Page 23 of Hot for the Lifeguard
"Okay. Don't sleep with anyone else, but you need to get out of here. Come on, man," he pleads.
I guess he’s trying a new tactic.
I think about what he’s saying and he's not wrong. Well, besides his suggestion to sleep with someone. Obviously, I need to get up and do something instead of just staring. Maybe if I get out, I'll tire myself enough to go to sleep? Really though, I'm tired of Gael coming to my apartment. I just want to be left alone. Hoping that if I give in just this once I won't have to deal with Gael anymore, I comply.
Getting up from the couch, I yell as I walk toward the bathroom to take a shower, "Fine."
Fifteen minutes later, I'm walking out, ready to go to wherever Gael wants to take me. He's sitting on the couch waiting patiently for me. When he hears me coming, he looks me up and down then smiles. "Ready?"
"Yep. Let’s get this over with," I say, heading toward the front door.
"Don't say ‘let’s get this over with.’ It’s supposed to be fun," he scolds me.
"I'm just doing this so you'll leave me alone," I say.
Pulling the front door open, I come face to face with the woman who has been haunting my dreams.
"Luca," she says, sounding a little breathless.
Diana is standing right in front of me. I feel like I'm dreaming, so much so that I whisper, "Is this real?"
"I'm real," she whispers back.
I don't think about anything else except for the only woman who has taken up so much of my mind. My arms wrap around her waist and I pick her up, crashing my lips to hers. When she returns the kiss melting into me, I can't help but feel that this is the right place for her—in my arms.
Someone behind me clears their throat, breaking the small bubble I’d placed over us the moment I saw Diana. Placing her on the ground, I turn around to see Gael's eyes narrow as he looks between the two of us. When they finally land on Diana, I see his lip curl up. "What are you doing here, Diana?"
Her gaze drops to her feet as she mutters, "I came to talk with Luca."
I squeeze her hand, telling her that it’s okay, but Gael doesn't seem to like her answer. "I told you not to hurt him. That he didn't need you to crush his heart."
Tears start to well up in her eyes and I can't stand to see them there. Gael goes to open his mouth once again when I put up a hand stopping him. "That’s enough. This is between me and her."
Gael squeezes his hands by his side, clenching his jaw—he is pissed. "Fine. I'll talk with you tomorrow," he grits out. I can tell he wants to say more but decides he should leave instead.
When Gael closes the front door behind him, I look over at Diana, cradling her face as I place a kiss on her lips. This time I don't let it get too far. "Why are you here?"
Diana drops my hand and begins pacing, when she confesses, "I regretted leaving the moment I did." She shakes her head. "Actually, the moment I got out of the car. I kept hoping that you would come after me, but you never did."
"I wanted to. It was so hard to stay away, but I needed you to see that we’re meant to be together, not hitting you over the head with it," I tell her.
She nods her head. "I get it. By the time I landed in Los Angeles, I knew what I had to do."
My heart jumps in my chest. Is she saying what I think she’s saying? When she doesn't continue to explain, I ask her the only thing I can. "What did you have to do?"
Diana grabs my face pulling me down to eye level as she says, "I had to retire and be with you."
"Why?" I ask, holding my breath for the answer.
"It was time, and I love you," she breathes out.
"I love you too," I tell her as I pick her up, swinging her around the room.
Once we stop, I kiss her like I've never kissed her before, pouring every feeling into it.
My body is filled with excitement now that I have my woman here with me. Now, it’s time to plan for the future.
***
