Page 139 of Almost Love

“I didn’t get you anything,” she said softly, eyes still fixed on his arm.

“You are the only thing I need.”

“Still so cheesy.”

He chuckled and she touched the tip of her finger to each tattoo. She had no intention of counting, but was certain there were close to fifty small ones inked into his arm. Donuts, cupcakes, cake slices, wedding cakes, cookies, pastries she accounted for, then there were the baking utensils of whisks, spatulas, measuring cups, a rolling pin, bowls and icing bags. Her breath caught when she saw the tumbler and davara included with everything else.

Even if Oakley hadn’t said the words, based on these tattoos alone, she would know that he loved her.

“For the record,” he said softly, drawing her eyes to his. “You’ve been feeding and taking care of me every single day of the last five months. That’s a bigger gift than this.”

Clementine rolled her eyes even though she was touched by his words.

“That eye roll is what really sealed the deal for me.”

She huffed and slipped her hand into his, fingers linking as they held onto each other. Then gave herself a minute to admire him—hair and beard were neat and tidy, eyes sparkled behind his glasses and his soft lips tugged to the side in a small smile.

“I think I loved you from the first time you smiled at me,” she admitted, squeezing his fingers between hers. “And Iamsorry. Don’t,” she added when he opened his mouth to protest.

“I shouldn’t have assumed anything that day. I shouldn’t have shut you down or out. I should have listened and let you explain yourself. I shouldn’t have behaved like I was right and you were wrong. Yes, you hurt me, but I hurt you too. We deserved to talk about this as soon as it happened, but I’m glad that we had time to sort through our own shit before we did acknowledge where we went wrong.”

He sighed, shaking his head as he broke eye contact. The difference between them was that she could show her love while Oakley could say the words. But he deserved to hear it too, so as they stood there, she gathered all her feelings and hoped they came out in the right way.

“You’re nothing like the other people I have crushed on, because none of them ever made me feel safe. None of them made me feelloved. I know that crushes are often one-sided and it’s not their fault that I latched on, but it was always different with you. I was afraid,terrified, of what it meant to give myself to you. But you never made me regret anything or question what we were doing. I’ve only ever really loved and been loved by family and I assumed that romantic love would hurt me, but itdidn’t. I mean, it did…gah, fuck,” she muttered under her breath and he laughed, closing the gap between them.

“I know, sweetheart, you don’t have to say it.”

“But I want to. Ineedto.” Looking up at him, she searched his eyes and smiled. “I love you so much, Oakley. Every day with you has been incredible and not because of the sex or what you’ve taught me, but because yousawme. You helped me see myself too, which is honestly the most amazing thing. But you also showed me what love, romance, pleasure and joy could feel like. I wasn’t lacking in joy, but the kind that you brought into my life? I’ve never felt that before. I caught myself smiling every day, I felt lighter and ready for whatever the world threw my way. I’ve always been a confident person, sure of myself. Being with you made me feel even more powerful.”

“Clem, you’re the most powerful, badass person I know.”

“Stop interrupting,” she said with a huff and he mimed zipping his mouth shut. “What I was saying…is that I could be completely myself with you. I never had to hide who I am. You never forced me to smile or commented on my expressions. You drove me crazy in all the ways every single time, but you never once expected anything butme. And you know this, I don’t trust or let just anyone into my life, my kitchen or my house. I invited you in because even when I was building walls between us, I wanted you to sneak past them. And I have never been more grateful for that kind of persistence.

“You make me so happy and I’m sorry I didn’t say that or show it every day. I hate how long we waited to say this to each other, because we could have totally avoided this mess. But I do like this, not the crying that came before, butthis. A quiet moment with you in this space where we discussed the future.”

It hadn’t beentheirfuture that day, but every time he saidwe, that’s how it felt to Clementine. She released a shaky breath and added quietly, “I never want to know what life without youis, because you made mine so much better. I want us to always support, care, cherish and love each other like this.”

“I promise,” he whispered, green eyes watery as they fixed on hers.

“Kiss me, Oakley.”

There was zero hesitation as his mouth crashed into hers. She moaned into the kiss, pressing against him as she wound her arms around his neck. His fingers threaded through her hair, cupping the back of her head as he angled her the way he wanted. He licked into her mouth and she sucked on his tongue, soothing it with her own. Oakley shuddered and she held on tighter as the kiss deepened. She felt it everywhere, her body responding to the pleasure and love that pumped through her veins. His other hand traced her side, sliding down to cup and squeeze her ass. She groaned into the kiss and pulled back slowly, biting on his bottom lip before she released him.

Their noses brushed as he stole another kiss, pressing her to him a moment longer. She whimpered at the feel of him hard and warm against her, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Good thing we don’t have an audience, or that would get us arrested.”

He smirked and she felt the curl of his lips against hers. “Especially considering all the other things I wanted to do to you.”

“Oh I know, I could feel it in the way you kissed me.”

“Wanna tell me what that feels like?”

She licked along his bottom lip and whispered, “Some would call it a tongue fucking.”

“You’ve been fucked by my tongue, I’m pretty sure it’s not that polite.”

“You can be, when you want to be.”

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