Finding Sunshine (13 page)

I have had enough experience with a little sister who used to—
who am I kidding
—Sarah
still
sulks around to get her way. I’m immune to the sad, pleading eyes, the pouting lips, the general pity party.
Well, pretty much immune. I do have moments of weakness. I’m only human!

“What will?” she asks softly, making me chuckle.

“The truth,” I answer standing up and moving away from the bed.
Away from temptation.
I adjust my cock, trying to get more comfortable in my increasingly tight pants, before turning back around.

“What?” Nina sits up and looks at me curiously. I walk back towards the bed, unable to read the expression on her face.

“There’s got to be something else going on here, other than you wanting me to stay. What is it?” I ask softly, coming to kneel on the carpet before her. Placing my hands on my thighs, I part them and move in closer. I wrap one arm around her waist, and I use the other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek gently.

“I don’t know.” She says, closing her eyes and falling forward into my chest. My Sunshine relaxes into me, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her warm body cuddles up to me, and her sweet vanilla scent and gentle breathing once again surrounds me.
I just want to stay there, wrapped up in her forever.
She’s the cuddliest woman I’ve ever known
.

“I’m just frustrated,” she whispers.

“About what?” I ask, running my hands slowly along her back. I’m trying to comfort her obvious anxiety. “You gotta give me something, here.”

“With everything.
Life
,” she answers softly, and I can almost feel the weight of the emotion that she’s releasing in the air with that admission. The frustration that comes when your own life doesn’t go your way.
I fucking know that feeling, all too well.

“You can tell me.”

“What?”

“I can tell there’s something else,” I say. I kiss the top of her head gently and continue to rub her back, encouraging her to trust me enough with her emotions to open up.

“I-I don’t know.”

“
You can trust me
,” I whisper in her ear.

Nina then tightens her hold on me and moves to tuck her face in my neck, hiding from the world.
In my arms.
She speaks softly, and I have to almost strain to hear her. “I haven’t told you yet, but I haven’t been able to find a job since my internship ended.”

“Life never happens the way we imagine it will,” I say. I kiss her forehead again before adding gently, “I never thought I’d move in with my sister and be working at the animal shelter.”

My life has in
no way
gone according to plan. By now, I should be married, own my home, and be making bank as a manager at some Fortune 500 financial institute. In hindsight, I probably would’ve been laid off during the financial collapse of the last recession, and would most likely be living in my sister’s basement anyway. Only then, I would have never discovered my interest in and love for training dogs. I guess, when you really think about it
,
things happen for a reason
.

“I just don’t know what to do. Every studio and gallery I apply to has turned me down, or they don’t even bother responding to my application, which is just—rude!” she exclaims, ending her rant angrily.

Pushing her back slightly so that we’re looking into each other’s eyes, I tell her truthfully, “Sunshine. You’re bright, passionate, and any employer would be lucky to have you.”

“Really?” she asks, giving me a tentative smile. “You really think so?”

“Yes, really. And I’m not just saying that because I want to fuck you again,” I say, which earns me a soft giggle from my woman. “But if no one will hire you, hire yourself.”

“What?”

“Create your own business. Start your own gallery. Believe in yourself enough to take a chance. I know you can do it, Sunshine.”

“You think?”

“I
know
. We’re learning to trust each other, but Nina, I would never lie to you,” I state seriously, looking into her sparkling green eyes.
I could stare into them for the rest of my life.

“I do trust you,” she says, and I can feel the honesty in her words. She leans forward and kisses me gently then snuggles herself back into my chest.

“Then believe me when I say that I know you have what it takes to go into business for yourself. My sister did.”

“She did?” she asks, pulling away slightly and clearly looking interested.

“Yeah. She owns her own event planning company. It’s just her and an assistant, but she’s gotten wicked popular. When you meet her, you can ask her all about it. Maybe she has some good advice.”

“She wouldn’t mind?”

“Trust me, she’d
love
to brag about her success and tell you what she thinks you should do,” I say, rolling my eyes at my sister’s bossy nature. Nina giggles. She kisses my neck before snuggling back into my arms.

“Would you want to do something tomorrow night?” she asks quietly, almost tentatively.
Doesn’t she know I can’t stay away from her? My leaving tonight has nothing to do with not wanting to spend time with her!

“I’ve got to work tomorrow and tomorrow night, but what about Wednesday?”

“That sounds perfect. Jordan is going away on a business trip,” she says excitedly, before kissing my jaw and whispering into my ear, “
We’ll have the apartment to ourselves
.”

“I like the sound of that,” I say wrapping my arms more tightly around her and kissing her roughly. “I’ll get Sarah to babysit Russell, and I will plan to spend the night.”

After finding the strength to disentangle myself from her arms and leaving her delicious-smelling warmth, I rise from where I’ve been kneeling on floor.

“I guess you’ll need this back,” she says, moving to take off my t-shirt she’s still wearing.

“No. Keep it,” I say, leaning down to kiss her again. “When I call to say good mornin’ tomorrow, I want to know that you’ve slept in my shirt and nothing else.”

“Okay,” she says, smiling up at me. Her green eyes are twinkling with mischief. I have a feeling that tomorrow’s phone call might start the day off perfectly.

This time, I’ll be prepared.

~ Nina ~

Early on Wednesday afternoon there’s a loud knock on the door. It comes just as I’m finishing up cleaning the kitchen, from my latest attempt at being domestic. Looking through the peephole, I see a frazzled-looking Aaron standing on the other side of the door.

I happily open the door to let him in. “What are you doing here so early? I’m glad to see you, but why aren’t you at work?”

Yesterday, in addition to my good morning wakeup call, we had texted several times during the day while he was working in order to make plans for our evening together. It had been decided that he would come over around dinnertime, and we would order takeout. This left me the entire day to prepare—
and
to freak out.

I wanted everything to be perfect. I even forced myself to do laundry, which I loath, and then changed the sheets on the bed, along with towels in the bathroom. And even though I know he won’t notice, I vacuumed the entire apartment—except Jordan’s room. After my cleaning frenzy was done and the laundry was in the dryer downstairs, I headed to the grocery store. There I bought an array of snack foods and beverages, hoping that I had managed to get at least some things that Aaron liked.

It occurred to me yesterday, while having lunch with Becca at our favorite café, that Aaron and I don’t really know each other that well yet.

“So, what did I tell you?” Becca asked, beaming at me over her tuna melt. “Aaron’s great, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty great,” I offered, picking up one of the French fries off my plate and nibbling it in a vain attempt to act blasé about Aaron and not smile
too
widely.

I could tell she’d been dying to ask me about him since we sat down, although she’d kept quiet throughout the entire time we ordered and waited for our meals. That’s one thing I adore about Becca—she’s not nosey and too much in my business. She patiently—
usually
—waits for me to tell her things. This isn’t because she’s not interested; on the contrary, she simply respects my privacy. Because, when I do confide in her, there is no question that she is completely engaged with what I am saying.

“Girl, you’re completely full of shit,” she laughed. “I can tell by your face alone that you’re totally hooked on him.”

“Well, it’s just really early. We only met
last
week
and we’ve just started getting to know each other.” I took a sip of my deliciously warming café mocha before continuing, “I mean, we’ve only been on a few dates, and apparently, the sex didn’t count yet.”

“Wait.
What
?” Becca asked, leaning forward towards me. “Did you have sex or not?”

“Oh we definitely did, but he said it didn’t count.” I smiled at the confusion on her face, and couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s like, I don’t know, cracking an egg. You either have sex, or you don’t.” She waved her hands around dramatically. “How can it not count?”

“Oh, wait. Did you not finish?” she asked in a stage whisper, her eyes wide with shock.

“Trust me, that man has no problem getting me there,” I laugh, before asking, “Cracking an egg?”

“Never mind,” she replied, waving her hands in front of herself comically. “Why would he say that it didn’t count, then?”

“Apparently, we finished too quickly for it to count as our first time together,” I said, completely amused by her reaction.

“So when are you seeing him again?” Becca asked with excited laughter, before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

“Well, he has to work tonight.” I told her, and then notice her nose scrunching up in annoyance as she chews and asked, “What?”

Swallowing, she said, “It’s nothing. Just that place he bartends at is a shithole. Richard’s been trying to get him to come bartend at
St. Andrew’s
.”

“Oh. He hasn’t really talked much about where he works, other than the animal shelter,” I said, distracting myself with a bite of my grilled cheese and bacon sandwich.
I can’t seem to get enough of them lately.

For some reason, Becca’s words bothered me. There is clearly still so much that Aaron and I don’t know about each other. I was irrationally jealous that she knows more about him than I do, but I realize only time will remedy that.

I may know the exact spot to kiss along his jaw that makes him go wild, but I don’t know what beer he drinks—
or if he even drinks beer
.

I swallowed my bite before continuing, “Jordan’s going to be out of town, so he’s coming over and spending the night tomorrow.”

“There’s a storm that supposed to hit tomorrow night. Maybe you two will get snowed in together,” she said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. The action makes me giggle uncontrollably, as my ridiculous jealousy is forgotten.

We spent the rest of our lunch giggling like teenagers, over the boys—
men
—we have wicked crushes on, even though she’s happily married to hers. It was a blast.

Before we ventured back out into the cold and went our separate ways, Becca pulled me into a warm hug and whispered into my ear, “
I’m wicked happy you and Aaron have finally met. I think you’re just what each other needs
.”

As Aaron walks into the apartment and pulls me into his arms for a heated kiss, I can’t help but think that Becca is right—
this man is exactly what I need
.

“The shelter closed early because of the storm. I’m here to pick you up,” he says, releasing me.

“Wait. What?” I ask confused. “Where are we going?”

“You’re coming home with me,” he states, like it’s a foregone conclusion.

“Did I miss something? I don’t remember you asking me to come and stay with you. I thought we were staying here tonight,” I say, walking back into the kitchen.

“There’s a snowstorm coming,” he answers matter-of-factly, shutting the door and following me.

“We live in Boston, they happen every year,” I say in a
duh
tone, rolling my eyes at him. “What does that have to do with us staying here?”

“We talked about it this morning,” he says in an exasperated tone, and I get the feeling that I was still sleeping through half of our conversation. “It’s safer for you to come and stay a few days with me at the house.”

A few days?

“A few days?” I clearly slept through a lot more of our good morning conversation than I had first thought.

“Yes. You could loose power, and we could get snowed in.”

“I’m perfectly capable of preparing for and surviving a snowstorm,” I argue, and then begin listing off the preparations I’ve made. “I have bottled water, extra batteries for my flashlight, an external battery for my cellphone, I purchased a bunch of nonperishable provisions, my Kindle is fully charged, and I even have a radio. I’m fully stocked and prepared for any imminent natural disaster—or zombie apocalypse.”

“I’m sure you’re prepared. But as the man in your life, I'm in charge of your safety,” he says seriously, holding me close and stroking my back gently. “And it’s safer for you to come and stay with me.”

How do I respond to that?

“I’d stay here with you, but my brother-in-law is away for the week at a conference. I need to be home during the storm with Sarah and Harry,” he adds, breaking the silence. I can’t help but melt into his arms further at how caring he is towards his family.

“I don’t want to impose on your sister,” I say, which is really a half-truth. Just like I’m not ready for him to meet my family, I’m not sure I’m ready to meet his.

After all, we only met last week.

There’s a lot of pressure in meeting someone’s family. You want to make a good impression, and for them to like you. And from what Aaron has said, not to mention the way he talks about her, I know he loves his sister. He probably values her opinion, which makes it all the more nerve wracking. If she doesn’t like me, it could mean the end of whatever this is between us, before it even really begins.

“You won’t be imposing,” he assures me, continuing to run his hands along my back in a soothing motion.

“Are you sure your sister won’t mind me just showing up?”

“Don’t worry, my sister will love you.”

“You think?”

“I know,” Aaron says. Pulling back, he cups my face with one hand and kisses me before adding, “She’s dying to meet you.”

“Really?” I ask him nervously.

What could he have possibly told her?

“Yeah.”

“All right, I’ll stay over at least for tonight,” I concede.

“That’s my good girl.” Aaron says, leaning down, he gently touches his lips to mine and then begins stroking his tongue against my lips. I let him in. For several moments, we stand embraced, lazily tasting and caressing each other.

Heaven.

Pulling away from his warmth and heading back over to where I’ve been baking, I say, “But we can’t leave for at least another twelve minutes.”

“Why?” he asks, following behind me.

“Are those peanut butter cookies?” He’s pointing to where nearly two-dozen of them are cooling on racks along the counter.

“Yes,” I say nervously. “They’re your favorite, aren’t they?”

“Are those chocolate kisses on top?” he asks almost breathlessly, ignoring my question and moving over towards the counter, like an invisible force is drawing him in. He reaches out and steals one off the rack.

“Be careful, they’re still hot!” I watch Aaron shove practically the entire cookie into his mouth at once. He moans with pleasure as he quickly demolishes the rest, his eyes darken with passion. I’m mesmerized, and my sex begins to pulse as I watch him lick his lips and suck his fingers clean of the melted chocolate.

I wonder if he’d be into food play?

~:~:~:~:~

After a thirty-minute ride, Aaron guides the truck carefully up a narrow driveway and parks next to a sporty, expensive-looking red SUV.

“Home sweet home,” he says smiling, cutting the engine and jumping out. Rounding the front of the truck, he’s at my door just as I’m about to climb out.

“I’ll grab all of your shit,” he says, reaching in to take my duffel bag in one hand and the bag of groceries, which contains the Tupperware container of his cookies, in the other.

“Thanks,” I smile. Aaron hadn’t understood why I’d insisted on bringing a bunch of the provisions I had purchased, claiming that they had more than enough ‘crap’ to survive the storm. My argument was that it would be impolite for me to show up empty handed, which it would be. He gave in only when I mentioned bringing all of the cookies I’d baked. I have a feeling it’s true what they say—
the
way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Grabbing my messenger bag and slamming the door shut, I follow him along a stone path towards the back door of a neatly kept, two-story house.

Just as we reach the door, I begin to feel soft, wet snowflakes falling on my face. It looks like the storm is going to begin sooner than expected. Entering the back hall, we’re greeted by an ever-energetic Russell. He welcomes Aaron home like he’s been away for years, rather than just the few hours it took for him to come and get me.

“Look who I’ve brought home,” Aaron addresses him, toeing off his sneakers and continuing down the hall.

Russell then notices me and comes running over, wagging his tail happily and rubbing his body against my legs.

“Oh, hello to you, too,” I say, dropping my bag on the floor and crouching down to greet him.

“Yes, I’ve missed you,” I say, rubbing his wiggling body. “Oh, I love you, too,” I continue to coo, as he relaxes his body into mine and finally lets me hug him.

“I see you’ve met Russell,” a female voice says, surprising me. I look up to see a tall, stunning brunette smiling down at me. “I’m Sarah, Aaron’s sister.”

“I’m Nina. It’s really nice to meet you,” I say, standing up and reaching out to shake her hand. “Aaron's told me so much about you.”

“Only the good things are true," Sarah laughs, and then welcomes me into her home saying, “Come on in.”

“Thank you,” I say, while I quickly divest myself of my coat, scarf, hat, and boots.

“I’m sorry to intrude on you like this,” I apologize, grabbing my bag from the floor.

“Please, I’m glad we got a chance to meet,” Sarah says, as I follow her into the sunny kitchen. “Are you hungry? I was just about to make lunch.”

“I am. Let me help you,” I offer, then finding my bag of groceries on the counter, add, “I brought a bunch of the provisions I got for the storm.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I told her that, but she insisted,” Aaron comments, after swallowing a large mouthful of sliced deli meat from where he’s standing by the counter.

“Aaron, stop that. I’m going to make lunch,” Sarah scolds him, dragging him away from where she had begun preparing sandwiches.

“I’m hungry,” he complains, reaching around her with his long arms to steal a piece of sliced cheese.

“You had three cookies before we left,” I laugh.