Page 64 of Always Been You

“Babe, I’m perfect. That was amazing. I think that the name-calling worked for me because it was possessive. You didn’t just call me a slut, you called me your slut, and I know you respect me. You would never call me that outside of sex. I’m perfect. Please trust me enough that I will tell you if a line is crossed.”

He smiles down at me before placing a chaste kiss on my lips, pulling out of me, rolling to his side, and pulling me into his body. His hand trails lazily up and down my back as my fingers trace absently over his chest as we lie in silence. I look up at him and place my chin on top of my hand that rests on his chest.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

His hand stops for a second as he looks down at me. His brows are drawn together, and his face is full of questions.

His hand continues to move along my back as he says, “For?”

“Trying new things with me. For being patient. For being you.” I smile up at him and his face relaxes.

“Babe, you don’t have to thank me for any of that. One, I enjoy doing all of it with you and there is nothing to bepatient with. We communicate with each other. That’s how this works.” I can’t take the smile off my face.

No relationship I’ve ever had has felt this good. I would never have been able to tell any of my past partners that there were things I wanted to try in the bedroom. There was never this overwhelming sense of calm and safety in those relationships, but with Josh, I feel all of that. I know I can trust him, that he’ll always listen, that he will always support me and have my back no matter what happens. He is my safe place. He is who I want in my corner every day. He is who I want to come home to after a long, hard day at work. He is who I want to do all these trips with, who I want to share all these memories with.

Josh is still looking at me, his hand still running up and down my back. “I love you,” I whisper.

His hand stops moving on my back and a smile breaks across his face. “You do?”

I nod, and he moves, rolling so I’m on my back as he hovers above me. “I love you, Olivia Carter,” he says before sealing our lips together in an intimate kiss that shows me just how much he loves me. I spread my legs as my hands move into his hair, gripping it and holding him to me. He positions himself between my legs and slowly makes love to me, holding my hand as he stares into my eyes. I can see and feel his love for me, and I hope he feels mine for him.

Iwake to thefeeling of warmth on my face as the sunbeams stream through the siding of the tent. Olivia is wrapped around me, her arm thrown over my stomach, her leg over mine, and her face on my chest. I smile, thinking about last night. The look on Olivia’s face when she told me she loves me, the absolute bliss that went through my body when she said those three beautiful words. I never thought hearing those three words would mean so much to me, but hearing them from Olivia makes me feel like I can concur anything in this world.

She nuzzles into my chest, and her arms tighten around me. My hand moves up her back and I run my hand lazily up and down it. A while ago, I told Olivia that she would stay in my bed every night, but she still hasn’t moved her things from the spare room into mine. She spends every night in my bed, but all her things are still down the hall, keeping this gap between us. I know she was planning on finding a new place before thesummer is over and school starts, but I can’t stomach the thought of her leaving. My stomach tightens in knots at the thought of her moving into her own place, of not being able to come home to her every night, not being able to curl up on the couch beside her while she reads her book and I work on my computer, not seeing the little things she does around the house like purchasing fresh flowers, or how she artfully throws the throw blankets on the back of the couch, and how every room smells like her.

“What are you thinking about so hard this early in the morning?” she asks.

I didn’t realize that she had woken up. I look down at her smiling and kiss the tip of her nose.

“Stay,” I say.

“I’m right here, Josh.” She smiles.

“I mean, don’t move out at the end of the summer. I want you to stay. I want you to move in. I want all your clothes in my closet, your shampoo and conditioner in my shower, and your stuff on the nightstand beside my bed. I want to come home to you every day. I want to fall asleep and wake up beside you every day. Stay.”

Her eyes dart between my eyes at my words. She continues to stare at me for a few seconds and my stomach turns, wondering if I came on too strong. Then a smile pulls at her lips.

“Yes.”

One word, that’s all it takes for my stomach to settle, my heart to race in my chest, and a huge smile to spread across my face.

“Yes?” I ask to confirm.

She nods, still smiling her beautiful breath-taking smile. “Yes, Josh. I’ll stay. I’ll officially move in.”

I roll us so that she’s below me and I kiss her deep and slow, breaking the kiss, our chest heaving, I rest my forehead against hers. “I love you,” I whisper while staring into her eyes.

She smiles at me. “I love you too.”

Her legs spread further and I settle myself between them. I kiss her again as I position myself at her entrance. I slowly push in and a moan escapes her throat. I gently rock into her, slowly making love to her. Her nails claw at my back as I slowly work to bring her over the edge. When she tightens around me, I reach between us, my thumb finding her clit. A few swipes of my thumb, and she’s calling my name. I swallow her sounds with my mouth. I follow right behind her, groaning her name into her neck.

I pull out of her and roll lying beside her. I turn and face her and she’s smiling at me. I lean over and my hand finds the back of her head. I pull her face closer to mine and I kiss her.

When we pull apart, I just rest my forehead against hers and look into her eyes. I can see and feel the love in them. I know that there are no other eyes I want to spend the rest of my life staring at like this. I wasted so much time by not making a move on Olivia. We’ve missed out on so much and I’m not going to let us do that anymore.

I’m going to grab the bull by the horns and take control. I want Olivia to be by my side for the rest of our lives.

I give her a quick kiss before unzipping the sleeping bag. “We should get a start on the day. Lots for us to do.”

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