“But it doesn't matter,” Robbie says as I crush her to me and lift her up, so that her heels are dangling a half inch off the porch step. “It doesn't matter,” she says again as our lips brush close, “because I'm next to you and you're next to me. Nothing else should matter.”
I give Robbie a soft but hungry kiss, tasting her and letting her feel the stiff bulge in my pants. All around us, crickets wake up for the evening and start to sing, and I give Robbie – my chance, my choice, my path – I give her a fairytale kiss that's as pure and innocent as she is.
And then I get ready to show her the dark side of the sheets.
But first … I can't let Robbie give up everything for me.
“What's your father think of you coming over here?” I ask and she smiles, kissing me again and letting me set her back on her feet. Robbie glances over my shoulder and gives a little wave. I don't look, but I can just imagine her dad standing there and glaring at me.
“You saved me, Luke. That's all he needs to know.”
“I got you into that situation in the first place.”
Robbie shakes her head and then leans her cheek against my chest.
“Doesn't matter. Everything happens for a reason. Let me be yours.”
I brush my lips over Robbie's throat, tasting the sweet softness of her skin. My own flesh ripples with excitement, and I'm struck with the nearly uncomfortable urge to come in my pants. It's been two months since I've been with a woman – my longest record of abstinence in a decade. And finding a place in prison to masturbate, undisturbed? Not the easiest task. I feel like a hot air balloon, about to catch fire and plunge to the earth. It would be worth it, all wrapped up in Robbie like this.
I keep my hands firmly in place on her back and restrict myself to necking like a pair of, well, teenagers, until Robbie's dad gets fed up and disappears back inside his house.
“He's gone,” she whispers to me, and I lift her up, swinging her into my arms like she was meant to be there. Now, I don't know if I believe in meant to be or fate or anything of that ridiculous sort, but I do know this: I'm going to give Robbie everything, and I mean everything, that I've got left in me. “I should probably at least try to get back before midnight.”
“Not going to happen,” I respond as I do a balancing act to get my key out of my pocket and unlock the door. True to her word, Audra Holiday cleaned up my place after the police were done ransacking it and kept it up to my obsessive level of perfection. I guess I do owe her dinner.
When I set Robbie on the floor and put the keys back into my pocket, I feel the engagement ring brush against my fingers. I'm not ready to give it to Robbie yet, but maybe someday.
I smile and the expression is downright wicked.
I check out Robbie's ass as she turns and pushes the door closed, putting the locks into place and leaning her forehead against the wood. While I was in prison, I had free healthcare – how ridiculous is that? – and I was able to get that STI test I'd been putting off. Clean. I'm clean, and Robbie's clean, and now we can be downright fucking dirty.
“You know how I knew I wanted to be with you, Luke?”
“How's that?”
Robbie turns around and comes towards me slowly, placing her palms on my chest. I reach up and wrap my fingers around hers, savoring the strange peace of the moment. This type of situation is so foreign to me, so outside of my comfort zone. But I like it. Anyway, nobody ever said I wasn't adventurous.
“Because when you were gone, I realized how my life might look if I never saw you again.”
“Was it bleak?” I joke, letting the corner of my lip curl up into a half-smile. Robbie shakes her head and starts pulling me towards my bedroom. I plant my feet firmly and pull her back against me. We will get to the bedroom – eventually – but we're going to work our way there. Slowly. Oh so slowly.
“No. Because it wasn't. Because it was college and boys and love and loss. It was new experiences and break-ups and tests and then it was life. It was a house and kids and a hamster.”
“A hamster?” My chest bubbles with laughter, real laughter, the kind that can only be paired as an opposite to pain. I've had the pain and the suffering, so now I'm going to at least try for the other side. So far, it seems like we're off to a good start. “That doesn't sound excruciating.”
“It's not, and that's why I knew then that I really did like you. And not just as a crush or a fling or anything like that.” Robbie runs her tongue over her lips, captivating me, reminding me that my cock has also agreed to this union and let's be honest – he is still a wonderful judge of character. “I like you because you're not safe and easy, because every moment might not be tinged with sparkles and glitter. I like you, Luke, because you're you.” Robbie raises her hands up in surrender. “Not that I'm the first woman to bet my life on a dangerous man … ”