Page 104 of Dreaming of Dawson

I heard his growl the second before he crushed his lips to mine, lifting me into his arms. I wrapped my legs around him, lost in him, as he carried me to the bed, and lay me down, leaning up over me.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his face so full of emotion it took my breath away. “It means a lot to me that you’re willing to adjust your life to spend more time with me. Working together is one thing, but we need to live together, too.”

He had a strange look in his eyes when he said that, but I didn’t get the chance to ask what it meant, because he rolled us over, so he was on his back, and I was straddling him, and that was when he started undressing me.

Which meant I forgot everything else… at least for a while.

Since then, we’ve discovered that living together is a lot easier than working together. That’s only because I’ve gotten more and more used to his public displays of affection, and we’ve both established that kissing isn’t enough. We struggle to keep our hands to ourselves, often brushing up against each other ‘accidentally’ during the afternoon and evening. That usually results in us being breathless with need by the time we switch off the lights in the bar at the end of the evening, and it’s been known for us to be tearing at each other’s clothes before we’ve even made it halfway up the stairs.

Everyone’s noticed the change in Dawson… from the customers, to the other people who work for him. The place is so much more cheerful now, and I heard someone the other day commenting on how happy he is, which made me smile. To me, of course, he’s exactly the same man he always was… just with a smile on his face.

My one regret, if I can be allowed one, is that we get so little time alone, away from the bar. We work seven days a week, and while we’re together, and Dawson makes it fun, it’s not quitethe same as going out to dinner, or taking a walk down by the creek… or even just sitting upstairs in the evening and watching a movie. We’ve never done any of those things, which could be why I’m so excited about today.

It’s Tanner and Zara’s wedding, and even though it’s Valentine’s Day, which is a major event for Dawson’s business, he’s closed the bar. I wasn’t sure if we were going to buy each other anything to mark the greatest day in every lover’s calendar… but he’d mentioned a book he wanted, and I thought I might as well get it for him. I went to the bookstore, expecting to meet Tanner and Zara for the first time, only to find they weren’t there. The lady who served me was probably in her mid-sixties, and was very helpful, showing me where I could find the book, and explaining it had only just been released and was very popular. I felt relieved to have found it, and took it back to Dawson’s apartment, hiding it at the back of the closet.

I was pleased I’d gone to so much trouble this morning, when I handed it to him, while we were still lying in bed, enjoying the luxury of not having to rush up, because he gave me a beautiful necklace in return. It’s in the form of a simple daisy, the petals made of white gold, and the center of yellow, on a white gold chain, and I looked up at him, tears blurring my vision.

“Don’t you like it?” he said as I played it through my fingers.

“I love it. It’s perfect.”

He sighed out his relief. “I put a lot of thought into it,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “Do you know what daisies mean?”

“No.”

“They stand for new beginnings.”

I looked up at him, unable to stop smiling, even though I knew I was about to cry, and I nodded my head and let him holdme. We lay like that for quite some time before he pulled back and picked up his book, which he’d allowed to fall between us.

“How did you know I wanted this?” he said.

“Because you told me.”

“I did?”

“Yes. About a week ago.”

I could see him thinking, trying to remember, and then his face cleared. “I mentioned it in passing,” he said, pulling me closer and dropping the book again. “You picked up on the fact that I wanted it, from one brief conversation?”

“Of course. I pick up on everything you say.”

He smiled the most perfect of smiles and kissed me so gently I thought my heart might burst.

That was this morning, before our shower, before we had breakfast, sitting at the table, wrapped in towels, just staring at each other.

Now, of course, time has moved on. There’s only just over an hour until Tanner and Zara’s wedding is due to start, and sitting around in towels – even if we have moved to the couch and brought the coffeepot with us – isn’t getting us anywhere.

“We ought to get dressed,” I say to Dawson, twisting around and looking up at him.

“I guess. Although it seems a shame to break this up.”

“Even for your best friend’s wedding?”

He tilts his head from one side to the other, like he’s having to give that some serious thought, and then he kisses my forehead, and shifts in his seat, sitting forward, so he can stand, and pull me up with him.

“I’d still rather stay here with you,” he says, wrapping me up in his arms. “But I guess you’re right.”

I giggle and let him lead me through to the bedroom.

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