Page 85 of Stone

My hair had grown out since I saw him last. I’d played around with my style, evolving from sweet Rydell High Sandy to leather-clad, pink lady Sandy—instead of sporting tight, black leather pants, though, I’d gone for tight, black jeans. My hair was bigand full of bouncy curls, and my leather jacket covered a black, lacy camisole.

“Christ,” he muttered. “You look like a dream, better than a dream, Elise. You’re a knockout.” He reached out, tagged my waist, and pulled me hard and close to his body. The kiss, when it came, was hard, passionate, and thigh-clenching.

My fingers curled onto his arms, holding on for dear life as his mouth ravaged mine, and I let out a soft moan.

John’s lips left mine, and he raised his head, gold locking with green. “Food, talk, bar, bed, Duchess. In that order. Keeping my damned hands off you tonight will be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I’ve made plans for us to meet with Spence and his girl.”

My stomach fluttered, and I breathed, “Okay.”

His eyes softened, and his lips twitched with humor. “Need you to know. If the night runs away with us and I forget to tell you. I’ve never loved anything more than I love you.”

My eyes misted over, and I whispered, “Wow.”

John nodded toward his Harley. “You ready to reclaim the place you belong, on the back of my bike? I’ve missed my girl being there.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I murmured, taking his hand and following him toward his motorcycle.

John threw his leg over, all the while keeping hold of my hand before helping me on behind him. Then, he leaned back, grabbed my thighs, and pulled me so close I could feel his heat sinking into me.

He craned his neck, a small smile playing around his lips, and cocked an eyebrow. “Ready, baby? You, me, and the road?”

Our eyes locked, and I swallowed down the burn rising in my throat.

A feeling hit me, and I knew deep down inside that we’d never have this moment again. Monday, I’d go home, and we’d be backto letters and snatched calls. I knew it was selfish, but God help me; I never wanted this visit to end.

I smiled, nodded, and rested my cheek on his back, and felt my soul clicking into place as it recognized I’d come home. Then I whispered the exact words I’d said a hundred times before.

“I’m ready, Johnny. Ride free.”

John took me to a small diner on the outskirts of town. It was local to Camp Pendleton and wall-to-wall uniforms. We found an empty booth and slid in—John next to me—immediately falling into our routine of catching up with everything going on in each other’s worlds.

It was so easy with John. There were stretches of silence while we drank each other in, but they weren’t filled with awkwardness; they were filled with something softer.

He caught one of my curls, his golden eyes softening as he rolled it gently between his fingers. “Love your hair like this, Leesy. You’re growin’ up so fucking sexy. I dunno if I wanna show you off or lock you up and throw away the key.”

I caught my lip between my teeth. “Thanks. I think.”

He busted out laughing, his beautiful tan face lighting up. “You’re gettin’ kind of lippy, Elise, but I find I don’t much care. In fact,” he swooped down, touching his mouth to mine before going back to his cheeseburger, “I’m thinkin’ I kind of like it.”

Popping a French fry in my mouth, I chewed for a second, contemplating his words. “We all grow up, John. You left me a girl, but you’ll come home to a woman. Even after just a year, I can feel how much I’ve grown and changed.”

His gaze flicked over me, his lips twitching. “You’ll always be my Leesy. Eighteen or eighty, you’re mine. As for growing and changing, it’s good, but I don’t want you to change too much.”

My belly did a little whoosh, and I burrowed a little closer, taking in the feel of him next to me.

Another moment, another memory, something else to warm me at night when he was off, God only knew where, but certainly not with me.

I watched as he polished off his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin. It was the ordinary, everyday things I missed the most: eating dinner together, watching him leave after he dropped me off, and his arm siding across my shoulders as he laughed with Stevie in the coffee shop.

Moments.

“You finished, baby?” he asked, nodding to my plate.

“Yeah.” I smiled.

He threw some cash on an empty plate on the table, grabbed my hand, and tugged me to my feet. “Let’s jet.”

The entire weekend was a whirlwind.

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