The Only One for Her (18 page)

“Come here. I need to be inside of you right now.”

Crawling back up toward Trace’s head, I straddled his hips. Rubbing his hardened mass along my folds, I lingered on my clit. After several strokes, I positioned him to enter my body. I slid down as he thrust up. We were in perfect physical harmony, our two bodies becoming one.

Trace looked up at me with so much love in his eyes and said, “You’re so sexy. Insanely beautiful.” His breath hitched.

I made a groaning noise. “So are you,” I said breathlessly, leaning forward to kiss my man. He kept his hands on my hips while his tongue stroked mine. His hips met me thrust for thrust in this erotic dance. I was on the verge of exploding. Trace took his thumbs, licked them, and began rubbing my nipples. As he gently pinched them, I came hard, moaning loudly, collapsing on his body.

Trace rolled us over and continued pounding into me. Harder and harder and harder. Reaching up, I squeezed his nipples and Trace let out a groan, then came hard.
He liked that.
Every time we had been together was more incredible than the time before. He had mastered my body, knowing just how to give me unimaginable pleasure. Even just thinking about it now sent sensations throughout my body.

“Oh, Lindy, that was amazing,” he said panting, his heart beating madly.

“Yes, it was. I’d like an instant replay later, please.”

“Fuck yes.”

I giggled. I loved this man.

After he’d caught his breath, he added, “Your wish is my command, but how about dinner for now?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Trace got up to get his robe, which he handed to me. He pulled out sweats and a T-shirt for himself. The sun was beginning its descent as we sat at the table. I couldn’t believe this was my life now. No more waking up to just survive my day. I was overflowing with happiness, like at my seventh birthday party. I hadn’t felt this way since before Dane died. In some weird way, I felt like Dane had sent Trace to me the day I was spreading his ashes. It would be just like him. I now had so much to look forward to and I was so thankful. Unpacking the Greek food I said, “I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”

“Neither have I, my beautiful girl. Neither have I.”

Trace poured us each a glass of wine. We ate, drank, and watched the orange ball disappear behind the glistening sea.
It was magical
.
I was home.

Chapter 36: Trace

Reading my text from Fran, I knew everything seemed calm at work. It was early Saturday morning and Lindy was still sleeping. Looking over at her form covered by the sheet, I was tempted to wake her up, but I really wanted her to get the extra sleep she needed. She had admitted to me that her decision to marry Randy had been keeping her up at night.

Slipping out of bed, I went down to the kitchen and made the coffee. Rummaging through the pantry, I found pancake mix. My fridge was pretty bare, but I had the ingredients to make pancakes. And I had syrup. Lindy was getting breakfast in bed today. I wanted to make up for her difficult life. She was going to feel loved and adored…worshipped. She was my beautiful girl.

Carrying the tray with the plates of pancakes and mugs filled with coffee, I quietly entered my bedroom. I put the tray on the bed where I had been sleeping and thought I would let a glimpse of sunshine wake her up. I gradually pulled back the drapes that covered my French doors leading to the balcony. Little by little, Lindy began to stir.

Groaning she asked, “Is that coffee I smell?”

“Yes,” I said moving toward the bed. “I thought we’d have breakfast in bed this morning.”

Now she was sitting up, looking at me with her big blue eyes. “You are the sweetest. I love pancakes.”

I moved the tray so it would be in the middle of the bed and got back in. “I didn’t know how you took your coffee, so I brought creamer and sugar.”

“I put both in. I like my coffee on the sweeter, lighter side.”

We both fixed our coffee. “I hope you don’t mind sharing a plate with me. I didn’t want to manage two trays. I made us eight pancakes, so I’m sure that will be enough.”

Lindy giggled. “How much do you think I can eat?”

“Well, I thought you might be hungry after last night,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.

“You have a good point,” she said, reaching to kiss me. I loved her affectionate ways.

“I see you’ve already cut the pancakes, so all we need is to drown them in syrup.”

“Exactly.” I poured the syrup on and speared some with my fork, moving it toward Lindy’s mouth. She opened wide and I gave her the first bite. Of course she had her own fork and could feed herself, I just wanted to do the honors.

“Mm. These are so good. Did you add cinnamon?”

“Yes. I put it in the batter.”

“They’re delicious.”

We ate our breakfast and began planning our day. I knew my girl was in need of some clothes, so I suggested shopping first. She seemed a little shy about it to begin with.

“Well, I probably can make do with what I have. We don’t need to go shopping today.”

I moved the tray with the empty plate on it off the bed and onto my nightstand. Pulling Lindy close I said, “I know you have some cute things to wear, but San Diego is on the ocean and we can go from warm to downright chilly in no time flat. So, let’s go see what we can find.”

“Are you sure?” she asked me, her face still a little tense.

“Honey,” I said, lifting her left hand so she could see me kissing the hand with her ring on it, “you’re my fiancée. I fully intend on spoiling you.”

Lindy relaxed a little. “Everything is just happening so fast. I’m not sure what to do or think.”

“This is just how things are with us. I was in love with you from the moment I saw you. I personally don’t think we have to go at any particular pace. We just have to do what is comfortable for us. So, let’s get dressed and we’ll go to Fashion Valley Mall.”

“I haven’t gone to a mall in a while.”

“You get ready and I’ll clean up the mess I made in the kitchen.”

“Okay,” she said timidly. This was going to be a new experience for me. Every other woman I’d ever known treated the mall like their mother ship. They knew the ins and outs of all the stores and could shop endlessly. I had a feeling I was going to have to do some coaxing for Lindy to be comfortable. Good thing I knew the stores Kristie liked, so I wasn’t totally useless.

***

Looking up from the counter, I drank in Lindy’s beauty as she entered the kitchen. She was wearing jeans and a form-fitting white top. Instantly, I was transported back to Maui, when I opened the door and she was there standing before me with need in her eyes. A need for me to love her. Taking those clothes off her was a memory near and dear to my heart.

“I’m ready,” she said.

“Then let’s go.” This was weird, but somehow I couldn’t wait to take her shopping. What was happening to me?

Driving to the mall, I catalogued in my mind some of the items Lindy probably needed. I hated that my girl hadn’t been pampered. But that was going to change. Before I could mention what had come to mind Lindy said, “I should have made a list. I’m not even sure what to shop for. I don’t really know what your lifestyle is, I mean, what you do. Where you go. I don’t know what I need.”

I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. I didn’t want her to feel bad, and it seemed like she was definitely stressed out. “Let’s just walk around and see what you like. See what we find. We don’t have to have any agenda today. The mall’s not going anywhere. When you make a list, we can go shopping again.”

“Are you one of those very rare men who like shopping?”

“I don’t hate shopping like most guys, but it’s not my favorite pastime. All I want is for you to feel special. I want you to have nice things. As far as my lifestyle, it’s mostly casual. But, when we go out for dinner with my parents or sisters, we usually go someplace dressier. So, maybe we can start there. We’ll find you a dress for dinner.”

“Okay. Sounds good. I’m not sure why I’m feeling panicked.”

I rubbed my hand over Lindy’s as I parked the car. “I have a couple of places in mind. Places my sister Kristie has dragged me before. She always found things she liked.” Clearly, I was more in touch with my feminine side than I wanted to admit, but Lindy didn’t seem to notice. We walked through Nordstrom. “I thought we could shop here last. I always like to go in and work my way back.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Lindy said chuckling. “I didn’t know you actually had a plan for this.”

“I always have a plan,” I said, planting a kiss on her juicy lips.

We made our way through the corridor. “This is the mall? I’ve never seen anything like this before. The mall back home is a dump compared to this.”

“Yeah, I guess it is on the extravagant side. You’ve going to love the first shop. It’s called White House, Black Market.”

“That is such a cute name. I’m assuming all the clothes are black and white?”

“Yes, but they do a color each season too.” How did I know this stuff? Oh, that’s right. My sister kept me informed on the fashion trends whether I wanted to know or not.

Walking into the store, the first thing that caught my eye was the plush chairs for the husbands, boyfriends, or whomever to sit and wait. This was my kind of store. A young woman named Kelsey approached us and began helping Lindy. In no time a selection had been started and Lindy had way more than one dress to try on. When Lindy went in to start trying on clothes, Kelsey told me I could wait in the sitting area of the fitting room and Lindy would come out to show me what she was trying on. This was the part I was looking forward to, seeing my Lindy in adorable, sexy outfits. I had a feeling we were going to hit the jackpot here. Kristie always found things she liked and I had been here once with Angelina. But now I realized Angelina had
expected
to have nice things. Like she had been entitled to it. Lindy was so different. I knew she would be grateful for anything she had. I loved this genuine quality about her.

She came out first wearing a black halter dress. It was perfect on her and showed off her cleavage. I could tell by the smile on her face that she really liked it.

“That looks amazing on you. Do you like it?”

“I love it.” She beamed.

“Good, then start a keep pile and let’s see the next thing.”

We repeated this exact scenario over and over. I loved everything on her. Kelsey even brought shoes and handbags to match Lindy’s outfits. All the stress had melted away from my girl’s face and she was having a good time. She finally opened the fitting room curtain dressed in her own clothes.

“I hope you realize we’re buying everything you showed me, unless there was something you didn’t like.”

Lindy’s forehead knitted together. “I loved everything too. I guess…it just feels so extravagant.”

I put my arms around Lindy and whispered in her ear, “You deserve this and more. Everything looked wonderful on you and I want you to have all of it.”

“Okay,” she whispered back.

Before releasing her, I gave her a quick peck on the lips. “It’s settled then.”

Lindy nodded. “You are a very generous man.”

“Not really. I’m enjoying spoiling you.”

Kelsey walked up. “Have you decided on some things that you like?”

“Yes,” I said.

I handed three dresses, six tops, two pairs of pants, and three skirts to Kelsey. Then I picked up two pairs of shoes and the coordinating handbags and followed her to the register.

“I can’t believe how great these clothes fit. It’s like they were made just for me.”

“I know. I love our clothes too.”

Lindy and Kelsey continued to chat about each item as Kelsey rang them up. All I could think about was how beautiful my girl looked in her new clothes. And maybe how quickly I could get them off her.

Chapter 37: Lindy

Trace was spoiling me and it was something I wasn’t used to. He also took me to a fabulous boutique called Cache and I found several beautiful items there as well. Of course I’d gone shopping and bought things for myself, but not nice clothes like these. I was accustomed to second-hand clothes. The last time I had fun shopping like this was with my mom. She had taken me to get a dress for Easter, but I’d never worn it.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Trace asked before he bit into his sandwich. We had stopped for a late lunch.

“I was just thinking about the last time I had a wonderful shopping trip like this.”

“Oh really? When was that?”

“It was a few weeks before my parents died. My mom took me to Dillard’s. It’s a nice department store like Nordstrom.”

“What? You haven’t been shopping like this since you were a little girl?” Trace’s brow was creased and he was slightly shaking his head.

“No, I haven’t. My parents died not long after we went shopping and I was in foster care by the time Easter came. Robert and Alison are really nice people, but they didn’t go to church and so I never wore the dress. I just wore regular clothes on that Easter. They did make a big Sunday dinner and we dyed eggs.”

“Honey, I’m so sorry. You should have had a pretty dress for every Easter or for any time you wanted,” he said reaching across the table, taking my hand.

“It’s okay. I was lucky to be in a safe environment with kind people. They were good to me in their own way. I knew another girl in foster care and she had it rough. She ended up going from home to home. Her last home turned her out when she turned eighteen even though she hadn’t finished high school. She got hooked on crystal meth. It was really bad. That could have been me, but it wasn’t.”

“Lindy, I admire the woman you’ve become in spite of all the loss you’ve endured.”

“I had a great childhood with my parents. So many kids in foster care are taken from their families because they are abused. I was never abused.”

“It sounds like your mom and dad were amazing.”

“They were. I have so many wonderful memories of them. Nothing can ever take that away.”

“We’re going to make a lot of our own wonderful memories too. With our family,” Trace said.

The waiter refilled our water glasses and asked if we needed anything. Upon hearing no, he went on to his next table. “So, two kids, huh?”

“If that’s a good number for you.”

“Yes. I’d love to have a boy and a girl. But ultimately, I just want two healthy children. That’s what is most important.”

“True. We probably should discuss getting married first.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, that would be a good place to start.”

“What kind of wedding would you like to have?”

“I really want something small and simple. I’ve never been the type to go for frills. Maybe just a backyard wedding with family? What did you have in mind?”

“I just want to do whatever is going to make you happy. Something simple with family sounds perfect. I guess the first place to start would be having you meet my family. My mom texted me that she’s having my sisters and their husbands over tomorrow afternoon for a barbecue and we are invited. If you want to go.”

“I’d love to go. Wow. I’m going to have to decide what to wear. I’m going to need your help.”

Traced laughed. “I’m glad you are up for meeting my family and of course I’ll help you decide what to wear.”

“Well, I am a little nervous, but I can’t wait to meet everyone. I just hope they like me.”

“You have nothing to worry about. They are going to love you,” Trace said, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand.

The waiter delivered our bill and Trace paid it immediately. We left the restaurant with both of our arms overflowing with bags.

“Where to now?”

“Home sounds good. Shopping is tiring.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Trace drove us home and I put all of my beautiful things in my own walk-in closet. His master suite had a his and hers. It seemed like a little much considering my bedroom wasn’t much larger than this. But, I had left that world behind…gladly. Time to look forward to the future. But I had no idea what I would be doing when Monday morning rolled around and Trace went to work. I guess I better start thinking about what kind of job I could get. I’m sure I could find a job waitressing somewhere.

Trace came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “How are you doing, future Mrs. Michaels?” My stomach leapt when he called me that.

Sighing, I said, “I’m good. Just wondering what kind of job I should start looking for.”

“We have some openings at the office if you want to work for my company.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I asked, turning to face him.

“Honestly, you don’t have to work at all if you don’t want to. Or, you can go back to school. Whatever you want.”

“I could go back to school,” I said, repeating Trace’s words. “I’d have to wait until the fall…but I’d really…that would be amazing.” I didn’t think getting my degree would ever be within my reach.

“Why don’t we go watch the sunset, have a little wine, and figure things out?”

“I like that idea.”

I followed Trace out of the closet and over to the mini fridge he had with wine glasses set on a shelf above it. He poured each of us a glass of chardonnay and we ventured out to the balcony. It was slightly nippy since we were so close to the ocean. Trace scooted his chair close to me and put his arm around me. We sat silently for about ten minutes and the quiet was incredibly restful. This was actually what I needed, considering the whirlwind my life had been in the last few weeks.

“I hadn’t thought about returning to school. I kind of buried that dream a long time ago.”

“It doesn’t have to be a dream. Do you know what you want to study?”

“I had started out as a business major, but now I’d like to be a nurse. I figured that out on one of my many trips to the hospital with Dane. The nurses are the heroes of the hospital. Without them, it would have been so much harder on us…on Dane.”

“That’s a great idea. I’m sure we can find a good program between UCSD and USD. They are both excellent schools.”

“Looks like I have my research cut out for me. I might have to start at a junior college and transfer in when I have enough units. I’ve read some articles about how difficult it is to get into college and to get classes.” I couldn’t believe I was actually talking about going back to school. I hadn’t allowed myself to want this, even though it was a dream of mine. I had pushed it away.
Could it be real?
Could my dreams really be coming true? I had evidence of dreams coming true by the wonderful man sitting before me. It was all more than I ever could have hoped for.

“Yeah, it has become really competitive. But it will all work out somehow.”

I looked into Trace’s gorgeous hazel eyes. “You’ve made me a believer. I don’t even know how to express how you make me feel.”

Leaning in, Trace kissed me on the lips. He then looked at me with one of the most mischievous expressions I’ve seen on him yet. “You don’t have to say a word. Why don’t you just show me?”

I had no problem with that. Every second I spent with my body wrapped around my sexy man was
my
pleasure. I smiled, stood, and extended my hand to Trace. “I’d like nothing better.”