chapter FORTY-TWO
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1977
I’m gonna do it. Tonight, I’m surprising my husband for the first time. Yes, I’m incredibly nervous, but I think I can get through this. For him, I can get through anything.
Since Lorrie had informed him that they would be having a special Valentine’s dinner at home this year, Curtis had made sure he was up early so he could take care of the chores, come home and shower, then go into Austin to pick up the present he’d ordered for her. Knowing Lorrie, she would tell him he didn’t need to buy her anything, but this… This was something long overdue.
“Hey, baby!” he called when he came in through the back door that led into the kitchen.
He noticed that the lights were all off, which seemed a little odd. It was four o’clock. When she’d said early dinner, he’d just thought…
Yeah. Whatever he’d been thinking, it was long gone now as he stopped short.
“Lord. Have. Mercy,” he hissed through clenched teeth the moment he stepped into the living room.
“Do you like it?”
Curtis swallowed hard as he let his eyes rake over the most stunning woman to ever have graced the earth. “It’s… Uh…” He was speechless. “Holy shit.”
Lorrie’s smile grew. “I always know it’s a good thing when the only thing out of your mouth is swear words.”
Good didn’t even begin to describe what was standing before him.
Lorrie had her hair up, the golden locks piled on her head, revealing the sexy curve of her neck, and she was wearing the sexiest lingerie he’d ever seen. Not that he’d seen much other than in a few clothing ads, but still.
“I was looking for pink when I went in the store,” Lorrie said, still standing a few feet away. “But the kind saleslady told me that black was sexier.”
“Darlin’, I don’t think it matters what color. Everything is sexy on you.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The black lace bra was completely see through, so he got a glimpse of her perfect nipples. The tiny panties looked as though they were held together by strings, and the garter belt she wore was attached to black silk stockings that showcased her beautiful legs.
Yeah, he didn’t give a damn what color it was, she was breathtaking.
“Please tell me this is my present,” he breathed roughly.
Lorrie nodded as he moved closer.
“Good, because I’m gonna enjoying unwrapping every inch.” He leaned in close to her ear. “Very, very slowly. With my teeth.”
Her body trembled as he placed his hands on her back, sliding them upward over the exposed skin.
“What made you wanna buy this?” he asked, pressing his lips to her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.
“I wanted to give you something special, something that would make you as wild for me as you once were.”
That caught his attention, and he stood up, looking down at her. He couldn’t hide his frown. “Baby, trust me, I still want you just as bad. Hell, probably more than I ever have. If I could spend the entire day lodged inside your sweet body, I assure you, I would.”
The blue of her eyes darkened as she watched him.
“You better not think otherwise,” he said roughly. “I might just have to spank your sweet little ass if that’s the case. Speaking of… Turn around so I can see that sweet little ass.”
Another shiver racked her body as he guided her so that she was facing away from him.
“Heaven help me,” he mumbled, taking her in once again. “I can die a happy man,” he told her, as he pulled her back around to face him, fusing his lips to hers while he cupped the perfect rounded globes and gently squeezed. “Fuck, Lorrie,” he mumbled against her mouth. “You make my dick so hard.”
She looked up into his eyes. “Show me.”
If he hadn’t been shocked to find his incredibly beautiful wife standing nearly naked in their living room, those two words from her innocent little mouth definitely did it for him.
“Here?” He glanced around the room.
“Yes. Here,” she confirmed.
“And then what?” he asked as he quickly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He loved the way her eyes instantly slid to the tattoo of her name on his chest, over his pectorals, then down to his stomach.
“It’s your present,” she said sweetly, her gaze once again finding his. “Do with it what you want.”
“Mmm.” He definitely liked the idea of that. “If that’s the case…” While he finished disrobing right there, he looked around the room, trying to come up with an idea of how he wanted to do this.
Should he toss a blanket on the floor, start a fire in the fireplace, and make love to her there?
He kept looking.
Or maybe he could set her on the stairs and ravish her on the steps.
Or … maybe he should…
His mind went blank. He wanted to do so many things to her, and he was so damn eager he could’ve simply bent her over the arm of the couch and ridden her long and hard, but he wanted this to last a while.
She’d gone through so much trouble for him, what with buying the outfit and all. The least he could do would be to drag out her pleasure as long as he possibly could.
When the saleslady had told her that the black lingerie would make her husband drool, Lorrie hadn’t quite believed her, although she had expected it would do what she intended. It wasn’t that Curtis didn’t seem to find her attractive, but now that they’d been married for almost fourteen years, she wanted to reignite that spark in his eyes. The look on Curtis’s face, however… Far more than she’d expected.
Though she was extremely self-conscious standing there nearly naked, draped in only a few scraps of lace, the way he looked at her, so much heat in his eyes, eased some of her nerves. That simple look also made her nipples harden to points, her breath come in rapid pants, and a chill dance down her spine.
“Fuck it,” Curtis finally mumbled, his eyes once again on hers.
The next thing she knew, he was on his knees before her, his hands cradling her thighs as his heated gaze caressed every inch of her.
“I fucking love this outfit,” he mumbled, pressing kisses to her belly. “So damn much.”
Yeah, well, she was beginning to love it, too.
As his mouth trailed lower, Lorrie steadied herself by placing her hands on the top of his head, sliding her fingers through his silky hair. She admired the sleek muscles in his shoulders as he moved his hands down her body, his palms once again cupping her bottom, squeezing, then sliding to her hips.
A soft moan escaped her when his finger pulled her panties aside, his warm breath intimately fanning her lower lips. When he used his thumbs to spread her open to his gaze, she nearly stumbled and fell, but he grabbed her thighs at the last second.
“On second thought…” Curtis was on his feet, lifting her and carrying her to their bedroom.
She’d thought he would want to make love somewhere other than their room, which was how she’d ended up in the living room. But this worked, too.
He put her on her feet at the end of the bed, directly in front of the wooden bench he’d built for her. She watched as he lifted the lid and pulled out a blanket before tossing it on the top.
“There. Sit,” he commanded roughly.
She sat, taking a moment to take him in. Every glorious muscle, every hard angle of his body was close enough to touch, but she didn’t move, waiting for him to instruct her. Curtis was by far the sexiest man alive. The way he stood, the way he carried himself, the sexy rumble of his voice… He did it for her in every way.
He kneeled on the carpet before her.
“Now where was I?” His blue-gray eyes lifted to meet hers. “Oh, yes.”
His fingers once again pulled her panties aside before his mouth returned, his tongue stroking the swollen bundle of nerves at the top of her sex as he shouldered his way between her thighs, forcing her to spread her legs to make room for him.
He gently lapped at her while she watched, her chest heaving as the sensations assaulted her. Every exquisite brush of his tongue against her made her flinch. She was so sensitive, so eager for him.
“Lean back,” he instructed.
Lorrie leaned back against the end of the bed, trying to steady herself as he placed his hands behind her knees and lifted her legs up and out until she was spread open for him.
“Much better,” he drawled.
“Oh…” She moaned when his mouth returned, his tongue buried inside her as he consumed her, making her body tremble as her climax steadily built.
“Such a pretty pussy,” he mumbled.
Those dirty words did it; they sent her over the edge when he suckled her clitoris between his lips, flicking his tongue against the sensitive bundle of nerves. She couldn’t hold back, crying out his name as her body and mind fragmented.
“Oh, yes,” he moaned, crawling up her body.
Before she had regained her breath or her strength, Curtis was pushing inside her, his body leaning over hers. The position couldn’t have been comfortable for him. He was so much taller than her, but based on the expression on his face, he didn’t care. So she didn’t, either.
“God, yes,” he groaned. “Squeeze my dick, Lorrie. Fuck, you’re so tight, baby.”
Again, her body began a steady ascent, climbing higher and higher as he began thrusting harder and deeper, one of his arms curled around her back, holding her in place, while his other was pressed to the mattress, keeping him up.
“I could do this all night,” he panted, the muscles in his chest and arms flexing. “Feel your sweet body milking me.”
His pace increased, and Lorrie held on, taking all he was giving her and loving every second of it. They’d needed this. For so long, they’d been making love, but Curtis had been so gentle with her. She knew it was due to the things that had taken place, but she wanted this as much as he did. She wanted to make him lose control, to send him careening into the abyss with her.
“Aww, baby,” he groaned. “I’m gonna come, Lorrie.”
The deep rumble of his voice mixed with the glorious sensation of him stretching her drove her right to the edge and then over once again.
“Curtis!” She dug her fingernails into his back as her orgasm raced through her.
His body stilled and she smiled against him. She hadn’t noticed until now that he hadn’t removed any of her clothes, only his. And since he had yet to unwrap his gift completely, she knew the night wasn’t over yet.
After cleaning them both up, Curtis carried her into the living room, making her laugh as he did.
“You know I can walk, right?” she asked.
He smiled. “I know.”
“Granted, my knees are a little weak.” She felt her cheeks warm as she said the words. It was one thing for him to talk dirty, something else entirely for her to insinuate, although she had made a point to do it from time to time. She loved the way his eyes turned glassy when she spoke her naughty thoughts aloud.
“That’s always a good thing,” he said, grabbing his jeans off the floor. “If your knees aren’t weak, I haven’t done my job.”
At first, she thought he was going to get dressed when he picked up his pants and shook them out, but instead, he pulled something from his pocket, then tossed the denim back to the floor.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, trying to get to her feet. “I’ve got dinner warming in the oven.”
“Starving,” he replied as he crawled over her, forcing her to her back. “But dinner can wait.”
“What’re you doing?” She saw the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and knew he was up to something.
“I got my present; now it’s time for you to get yours.”
“See, I’m thinking I already got my present,” she said with a giggle. After what he’d done to her, it was safe to say that would last her for quite some time.
At least until tonight, anyway.
Curtis settled on the couch beside her, one arm sliding beneath her head. She was staring up at him while he fidgeted with something in his other hand.
“Give me your finger,” he told her.
She held up her right hand.
“Other hand,” he instructed.
Lorrie switched hands.
His big fingers touched the tip of her ring finger, and something cool slid over it before he pushed it all the way down past her knuckle.
There were tears in her eyes before she even looked at it. She didn’t need to see it; she knew what it was. They’d been married for so long now, the fact that she’d never had a ring hadn’t bothered her. Their wedding had been spur-of-the-moment, and though he’d promised he would get her one, she had told him it wasn’t necessary. As far as she was concerned, a marriage didn’t have anything to do with rings or paper or anything else. It was the two hearts joined as one that mattered most.
“It’s simple,” he said, keeping her finger covered. “Because I knew you’d smack me upside the head if I bought you a big diamond.” He smiled sweetly. “I’ve always wanted you to wear my ring, Lorrie. And I know you never would’ve asked for one, but I had to do this.”
While she stared at the glistening gold and the sparkling diamonds in a pavé setting, wrapping around the entire band, Lorrie felt the tears pool, but she fought them. She didn’t need to cry right now. This was a happy moment, one she would cherish for eternity. “Thank you,” she whispered, then looked him in the eye. “But what about you? I want you to wear my ring.”
His smile was slow and sexy, then he held up another ring, this one much bigger than the one on her finger. “I knew you’d say that.”
She laughed, taking the ring, then sliding it over his big finger.
Curtis leaned down and pressed his lips to hers softly. “You are my love that lasts a lifetime, Lorrie. No matter what obstacle we encounter, no matter what path life leads us on, you will always be the most important thing in my life. I’ll give you the moon if you want it. And don’t tell me I can’t, woman, because I’ll damn sure find a way if that’ll make you happy.”
Lorrie laughed. He knew her so well. “You’re all I need,” she replied. “All I’ll ever need.”
And that was the moment she accepted that she would live her life one day at a time, the way she had in the beginning. Back when the only thing that had mattered was Curtis’s love. Everything else would work out the way God planned. And until then, she would be eternally grateful that she’d been blessed with the greatest thing in the world already.
A love that lasted a lifetime.