Unconditional Love (9 page)

I slowly opened my eyes to see the bedroom was filled with daylight. I stretched and smiled as I felt muscles ache that I didn’t even know I had. I closed my eyes and thought back to last night.

Lark had made love to me.

As I moved my legs I could feel how sore I was.
Oh shit.
I instantly worried I wouldn’t be able to do anything today with Lark, and that caused my stomach to drop. I sat up and looked to my right. The bed was empty and my heart began pounding in my chest. I looked and saw the rose on the pillow with a note under it.

I picked up the rose and smelled it as I let a smile play across my face. I reached for the note and opened it.

I held the note to my chest and let out a sigh. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. The moment I walked I felt it.
Oh yeah, Lark had nothing to worry about. Every step I took I would think of him.
I giggled as I made my way to the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower, I headed to my bedroom. I was walking on air I was so happy. Even though Lark had to leave I was filled with a sense of excitement. I stopped when I walked into the bedroom and saw he had taken the sheets off my bed. I smiled and shook my head.

I quickly threw on some yoga pants and a T-shirt. I made my way over to my purse and grabbed my cell phone. I couldn’t wait to text Jessie and tell her I had finally done it.

I swiped my finger and saw I had three text messages. Two from Jess and one from…Lark. My heart did a silly little flutter as I opened his text.

Lark: Good morning, beautiful. I hope that you aren’t too sore this morning. I should be back in four days, five at the most. Last night was amazing, Azurdee. Thank you for giving me such a special gift.

I smiled as I wrote back.

Me: Good morning. I missed you this morning, but honestly if you had been here I think I’d be even more sore than I am right now. It’s the most amazing sore I’ve ever experienced though. Please be safe. See you when you get back.

Then I opened Jessie’s messages.

Jessie: Hey girl! So I’m dying to know…after the way Lark was looking at you all afternoon, I have to know. Did it happen finally?

Jessie: Bitch. Why are you ignoring me?

I grinned as I hit reply.

Me: You’re on your honeymoon. Why are you texting me? Shouldn’t you be having hot sex right now on the beach?

Jessie: Hot sex in the ocean baby…and let me tell you it was H.O.T. Anyway, Scott fell asleep so I’m sitting by the pool. Call me!

I hit Jessie’s number and got ready for the inquisition. “Hey girly! So…tell me everything!”

I laughed and said, “There’s nothing to tell, really.”

I heard her sigh. “No! No no no. I saw the way Lark couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. Ari texted me and told me you and Lark practically had sex on the dance floor.”

I rolled my eyes and was going to kill Ari the next time I saw her. “Lark left for work,” I busted out.

“What? Oh Azurdee, I’m so sorry.”

I closed my eyes and could almost feel his breath on my neck. “Don’t be sorry, he left earlier this morning,” I said in a husky voice. I snapped my eyes open and let out a sigh. “Were you super sore after your first time?”

Silence.

“Hello? Jessie?”

“What did you just ask me?” she said.

I chuckled. “After your first time. Were you sore?”

Then she screamed. Right in my ear. “Azurdee! You and Lark? Oh. My. God. Was it good? I mean, I know it hurts at first, but after that? How many times did y’all? Was he sweet to you? That bastard better have been sweet to you! Was it hot? Oh my God, tell me everything!”

I laughed as I made my way downstairs. I saw about a half dozen people out back cleaning up the rest of the reception. Tables and chairs were being taken down and placed into a trailer.

“Azurdee!”

“Oh, sorry. I was watching them take down the rest of the things from the reception.”

She let out a long sigh and said, “Azurdee, spill it.”

I moved into the living room and sat down on the sofa. “Oh Jessie, it was amazing. He was amazing. He kept calling me
mi amor
! It melted my heart every time he said it. He was sweet, passionate, and so gentle. It was beyond anything I had ever dreamed.”

She let out the silliest little yelp. “I knew Lark Williams had it in him. He just needed to find the right girl.”

My stomach dipped a little and my smile faded a bit. “Well, I’m not sure if I’m the right girl or even
the girl
.”

“Wait. Was this a one-time thing? Please tell me you didn’t agree to him taking your virginity and walking away!”

“No. We both agreed that we would be exclusive, but I have a feeling this is the first time he has been exclusive since…well since…”
Why couldn’t I say her name?

“Nikki?” Jessie asked.

“Yes. Jessie, why do I feel like I’m in competition with someone who passed away years ago? I can’t shake this feeling that he was comparing me to her.”

She let out a breath and said, “Pesh. Nonsense, Azurdee. He would never do that. I’m sure it was probably just very powerful for him. I mean, by his own admission he has said he has no intentions of ever…”

Her voice trailed off and I knew she was regretting what she had just said. “Jessie, I knew how Lark was and how he thought when I got into this. I know he could walk away at any given moment.”

I silently prayed that would never happen, but deep down inside I knew it was a strong possibility.

“He won’t walk away, sweetie. I see the way he looks at you. I think you are the game changer he’s been waiting for.”

I bit down on my fingernail and began chewing it. “Maybe. I don’t want to get my hopes up, ya know?”

“So tell me…are you sore?” she asked with a giggle.

I felt like a teenager in high school. “Let’s just say he told me he was going to make it so I would think about him every time I moved…for a few days.”

Jessie let out a gasp and began laughing. “Oh my.”

I dropped my head back onto the sofa and said, “Jessie…he is amazing. I mean…the way he can be so sweet and then so dirty.
Oh God
. He had me going insane with lust for him.”

“The sweet part surprises me, but not the dirty,” she said with a laugh.

I laughed in return and said, “Four times.”

“Four times! Look at the stamina Mr. Williams has!”

We both lost it in a laughing fit. “Jesus, Azurdee. No wonder you’re sore.”

“Bed twice, bathtub once, and then the shower,” I said in an almost whisper.

“Well damn. I’m a bit jealous. I think I’m going to have to run a hot bath,” Jessie said with a giggle. “When will he be back?”

The strangest feeling moved over me and I wasn’t really sure what to think of it. I almost felt scared. Like Lark might be in some kind of danger.

“Azurdee?”

Jessie’s voice pulled me out of my daydream. “He um…he said he’d be back in five days at the most.”

“He mention where he was going?” Jessie asked. I could see her now all perked up. I let out a weak laugh and said, “Nope.”

“Damn it. What does that boy do for a living? One of these days I’m gonna find out.”

Right then my cell phone buzzed and I pulled it away. A text message from Lark scrolled across the top.

“Oh my God!” I screamed.

“What? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” Jessie screamed back.

“He just sent me a text. I gotta go!”

“No! Wait. Don’t hang up you bitch—put me on speaker and read it,” Jessie said in a panicked voice.

I hit speaker and opened up his text message.

Lark: I can’t stop thinking about you. I hope your morning is going good.

Even with Jessie on the phone, I had to reply right away.

Me: I can’t stop thinking about you either. My morning has been…uneventful so far.

He quickly replied back.

Lark: Have to take off again but just wanted to say hey. See ya in a few.

Me: Be careful and have a safe trip.

Lark: Always.

Jessie cleared her throat. “Hello! I’m still here, ya know. What did he say?”

I sighed and said, “He said he was thinking about me and that he hoped I had a good morning. He said he had to take off again and would see me in a few days.”

Jessie and I both let out sighs and then began laughing. “Well, I mean it’s not very romantic considering he just popped your cherry and all.”

“Jessie! Oh. My. God. Really?”

“Hey, I have to run. I see my handsome husband walking my way. Take it easy and stay at the house as long as you want, sweets. I’ll see ya when we get back.”

“Hey, Jessie?”

“Yeah?”

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Do you think Lark is…well, do you think he is capable of just being with one person? You don’t think I just made a mistake, do you?”

“Azurdee, I know I’ve never seen Lark look at someone like he does you. I know he never talks about bagging girls, as he so lovingly puts it, anymore. Yes, I think he is very capable of being with just one person. Do you think you made a mistake?”

I chewed on my lip and said, “No. Either way, I wanted it to be him.”

“Don’t worry, babe. I have a feeling Mr. Williams is officially off the market.”

I gave a weak smile even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “One more thing, Jess. Bathtub sex is amazing.”

She let out a laugh and said, “Oh hell yeah it is!”

I hung up and tossed my phone to the side of me. I held out my hand and it was shaking. I dropped my head back and let out the breath I had been holding. I looked up and glanced over to the buffet table and saw a picture of Scott and Lark when they went fly fishing a few months back. I got up and walked over to it. I reached down and picked it up and ran my finger across his face.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Lord, please keep him safe and please let me shake this uneasy feeling I have.”

I set the picture back down and decided I needed to go for a run and clear my head.

I headed into the laundry room and put the sheets in the dryer and then bolted upstairs to change.

By the time I was running on the dirt road that ran around Scott and Jessie’s place, I was finally feeling better. I began running a little faster as I thought about all the things I wanted Lark to do to me when he got home.

I attempted to push Lark from my thoughts and began planning things for the restaurant. Another half a mile and I stopped. I put my hands on my hips and let my head drop.

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” I yelled out. I shook my head and took in a few deep breaths and totally pushed Lark Williams out of my mind as I began running and started laying out the table locations in my head.

When my cell phone buzzed, I stopped and pulled it out, shocked I even had a signal. One look at who it was and I rolled my eyes. I hit reject and started running back toward the house.

The last thing I wanted to do was talk to Paul right now.

I sat on the hood of the jeep and watched the sunset as I wondered what Azurdee was doing. I felt someone slap me on the back and I glanced over to my left and saw Skip standing there smiling.

“You’re deep in thought, Lieutenant. What’s going on? I don’t think you’ve ever been this quiet.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Probably just tired from all the wedding bullshit.”

Skip laughed and said, “Don’t even be thinking of settling down like that crazy-ass friend of yours. I need your head clear.”

I gave him a weak smile and nodded my head. “Roger that, sir.”

Skip and I always addressed each other properly when on a mission. We never went by first names. Away from this madness and he was probably one of my best friends.

“Damn, I swear the sunsets in Venezuela are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen.”

I nodded my head and the ache in my heart grew ten times worse.
What in the hell was wrong with me?
I couldn’t get Azurdee out of my head. I hated that I had to leave her and hoped like hell she understood.

Skip gave me a good slap on the back and said, “Come on. Get some sleep. Y’all head out at oh-five-hundred.”

Once I got to my quarters, I pulled up Azurdee’s text message.

I took a deep breath and hit reply.