Page 43 of Gone for You

She almost falls out of her seat, she’s so excited about something so simple. “And? And? Tell me! Did you love them! Please tell me you did or this is over. O-V-E-R.”

“Oh really? You’d deny yourself my dick for the rest of your life just because I don’t like fried pig skin?”

“Yup. Absolutely.”

“Wow. I see how I rate. I better up my game.”

“You’d better. You’re on thin ice, buddy,” she says, pointing a finger into my chest.”

I capture her finger, bringing it to my lips and her eyes go unfocused. “Good thing I liked them, then, huh?” I kiss the tip of her finger, letting my tongue snake out then sucking it into my mouth.

“Huh?”

“Thin ice, my ass.”

She smiles that wide smile that really makes me lose all coherent thought. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Trying something I love,” she says.

“You’re welcome.”

“I mean it, Ethan. That means a lot to me.”

“Anything for you,” I tell her.

“That’s the first time anyone has ever cared enough to…”

“To what?”

“I guess to learn about the things I liked.”

“You know when we were at the diner and I said you were with the wrong guys? I was right.”

“Ha! No doubt about it.” And then she blows my mind when she lifts her gaze, eyes glassy and says, “You know, I’ve been with some doozies.”

My heart is beating so hard it is about to thump right out of my chest. I have to keep my voice calm when I ask, “Have you?”

“I’ve been holding back from telling you but you should know. The first guy I dated, Jared was his name, in college turned into quite the jerk. He thought he could control me and then when I finally got out of that relationship and decided to put myself out there again, Aaron came along and cheated on me, repeatedly. So yeah, now you know my sad story and if you want to run far, far away, I’d totally understand.”

Linking my fingers with hers, I do my best to control my anger from hearing the shit she went through. What kind of idiots were they to not treat her like the incredible woman she is? “They didn’t deserve you and must have been complete and total idiots. I’m sorry they didn’t know what was right in front of them but I’m also grateful, for me. Because I promise I’ll never take my time with you for granted.”

She stares at me for several long beats, chest rising and falling with her heavy breaths. “Ready to head back to my place?”

“Nope,” I shake my head. “I meant it when I said I wanted you to show me around. Let’s go to the Navy Pier.”

She groans and grumbles about how touristy it was but I could see that she was secretly excited.

It doesn’t take us long to get to the pier and find a good place to park, it being a little earlier in the season. Grabbing her hand, we walk around looking at the shops and people watching for a few hours. The early May spring air is slightly crisp, and I wrap an arm around her, holding her close to my side. When her hair whips around her and she looks up at me, I can’t help but stop us so I can kiss her properly. We’re in the middle of the crowded sidewalk. Our linked hands are wrapped around her back, our bodies lined up as my tongue sweeps inside.

“Centennial Wheel?” I ask when I manage to break away.

“We have to get tickets first,” she reminds me, voice barely above a whisper. She licks her bottom lip and her eyes are glassy.

“Okay.”

I somehow get us to the ticket booth, buy our tickets, and we stand in line, leaning in close to each other as we wait our turn to take a ride on the iconic landmark.

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