you. I feel as if for the first time in a long time, I’ve found home again and I desperately want to come home.”

Tears are dripping off my face and he takes his thumbs and wipes at them. I’ve missed him so much and I’ve been so devastated believing we were over. That he would never be mine, and here he is, confessing his love for me, telling me I’m his home. Daddy Bud’s words echo in my mind.
Home is a place where love resides and rests easy. Love should always be easy.
Suit is my home, too. I want him here with me, but what if he resents me for keeping him from his other dreams?

I put one of my hands over his and curl my face into it, pressing his hand to my cheek. “I’m in love with you,” I whisper as I meet his gaze. He smiles and a little of that brightness returns to his eyes, his beautiful brown I-get-lost-in-them eyes. “I want nothing more than for you to be with me, to love me, to be by my side. You make me better, you make me stronger, and you make me believe in myself.” I pull his hand away from my face and let it drop. His eyes narrow as he stares down at me. “But you’d end up hating me. You hate the farm life and you’ve dreamed of New York and being a lawyer. If you give that up for me, you’ll resent me for it one day.”

He shakes his head and sighs. “Yes. Those are things I thought I wanted, but things change, Edie. People change. I’ve changed. Besides, I’ve worked something out where I can have the best of both worlds.”

I immediately step away from him. This is too much. If he suggests a long-distance relationship, there’s no way I can agree to that. We’d never see each other and I’d always wonder about what he’s doing and who he’s with.

“I’m not doing a long-distance relationship, Suit,” I state as I stare at his shoes. I can’t look him in the eyes and see the hurt in them as I reject him.

“No, I agree.”

My eyes snap back up to his. “You do? Then what are you proposing here?”

“Carl Wayward sent me a job offer with the last forms he mailed. He wants to retire in a year and thought I might be interested in taking on his clients.”

“And you’ve considered that?”

“Yes. I think I would like it. I haven’t accepted it yet. The most important piece hasn’t fallen into place.”

“Me?” I point to my chest.

“You,” he confirms. “And just so you know, I don’t hate the farm life anymore. You’ve reminded me about everything I used to love about it. How much I enjoy
it’s warmth, and it’s comfort. You’ve reminded me of happier times with my family, before it all went to hell.”

I stare at him completely shocked. He would give up his job and New York for me? He really loves me.
He really, really loves me!
“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I’ve never been surer about anything in my life.”

“You’d give up everything, all your dreams, for me?” I ask, complete awe in my voice.

“I wouldn’t be giving up anything, Edie. You are my dream, baby. You are
my everything.” My insides liquefy with his words. He’s destroyed me, pulverized me.

“You’re
my everything, too,” I whisper, and he immediately pulls me to him, slamming my body against his, his mouth devouring mine in the most toe-curling kiss I’ve ever received. My hands frantically touch him, rubbing him everywhere, desperate to feel every inch of him.

He pulls away suddenly and I whine at his withdrawal. “Wait, we have to finish the story,” he says.

“What?” I practically yell. “I can’t read right now. I need you. I need to feel you all over me.”

His eyes darken and he takes a deep breath as if reminding himself to be strong. “I need you to read this.” He picks the papers up, glancing at them, letting one fall on the sofa and handing me the other. “Please?” he asks softly.

I groan and take it from him. I want to make him happy, but damn, I don’t want to read right now. I just got him back. But I take a deep breath and begin.

Johnny knew he was the luckiest bastard on the face of the planet. Edie wanted him, wanted to be with him. He made a vow to God that day promising he would spend his life making her happy, taking care of her, and making her smile.

Now that she was his, he knew this was it. She was the one. It had only been a few months since he’d met her, but there was no doubt in his mind they belonged together. So with great courage and hope, he bent down on one knee before her and said…

Finishing the paragraph, I blink rapidly, glancing away from it to peer up at him.  Instead, I have to glance down; Suit is staring up at me, bent on one knee and ho
lding an opened ring box in his hand. Inside the box is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen; a princess cut diamond ring set on a platinum band.

I gasp at the sight before me.

He’s proposing.

“Edie, you are my best friend, my home, my heart. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife so that I may spend the rest of my life loving you in every way you deserve?”

My heart beats wildly as I stare at the ring. Suit just asked me to marry him. Holy Shit!

I lick my dry lips as I stare at Edie who looks like she’s on the verge of freaking out. Shit, maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I’ve pushed too far. Moments that feel like an eternity pass and she says nothing. Okay, this was definitely a bad idea. Just as I open my mouth to apologize, she says, “Yes.”

“Yes?” I verify barely containing the happiness surging through me.

“Yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” She grins widely and I quickly remove the ring from the box and slip it on her finger. I jump up and hug her tightly, spinning her around.

“Thank you. You’ve made me the happiest bastard on the face of the planet.”

“Then show me. Show me how happy I’ve made you,” she purrs as she nips at my neck. She steps back and peels off her T-shirt. She has nothing on but a pair of cheeky, lace panties underneath and I’m instantly hard. Her breasts are full and perfect, tiny hard nipples begging to be touched. I scoop her up and carry her to her bedroom; the one we fixed up together. When I lay her on the bed, she immediately sits up and starts unbuckling my belt and undoing my pants as I peel my shirt off. She’s frantic with desire for me and I love it. I love that she needs me this much. It takes her seconds to shimmy my pants and boxers down before she has my cock in her hand, stroking it.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she moans.

“I’ve missed you, too,” I hiss through my teeth, her strokes building me higher and higher as I clumsily fumble to toe off my shoes.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she growls as she stares at my dick, concentrating as she works it over. This woman really knows how to undo me. She just told my dick she missed it. Did I seriously think I could let her go? I shake those thoughts from my head. She’s here now, practically naked, stroking my cock. None of that matters anymore. I finally get my pants and boxers off completely and as soon as I do, Edie slides off the edge of the bed to her knees and takes me in her mouth.

For the love of everything that is good and holy, this feels so fucking good. My hands rest on her head, guiding her softly as she takes me, her fist pumping my shaft. My orgasm builds and I have to stop her. I need to be inside of her. Now!

“Edie, I need to fuck you. Right now,” I grit out, the feeling of her mouth around my hard cock making me crazy.

She immediately stops and I waste no time pulling her up and tossing her on the bed. Her lacy panties are gone in seconds and I stare down at her in her naked glory. This woman just said she’d marry me. She wants to be mine. Why is that thought such a fucking turn on for me?

Edie smiles saucily at me. “Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to show me how happy I just made you?”

I climb on top of her, kissing her calf and up her thigh. I want to taste her, torture her, but she pulls my head up. Her tone is desperate when she says, “I don’t mean to be so impatient, but if you don’t put your dick inside of me right now, I’m going to explode.”

I can’t wait any longer, I need her. I position the head of my cock at her entrance; she’s soaked. I thrust inside of her and pause, trying like hell to gain some control. She moans my name and her legs wrap around me.

My cheek rests against hers as I will myself to move again and I feel wetness. “You’re crying?” I panic as I move to pull out.

“Don’t!” she practically yells and pulls my ass so I remain deep inside of her.

“Why are you crying?” I stare into her eyes, my heart beating wild and panicked.

Her expression softens as another tear streams down her face. “Because I’m so happy. You came back to me.”

My heart squeezes in my chest. “And I’ll never leave again.”

“Please,” she begs as she pulls my hips against her.

I don’t hesitate. I begin thrusting into her, hard and fast. She moans my name, tells me she loves me, claws at my skin as I move. Her breasts bounce as I pound into her over and over again as sweat glistens on our skin.

“Johnnyyyy!!” she moans, and I feel her tighten as she comes. Her moaning my name, watching her let go, undoes me. My own orgasm follows and I fill her as I breathe heavily and collapse on top of her. She gladly takes my weight, wrapping her arms around me, stroking my back. We lie like that for some time before I roll off of her and pull her to me so that her back is to my chest.

“That was…”

“I know,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

“You got here fast after my phone call. How’d you do that?”

“You called me?”

“This morning. I left you a message. You didn’t get it?”

“What did it say?”

She sighs as she wiggles her ass against me making my dick twitch. “I never read your letter until today. Actually, I didn’t even read it then. Nikki read it to me.”

I push myself up on one elbow and pull her so she’s on her back and I can look at her face. “Why would Nikki have it?”

“I found it the morning you left, but I figured it was just you apologizing for leaving the way you did and telling me you hoped I’d have a happy future. I couldn’t bear to read it. I spent weeks moping around, missing you. This is the first time I’ve been back in this room since the night we shared in here.”

My throat tightens as she speaks. I’m such a fucking idiot. Why did I leave the way I did?

“Last night, Nikki came over and dragged me out.”

“I saw the pictures.” I grimace.

“What?”

“She
accepted Parker’s friend request on Facebook coincidentally on the day she posted pictures of you out on the town, dressed to kill, and kissing Dierk.”

“It was just a birthday peck. I was drunk. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I know you don’t like him like that. But I still want to kill him.”

Sensing my jealousy, Edie opts to move on. “She saw the letter and read it to me this morning. I called you as soon as I heard what it said.”

“My phone has been off since I got on the plane. I didn’t get it.”

“I guess it was fate, huh?” she sighs as she strokes my arm.

“I guess,” I agree as I lean down and kiss her. “Now, let me take things nice and slow. I want to worship the beautiful body of my future wife.” I trail kisses down her body as she trembles.

“I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you, too.”