Page 47 of Until Kendal
The elevator was fast, and we were alone. She kept gazing up like she would fly if she could. Once we stopped, she took my hand, and we headed up the 162 steps to the crown.
The last time I’d been here was for some charity event a few years back, but the quietness of the statue at night and being with Kendal had my pulse pounding. “This was a gift from France for our founding of democracy and brotherhood of ideals.”
She laughed and walked backward toward the slots to see out as she said, “I don’t know about those fancy-schmancy ideals or what to do about most things. But I have always wanted to see the view from here.”
I watched her as she flitted from window to window. “Here you go.”
She motioned toward her head. “You’re missing the funny-looking hats we should be wearing."
I tilted my head as she continued to spin around the room. “What?”
She stopped and hugged her waist as she stared out toward the city. “The dollar-store green sponge things I saw people on TV wearing.”
I walked next to her and brushed against her. “I’ll get you one shipped to our house later.”
She pivoted and stood with her back to me. “Can you help me out of this dress?”
My cock grew hard. “No warm-up or sweet words?”
“I thought you… We were into each other." She tapped her cheek and changed whatever she would have said. “Well, I don’t know. Overlooking New York or the open sea behind us?”
My fingers traced her soft skin. “Lady's choice.”
If she changed her mind, I would get myself under control, but that was quickly slipping away. She waved for me to join her a few windows down. “Well, let’s go with the ocean and New York here in the middle so we never have to compromise.”
I shook my head and took my time. “You’re funny.”
The second I joined her, she threw her arms around me. “Only to you, Joel. Now kiss me.”
So I did and wanted much, much more.
ChapterForty-One
Kendal
Once the kiss ended and my body pressed to his, I knew he was ready. So was I, but I squeezed my hands to his chest instead of kissing him again despite how my pulse zipped. “Wait.”
He backed off. “It’s okay. We don’t have to.”
I let out a sigh then swallowed. “It’s not… There is something I want to say first.”
He pivoted like I couldn’t see his hard-on. “What’s that?”
I kept my dress on and closed my eyes to let the words fall out of me. “Your money honestly scares the crap out of me. And your lifestyle, the ability to have us here, alone, now this is all a little bit of a fantasy.”
“It’s real,” he said, but he didn’t touch me. “Just as much as I am.”
I sighed, and butterflies grew in my belly. “I don’t know about all that, but what is real for me is that you have my heart, Joel. You’ve had it for a while now. I didn’t even know I had a heart, or maybe I was just too scared to ever notice it, but I don’t want this to be sex.”
He gave a curt nod and fixed his shirt buttons. “We can go home to our bed.”
My eyes widened, and I let my hands fall to my sides. “No, I mean I love you, and you love me, right?”
My dress fell off my shoulder though I didn’t dare move. He returned to my side and lifted it. “I love you.”
My lips curved higher. “Good, because I was thinking we can start calling it ‘making love’ from now on.”
He laughed. “Kendal, I love you.”
