NicI pull Elle closer, relishing the feel of her body pressing into mine, our limbs intertwining. We
strip each other down to our underwear, so slowly and carefully, it feels like my heart might explode. Every single one of my nerve endings wants me to just rip her clothes off and ravage every inch of her skin.
But after what we’ve been through, how much she’s willing to overcome to be with me, I know I need to take this one slowly. I need to show her how much she means to me, how much her for- giveness means.
She reaches for the waistband of my briefs, her fingertips dipping below the elastic, but before she can find her target, I take both her hands in one of mine. Guiding her body until her back is against
the wall, I raise her hands over her head. I want to worship every part of her.
“Not yet, baby,” I murmur, my lips at her throat.
With my free hand, I unhook her bra and let it fall to the floor. Bringing my mouth to her neck, I suckle on her tender skin while massaging her full, round breast, gently teasing her nipple. Elle lets out a little moan, trying to free her hands to touch me, but I hold them in place. I want her to touch me— of course I do. But right now, this isn’t about that. This is about her.
Elle whimpers in frustration, trading the use of her hands for the use of her body. She wriggles against me, rolling her hips into the growing bulge by my thigh. My cock twitches at her touch, caus- ing a low groan to escape from deep within me, and I smile against her neck.
Clever girl. Looks like I really have met my match.
Releasing her hands from over her head, I take two handfuls of her ass and lift her into the air. She instinctively wraps her legs around my waist, her arms following suit around my neck. Our lips meet with more urgency this time, our tongues dancing around each other as I walk us to the bed. She runs
her fingers through my hair, her nails dragging over
my scalp and neck, sending a chill down my spine.
When we reach the bed, I gently place her on her back. Slowly peeling her panties away from her body, I leave a trail of kisses down her hips and legs. Once they’re off, I step out of my briefs, releasing my rock-hard cock. Elle smiles hungrily at the sight, propping herself on her elbows so her perfect breasts are on full display.
“God, Nic . . .”
I lower my body over hers, my hands resting on either side of her as our lips meet, the supple skin of her breasts brushing against my chest. I turn to lie on my side and Elle does the same, our legs intertwining, my cock pressing into her stomach.
Our kisses deepen, my hand tangling in her hair as I guide her mouth over mine. Her body begins writhing in rhythm with our kisses, her skin rub- bing against my erection, driving me absolutely crazy.
Sliding my hand down over her body, I slip a finger between her legs, gently caressing her. She’s so wet, I’m immediately even more turned on. Dip- ping two fingers inside her, I pump them slowly in and out, moving my mouth to her chest as Elle
throws her head back with a low moan.
As I continue working in and out of her cen- ter, she brings a warm hand to my cock, spreading the few beads of pre-cum over the head. I let out a low groan as she pulls along the length of my shaft, sending a shock wave through my whole body.
Elle comes within moments, her body tensing around my fingers with her cries. Once her orgasm subsides, I position myself closer and carefully slide inside her, ready to make her come all over again.
“You feel so tight, baby. So good,” I say on a groan.
“Nic.” She exhales heavily, her eyes locked on mine. “More.”
I obey, pumping my hips harder, giving her my full length until Elle’s whimpers become moans of pleasure and her body tightens around mine, squeezing and milking me until I follow her over the edge.
We lie there entangled in each other until our breathing normalizes, and I press my lips to her forehead.
“That was fucking incredible.”
I rise from the bed and pad naked into the bath- room, where I retrieve a wad of tissues to hand to Elle.
She wipes between her legs, and then rises on her knees to give me a quick kiss before going to the bathroom to clean up. I hear the water running, and she returns a few minutes later and crawls into bed next to me. Curling into my side, she rests her head on my chest.
After a moment, she giggles and looks up at me, amusement dancing in her eyes. “You know, this explains a lot, actually.”
I raise an eyebrow and cock my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“For starters, why you’re so good at sex,” she says, and we laugh.
I nod, running my fingers through her hair. “I
had a lot of it, sure, but it was never like this.” “Like what?”
“Never this good. Never on this level. Trust me, it’s so much better with you. Honestly, I didn’t know it could be this good.”
Elle smiles, lifting her head and pressing her lips to mine. “You’re sweet. You’re probably also
full of shit, but you’re sweet.”
My expression turns serious and I touch her cheek. “Never doubt this. Us. Fuck, I promise you I’ve never felt anything remotely this good.”
“Nic . . .”
I kiss her again, loving the feel of her smiling against my lips.
We lie there for what feels like hours, laughing and talking and cuddling. I’ve had a lot of sex, but I’ve never had this effortless intimacy afterward. I’ve never been this comfortable with a woman before, and it’s perfect. More perfect than I ever imagined it could be.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
I stop at the corner outside the upscale diner, taking both of Elle’s hands in mine and looking into her eyes.
“For the forty-second time, yes, Nic. I’m sure I’m ready.”
“You don’t have to just say that, you know. I can call right now and cancel. I’m really good at
coming up with last-minute excuses.”
Elle smiles, her eyes crinkling a little at the cor- ners like they do when she’s being patient with me. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? You’ve given me every chance possible to get out of this break- fast since we scheduled it last week.”
“Of course I’m ready for this. I just don’t want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable or like I’m rushing you—”
Before I can finish, Elle cuts me off with a kiss, giving my hands a reassuring squeeze. When we part, she looks into my eyes, wiping the traces of her lip gloss from my mouth with her thumb.
“I’m exactly where I want to be.” “Well, in that case, let’s do this.”
We walk hand in hand the few feet to the front door of the diner, and I hold the door open for her. Once we’re inside, I scan the room, my gaze land- ing on the familiar older couple sitting in one of the wooden booths. My parents are already here. Mom has chin-length gray hair and high cheekbones, and Dad has wire-framed glasses and a well-kept gray beard.
My mom sees me first, her eyes lighting up as
a smile spreads across her face. I lead Elle toward them, my heart pounding harder than I thought it would.
Jesus.
When we reach the table, Mom stands and throws her arms around me, squeezing my neck and planting a kiss on my cheek. “Oh, my Nicco, it’s so good to see you!” she squeals.
Dad stands to greet us, pulling me in for a quick hug and patting my back.
When we part, I put my arm around Elle, step- ping back a bit so they can see her better. “Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Elle.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Evans, it’s so nice to meet you,” Elle says, politely extending a hand.
My father takes it, shaking it warmly. “Please, call me Andrew.”
“Sofia,” my mother says, pulling Elle in for a
big hug.
My father and I exchange glances, and he shrugs. My mother has always been the touchy type. I should have known that today wouldn’t be any different.
When my mother finally lets Elle go, the four of us sit, my parents on one side of the booth and Elle and me on the other. Our waitress arrives with waters for the table, and my father orders four cof- fees and four orders of pancakes.
“I hope you like pancakes, Elle,” my father says as the waitress walks away.
“Family tradition,” I say, holding her hand un- derneath the table.
“Pancakes sound perfect,” Elle replies, smiling broadly at my parents.
My mother claps her hands together, then leans forward and rests her elbows on the table. “So, Elle, tell us everything. How did you and our Nicco meet?”
“Sofia, give the girl a second to settle in,” my
father says, but my mother only waves him off.
“Nicco hasn’t brought a girl home in years, An- drew. Obviously, this one is special to him.”
“Mom . . .”
Elle chuckles and squeezes my hand. “Well, Sofia, I’m flattered to hear you say that. Nic and I met at my brother’s wedding, actually. He married my best friend, and Christine is the one who intro-
duced us.” She turns and smiles at me, and I smile back at her.
I guess that’s all true, right? How the hell did I get so lucky?
“Oh, weddings are so romantic! Nicco, how did you introduce yourself to her? You’ve always had a way with the ladies. Was she immediately taken with you, or did you have to fight to woo her?”
“Sofia, come on.”
“What? I have a lot of questions. I’m sure they have a great story.”
Elle and I exchange a look. If only my mother knew the truth.
But before we can come up with a more parent- friendly version of our story, the waitress returns with our coffee and pancakes, and I deftly turn the conversation to other topics. Soon, Elle and my fa- ther are deep in conversation discussing law school and legal matters, while my mother grills me on how well I’m protecting our secret family recipes.
Seeing Elle hit it off so well with my parents totally calms my nerves, and I quickly realize how silly it was of me to be nervous. I wouldn’t have wanted to introduce her to them if I didn’t think
they’d get along. Or if I wasn’t serious about her.
Even if they hadn’t liked her, for whatever stupid reason, I know deep in my heart that that couldn’t keep me from her. Being with Elle has to- tally altered the course of my life, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
By the end of brunch, my mother has Elle cor- nered, fawning over her hair and eyes, and asking her all kinds of questions about whether I’m treat- ing her well.
“If Nicco is ever anything but a gentleman to you, just give me a call. I’ll be sure to set him straight,” my mother says, taking Elle’s hands in hers.
“Thank you, Sofia, I really appreciate that. But I think we’ll be okay. You have raised an amazing son who is the perfect gentleman.”
My mother nods, smiling at me, but turns and gives Elle a serious look when she thinks I can’t see.
We stand to leave, my mother looping her arm through Elle’s. The two women exit the diner to- gether, laughing and chatting about God knows what. Part of me wants to roll my eyes at my moth- er, but really, it warms my heart to see them getting
along so well.
As we follow them out of the restaurant, my father claps his hand on my shoulder.
“You did good, Nic,” he says, watching Elle laugh with my mother.
“Thanks, Dad. I know.”
“I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. It makes me happy to watch. You going to marry this one, son?”
I smile as I watch Elle, taking in the way her smile crinkles the corners of her eyes, and how her hair shines in the afternoon sun.
“That’s the plan.”