Page 118 of Still Here Without You

I’m so turned on that I’m struggling to focus. Do I keep my gaze on her glistening core or her smart mouth, where she now has her finger trapped between her teeth? I don’t have time to think about it before she’s reaching between her legs and running a finger through the wetness. “Jesus Chriiist!”

Teeth clenched, I try really hard to keep my hands to myself and just watch but I can’t. Instead, I unbuckle my jeans in record time and stand up, moving her to the edge of the bike. She cries out in surprise but recovers quickly, spreading her legs and welcoming me in. I slide into her in one quick motion, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. We don’t even pause to let her adjust; instead, she’s rocking into me as soon as I’m all the way inside.

We’re a mess of panting and cursing as we seek out our release, and before I’m ready, her walls tighten around me as she cries out in pleasure. “Oh fuck, Joel. Yes.”

“Fuuuck!” My release is ripped from within me as I grunt out her name and fall forward, my hands gripping the bench behind the bike for support.

When we finally come back down to earth, I lift Delilah into my arms and carry her into the house, not letting her feet touch the ground until we’re in my room.

With my arms still around her, I press a kiss to her forehead and then step back. “Shower or straight to bed?” I ask, pulling my sweater over my head.

“Shower,” she says, as she moves toward the bathroom, lifting her own top up. I start to follow until her next sentence gives me pause. “But I’ll need to borrow your shampoo again; I didn’t bring any.”

I watch her walk away until she notices I’ve stopped moving and looks over her shoulder with a curious smile. “You going to make me wait, Joelle?”

I snap out of my gaze and step toward her, pushing her against the wall. Now’s as good a time as any, I guess. “I want you to move in with me,” I say as though it just popped into my head, when in reality I’ve been thinking about it for weeks.

“What?” she whispers, a little stunned.

“I want you herewithme every night for the rest of our lives. Please, Del, move in with me.” My heart pounds as I wait for her response. I don’t think I’ve ever needed to hear the wordyesmore than I do right now.

Delilah looks to the roof and then back at me, her eyes widening when she sees my intense stare. “Yes,” she whispers with the slightest nod. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

“Yes!” I lift her into my arms and spin her around before throwing her on the bed and kissing her all over, relishing in the giggles that I almost had to live without. This girl right here has been my world for years, and I never plan to be without her again.

Epilogue Two

Eight years later

Joel

“I’llseeyounextweek, Little Buddy,” I say as my last client for the day walks out of the office with his mom. Some days are so bad, I question why I ever wanted to do this, and then I have a session like that one and all faith is restored. It may have taken me a lifetime of study to get my doctorate, but I’m happy. When it comes down to it, I love what I do.

On my drive, I listen to the playlist Delilah must have going on at home, since our phones are synced up. I can’t help but laugh when it skips through two songs in quick succession—picturing her running to the phone to change it—no longer able to stand a single beat since we’ve both heard the songs at least a million times…and counting.

I pull up in the driveway and stare at the closed garage door like I always do. My bike sits behind the steel barrier, barely touched in years. I ride every now and then—usually when I need to de-stress, instead of reverting to alcohol like I did during those years without Del—but it’s rare. I have to many important things to focus on these days. Like my beautiful, sleep-deprived fiancée who’s peering at me through the open curtain, probably desperate for me to get inside so she can use the bathroom in peace.

Racing up the steps, I burst through the front door with my usual greeting. “Honey, I’m home.” Our golden retriever puppy, the reason for our lack of sleep, is the first to greet me at the door. She jumps all over me in excitement, making sure to rub herself against both legs of my freshly cleaned black jeans. I want to be mad at her, but she’s just too cute, so I bend down and rough play a little until she’s had enough and races back in the direction she came from, leaving a wake of destruction in her path. Anyone that says pets are easier than kids has clearly never had a puppy. Trust me, I’d know—I’ve experienced both.

“Daddy!” Chloe calls as the pitter-patter of little feet comes toward me. She came into our lives when we fostered her at just six weeks old, and the day we were approved for her adoption still remains one of the happiest days of my life. The other being when Delilah agreed to be my wife five years ago. Now if we’d just get around to making the actual marriage part happen… But right now, we’re focused on our daughter.

Chloe leaps into my arms and smothers me in kisses. She turns four next month, and the term threenager has never been more accurate. The sass on her can only be rivaled by one person.

“About time you stopped daydreaming about your bike and came inside.”And there she is.

“Well, when I’m greeted so poorly, what do you expect? Is it too much to ask for a kiss at the door and dinner on the table each night?”

Delilah laughs as she struts my way, her deep-red hair pulled into a messy bun, her beautiful face free of makeup and body clothed in one of her company's latest designs.

When she reaches my side, she lifts onto her toes, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek. “Dinner’s in the fridge, honey.” She pauses and steps back, biting the tip of her nail in that innocent but seductive way I’ve always liked. “You just have to cook it.”

“Can I help, Daddy? Please?”

Lifting Chloe up, I throw her over my shoulder before walking into the kitchen to the sound of her giggles. This is our life. I work during the day while Del stays home with Chloe and then she works on her clothing label’s designs when I get here. It’s not ideal, but it’s suited us since the day we brought Chloe home, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

***

Delilah creeps into the bedroom just after midnight and strips out of her clothes before snuggling in beside me. I jump when she touches me.

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