The Choice (6 page)

Three days after I was released, my parents and Emily went back to Florida, but they’d called daily to check on me. With the exception of the embarrassing scene in the hospital the day I was discharged, Sophie fit in with my family even better than I could have hoped for.

We stayed with Drake for another week before she decided I was healthy enough to make our way back to Rockport. Packing the last of our things into the back of Sophie’s truck, Drake joined us in the driveway to see us off and was carrying a small box in his hands.

“I almost forgot this, but when the tow company called about your truck, they said you had some stuff in there. I went up there and got what I could for you, but there wasn’t much that was salvageable,” he explains.

“Oh cool, thanks man. Sorry again about the truck,” I say about the work truck I’d totaled
, but he just shrugs me off.

“I don’t give a shit about the truck, Chase. I’m just g
lad you’re alright,” he says placing the box on the seat beside me and pulling me forward for a hug while Sophie says goodbye to Ana. “Let us know you made it. Drive safe.”

Closing Sophie’s door for her, I walk around to the driver’s side and climb in.
I’d brought up the proposal again this morning, but Sophie had said the same thing as before. We’d be okay and I’d meant what I’d said, I’ll never leave her, but I’d be lying if I said things weren’t a little awkward between us at the moment.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” she asks for the tenth time and I nod.

“Yes, Baby. I’m okay,” I promise. “If I need to pull over, I will. Now come over here.”

She slides across the seat next to me and settles in, putting the box from my truck on the seat next to her. After a quick kiss, I pull out of the driveway and hit the interstate.

After watching my every move for the first twenty minutes of the drive, Sophie realizes that I’m okay and we slip into a comfortable silence. She rests her head on my arm and softly sings along to James Taylor on the radio, occasionally kissing or biting my bicep. Squeezing her thigh gently, I feel the flood of relief that she’s finally beside me again.

“I love you, Baby,” I tell her quietly, my voice thick with emotion as I think of the weeks we’d spent apart.

“I love you too, Honeybee,” Sophie says as she wraps her arms around mine. She lifts herself up to place a quick kiss on my lips before settling back in next to me. Lost in thought, she stays quiet for a few minutes. One of the things I’ve always loved about our relationship is our ability to hold a comfortable silence, but I can tell something is on her mind.

“What are you thinking about?” I finally ask.

“Us,” she admits.

“What about us?”

Her answer takes long enough that I begin to wonder if she’d heard me when her soft voice fills the truck.

“I’m thinking about our talk this morning.”

“Me too,” I say, unable to hide the sigh as I squeeze her thigh affectionately again. “What’s going through your head, Baby?”

“I’m hoping you know how much I love you,” she hugs my arm to her chest.

“I do.”

“And I’m hoping you never give up on us.”

“I won’t.” She’s quiet for a moment before she breaks the silence again with her soft voice.

“One day, I’ll say yes, you know.”

“I know, Baby,” I whisper as I kiss her on the top of her head.

“What’s going
through your head?”

“
That I’m not going to stop asking you until you do.”

Hugging my arm tighter to her, she rest
s her cheek there for a minute before speaking again.

“Thank you,” she says softly, giving me another peck on my arm.

“Always,” I answer, giving her thigh another gentle squeeze.

“How’d I get so lucky?”

“I ask myself the same thing every day, Baby.”

***

“D
id you talk to Sophie?” I ask Analise as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and lead her back toward the house.

“Yes,
a little,” she answers. “She said she wanted to wait until she’d had a chance to talk to Chase to make a decision, but I think she’ll move in with him now that they’ve made up.”

“
I think you’re probably right,” I agree as I turn the door handle and stop her as she starts to enter. She looks back at me with question in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say with a smile as I lean down and pick her up bridal style, walking her over the threshold. “Welcome home, my Love.”

“Thank you,” she laughs playfully. “Although
, I think you’re only supposed to do that when you get married.”

“All in good time, Baby,” I whisper and I press my lips to the tip of her nose and carry her to the couch and set her down.
“Hungry?”

“A little,” she nods as I lean over her and begin running my lips down the side of her neck.

“Okay,” I say stopping at her lips. “Open us some wine and I’ll make us something.”

“You’re cooking for me?” s
he asks surprised.

“I’d
do anything for you, Analise,” I say softly against her lips before giving her a chaste kiss, taking her hand and walking us into the kitchen. “Go pick us something out good to go with dinner, Baby. Maybe the Torre Muga, you’ll like that.”

I beg
in throwing together my take on seafood paella while she raises herself up onto the island behind me and watches quietly. I couldn’t be happier that we’d gotten things worked out and were finally moving forward with our relationship. I’ll admit that I was surprised at how willing Analise had been to my suggestion to take the reins on things. She’d had too much on her shoulders for far too long and I wanted to take care of her. Not to mention, her natural inclination to submit to me couldn’t be more of a turn-on. Especially to someone like me. 

Once I’ve finished cooking, we
take our plates out to the deck facing the water and enjoy each other’s company. It’s the first unrushed time we’ve really had to ourselves since we put the break-up behind us and I’m determined to savor each and every second of it.

“Do you think it will be weird having someone live with you?” she asks playfully as she pushes her empty plate away.

“It’s not something I’ve ever wanted before, but I can’t wait to live with you.”

“Why am I different?”

“Because I’m in love with you, Analise,” I tell her honestly.

“What about the women you were with before me? You never wanted to live with them?”

“I wasn’t in love with any of them,” I tell her. She looks at me with surprise before I continue. “I’ve cared very deeply for women before, even loved one of them, but you’re the only woman I’ve ever been
in
love with. That’s why you’re different.”

“Really?” s
he asks me, clearly shocked by my revelation. Standing to take our dishes into the kitchen, I lean down to kiss her on the lips.

“First, last and only, Baby. Go grab a sweater, it’s getting
cold.”

After I load the dishwasher, I turn to find her standing on the deck outside facing the water. I make my way out to her and stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.

“Would you like me to start a fire?” I ask as I plant my lips on her neck.

“Sure,” she smiles and follows me out to the sand to the fire pit.

After a few minutes, I’ve gotten it lit and I sit behind her, pulling her between my legs to rest against my chest. She’d grabbed a blanket from the house and we have it wrapped snuggly around our bodies as we cuddle together.

“Will you tell me about the other woman?” she ask
s quietly after a few moments.

“What other woman?”

“You said you loved someone else before you met me. Will you tell me about her?”

“Do you seriously want to hear about my ex,
Analise?”

“Sure, why not?” she asks and I chuckle behind her.

“I don’t know, I’m just a little surprised is all,” I start. “Okay, her name is Sarah and we dated a few years ago.”

“How long were you together?”

“A little over a year,” I tell her.

“What happened?”

“Nothing really,” I answer honestly. “We just wanted different things. She was fresh out of college, she wanted to travel and I couldn’t. She was ready to get married and I wasn’t. Not to mention, she wasn’t interested in the type of relationship I wanted. Typical stuff, I guess.”

“
A relationship like ours, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“So you didn’t have a big fight or anything?”

“No,” I sha
ke my head. “She got a job offer in Georgia and asked me to go with her, but I had just started the company so it wasn’t really an option. We talked about trying something long distance, but we both knew time would be an issue with our careers. What it really came down to is we just weren’t in love.”

“Wow,” she says.

“So we decided it wasn’t worth ruining a friendship over, she took the job and that was that.”

“Y
ou’re still friends with her?”

“Yes, altho
ugh we rarely talk. We’re both busy, she’s still in Georgia running her own business, living her dream and now I’m living mine,” I say as I kiss her gently on her temple. “I think she’ll be at Emily’s wedding, so you’ll meet her when we go to Florida.”

“So I guess we’ve established I’m going to Florida with you,” she says drily, causing me to laugh, kissing her temple again.

“Analise, will you please come to Florida with me?”

“Yes, thank you for asking.”

“Do you have any other creepy questions about my ex?”

“First of all, they’re not
creepy! Second, yes but only two.”

“Okay, shoot
?”

“Do you still love her?”

“Yes,” I say honestly, squeezing her when she tenses in front of me. “Not in the same way as I did, though. I love her as a dear friend.” Seeming to accept this, she nods. “Next question.”

“Did you cry when things ended between the two of you?”

“No.”

“Did you cry for me?”

“Yes,” I whisper as I hold her tighter to me.    

“Really?” she asks, turning to face me with
unveiled happiness in her eyes.

“Every d
ay,” I confess.

“Really? You cried every day for me?”

“I have to say I’m a little disturbed that you’re so happy about my distress,” I tease her and she playfully smacks my chest.

“I’m never happy about your distress,” she argues. “I just didn’t think you missed me as much as I missed you. You never showed it.”

“The month I spent without you was the worst of my life,” I confess as I turn her to face me. “If I didn’t see us working things out, I never would have survived it, Analise.” I began to trace her lips with the pad of my thumb and search her face. “I love you so much, Baby.”

“I love you, too,” she whispers and presses her lips to mine as she wraps her arms around my neck. Slipping her tongue into my mouth, I swallow her moan as I lean her back onto the sand below us and lay her out beneath me.

Resting on my elbow to keep my weight off of her, I deepen the kiss, running my hand up the side of her waist and gripping her shirt into my hand. Gently tracing her lips with my tongue, I feel her breathing quicken and I gaze down at her, watching the flames from the fire beside us light her features.

“You’re breathtaking, my Love,” I whisper down at her and run my lips down her neck, stopping once I reach her collarbone to push the front of her shirt up higher. Placing light kisses over her navel and across her stomach, I raise my head up to face her. “
I need inside you, Baby. Take this off.”

Without hesitation,
Analise lifts her sweater over her head and places it under her head before stretching back out in front of me. 

Pulling her breast into my mouth, her hand moves to the back
of my head affectionately and her chest begins to rise and fall more rapidly as I flick my tongue over her nipple. Reaching between us, I begin rubbing her sex over the thin cotton of her shorts and as a low whimper escapes her lips, my dick hardens.

“Get
these off,” I order, raising up onto my knees to pull my shirt over my head and push my jeans down. Analise quickly removes her shorts and lays back out onto the sand, opening herself to me and waiting for my next command as her eyes stay locked on the hand I’ve began stroking myself with. “You want it?” I tease her.

“Yes,” she says immediately, her tongue licking her lips greedily.

“Yes what, Analise?” I arch my brow, reminding her of our agreement.

“Yes sir,” she says, her eyes lighting up.

“Good girl. Come here,” I say through clenched teeth and she sits up immediately. “Take me in your mouth, Love.”

Gripping my length
into her hand, she pulls me forward and closes her lips around me, lapping and sucking greedily. The sensation of her tongue swiping all over my shaft is overwhelming and soon, I’m tugging her hair and pushing into her mouth without restraint. She takes nearly every inch of me between her full lips and before long, I’m ready to explode.

“Lay back,” I order and with one final swipe of her tongue over
the tip of my swollen cock, she lies out in front of me and spreads her legs wide for me. “Anyone can see you out here, Analise. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes sir,” she says with a small smile playing on her lips.

“You don’t care, do you Baby?”

“No sir,” she shakes her head, her smile growing wider.

“Hmm… Good girl,” I whisper and bury my face between her legs, lapping up her juices greedily as she entangles her fingers into my hair breathlessly. She’s already drenched and I feel her beginning to pulse against my mouth as she finds her first climax.

Positioning myself over top of her, I slide into her roughly and begin pushing into her furiously while she finishes riding out the waves. Running the pad of my thumb over her swollen clit, she quickly finds her second release and her walls clench around me as she moans loudly. Gripping her
tightly around her hips, I sit up and begin driving into her ruthlessly.

“Keep touching yourself, Baby,” I order through clenched teeth as I continue to push into her slick opening.

“It’s too much, Drake. I can’t…” she gasps. In the light from the flames of the fire beside us, I can see the orgasm I’ve just given her is causing her tears of pleasure.

“
Analise,” I call out and immediately, her hand moves to her center. With one touch, she’s flying again.

“Oh my God,” she wails into the darkness as her body
begins shaking uncontrollably with pleasure.

“Don’t stop, Baby,” I command her as she begins to move her hand away and within minutes, she’s unraveling again. I can feel her wetness
dripping down her ass and it sends me over the edge. “Taste yourself, Analise.”

Exhausted, she holds my gaze as she slips her dre
nched fingers into her mouth. She moans appreciatively as I push into her harder, both of us surprised when she begins tightening around me one last time.

“Fuck Baby!” I yell out as I come hard inside her and she
screams my name out loudly one last time.

Both breathing erratically, I collapse on top of her. The sweat from my forehead is dripping onto her already slick chest and she’s heaving beneath me as I rest inside her.

“Oh my God,” she manages after a few moments and finds my eyes. “Holy shit, Drake!”

“Holy shit yourself,” I laugh lightly as I agree with her, placing breathy kisses over her skin
before lifting her into my arms and taking her to our bed.