Chapter Thirty-One
Tate
I almost couldn't catch my breath during the wedding, watching Val walk down the aisle. I'd never thought about marriage or anything near it. I wasn't sure I was ready to think about it now, but she was magnificent, no doubt. I couldn't help but think she was the most beautiful woman in the room, and getting her away from everyone else was my top priority. Making love to her wouldn't be about finding pleasure as much as me wanting to shower her with it. She needed to know that I saw her – really saw her and loved what I saw.
I moved back from her in the middle of the dance floor and took her hand. "Let's go see your sister and then we'll get out of here."
"Okay." She moved in behind me and stayed close as we weaved our way through the hordes of people. I'd never seen so many people at a wedding, and yet her parents were wealthy and influential. I'd almost bet that all the people around us felt that it was a great honor to be invited to the wedding, though hardly any of them knew Allison.
Val moved in front of me as we pushed through the edge of the crowd and made our way to her sister. I stepped back and gave her space to say her goodbyes and congratulations.
Sam stepped up beside me with a smile on his face and his glasses a little off center.
"Hey, man. You guys getting out of here?" He pressed his shoulder against mine.
"Yeah. You know I hate crowds of people and rich people in general." I glanced back to look over the crowd. "This is like my own personal hell."
He laughed and rolled his eyes. "You fit in just like the rest of us do."
"Like a sore thumb?" I smirked and turned my attention back to Val.
"You want me to swing by your place and check on your mom before I head home tonight or are you guys going back that way?" Sam reached out and gave Val a quick hug as she rejoined us.
"You don't need to check on her. Everything is going to be fine now that Daniel is locked up for good." I let out a content sigh as I wrapped my arm around Val's shoulders. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Be safe." Sam moved back into the crowd as we walked to the back door of the house. I figured it would be easier than trying to get to the front. Besides, Valentine's parents were at the front door talking to some of the older people as they left.
"Wow, that was crazy. I honestly didn't think Allison was going to go through with it." Val squeezed my hand as we picked up our jackets by the back door and walked out into the snowy afternoon.
"Would you have?" I hopped off the porch and turned back to wrap my hands around her waist and help her down, too.
"Hell, no." She took my hand and we jogged over to the bike together. "Would you have?"
"Are you seriously asking me that?" I worked to get the bike ready to go before getting on and offering her my hand. "I don't live to please anyone."
"No one at all?" She chuckled as she got on behind me and put on her helmet.
"Well, almost no one." I started the bike and waited until she wrapped her arms around me to pull through the cars toward the back of her father's land. The snow had dissipated a little bit, and there seemed to be a paved path that led into the woods where we were headed.
She leaned past me and pointed in the direction to go before wrapping her arms around me again and cupping my dick tightly.
I growled, but it was a wasted response. She wouldn't be able to hear me over the roar of the wind and the helmet.
By the time I pulled up to the cabin, she was shivering and her skin was ice cold. I carefully tugged her helmet off for her and wrapped my arms around her as we jogged to the cabin.
"Wow. That was far worse than I thought it would be." Her hands shook as she tried to get the door open.
I moved in and took the key from her to unlock the door. I opened it wide and nodded. "Get inside, baby."
Much to my surprise, it was already warm. The place was cozy and looked to only be a two-bedroom cabin. I had imagined it to be something much bigger, but what I found was exactly the type of place that I would want to spend the night with her.
"You like it?" She pulled off her jacket and rubbed her hands over her arms.
"I love it." I pulled off my leather jacket and then my suit jacket. "Let me start a fire and we can snuggle up and get you warm again."
"Okay." She moved in behind me and handed me kindling as I worked on it. "Thanks again for coming today. I know it must have been sickening to think about having to deal with my folks."
"I wasn't thrilled about the idea, but I wasn't going to not be there when you wanted me to." I looked over my shoulder at her as my heart melted in my chest. "You were beautiful back there."
"I'm not now?" I chuckled at the look she threw me.
"Yes. You're always beautiful. Damn, woman. I can't even give you a compliment." I turned and picked up the stoker as she moved beside me and worked on getting out of her dress. My mouth went dry as I glanced up to see her in nothing but a pair of tiny white panties. "Wow."
"You like?" She walked to the couch and picked up a blanket. The back of her panties was nothing more than a string that beckoned me to come play with it.
"I love." I turned and got up as I started to work on my shirt. "You do realize that we didn't eat at your mom's house."
"Yeah, I figured we wouldn't, so I stole a couple of trays from the kitchen earlier today for us." She wrapped the blanket around her and walked into the kitchen as I followed.
"Trays of what?" I wrapped my arms around her from behind as she stopped in front of the fridge. I couldn't help but lean down and kiss her neck and the top of her back. "You smell good."
"You feel even better." She pulled out two big trays and moved back as I released her. "A fruit tray and this meat and cheese tray. Let's eat, and then we can go try out the big comfy bed in the back room."
"I like the sound of that." I took the food from her and sat it down on the coffee table before dropping down on the couch and pulling my shirt from my shoulders. She moved in beside me and snuggled up, kissing and licking at the tribal art that ran down the side of my throat. "You keep it up, and we'll have to save this food for later."
She laughed and moved back. "We might want to go easy on it."
"Why is that?" I pulled the tops off of both of them and got up in search of a bottle of wine or something for us to drink. I found a couple of beers in the fridge and brought them back to see her nibbling on a strawberry.
"I'm pretty sure I've been officially cut out of the will." She shrugged and picked up a cracker. "I told my father to go to hell in so many words."
"Wow, that sounds intense. Even I didn't tell your father to go to hell, and believe me when I say I wanted to." I sat back down and popped the top on her beer.
She took it and took a long drink before exhaling and leaning back. "Yeah, well, it was a long time coming."
"Are you going to be okay? You know I can pick up extra shifts at the shop and stuff." I turned to face her as I popped the top on my beer. Concern for the beautiful girl beside me filled my insides. Half the reason she was shunning her parents was because of me, no doubt.
"I'll be fine. You don't need to do anything." She smiled as her eyes filled with tears. "That you want to means a lot to me, though."
"Of course. I'd do anything you needed me to, Val." I moved toward her and leaned over to kiss her several times before moving back to my side of the couch.
"I feel the same." She sat up and started to work on a pile of grapes as I joined her. "Tell me what you decided about Dr. Barnes’ offer to be his research assistant."
"I'm gonna do it." I nodded. "I'm going to the tryouts for the Olympic swim team, too. I agreed with your thoughts a few days ago about diving into any opportunities that came my way."
"Good. I'm proud of you." She glanced down at her hands. "I should call to see if I can try out for the girl's USA basketball team. I was hand selected last year, but, well, I think I told you that my father put his foot down."
I nodded and slid my hand over her thigh, wishing like hell that the blanket would suddenly disappear. "I bet they would take you in a heartbeat, baby."
"Maybe. I need to work out what I'm going to do about next semester. This semester is taken care of and my rent at the Gamma house is all paid up until August." She smiled and shook her head. "I can't tell you how free I feel. For the first time in forever, I feel like I might actually get control over my life, that maybe I can do what I want to do."
"You can, Val. I'm here to help support that, too." I picked up a grape and pressed it to her lips as she opened her mouth and sucked it in slowly.
My heart started to race in my chest with the way she was looking at me. The woman had a power over me that I couldn't explain, nor did I want to.
"I'm going to talk to my adviser on Monday." She tugged at the blanket around the top of her chest and stood as it fell to the ground.
I reached for her and helped her into my lap. "And, what are you going to discuss with this adviser?"
I moved down and licked at her pert nipple, sucking it into my mouth and flicking my tongue over it as I ran my hands down the silky skin of her back.
She gasped softly before sliding her hands over my shoulders. "I'm going to switch my major to Kinesiology. I want to play basketball or be a coach. It's an extra year in school, but I'm not in a hurry."
I moved back, letting her nipple pop from my mouth. She groaned, and I moved to bathe the other one with my tongue as she pressed herself against me and rocked back and forth. She felt perfect in my arms, like no other woman had. It was her heart, her spirit, her drive.
Glancing up, I took a deep breath and pulled her down for a long kiss before rolling us over and pinning her to the couch.
"I love it. I think you'd be a great coach." I moved down and ran my nose by her jawline. "What can I do to help?"
"Nothing. Just continue to live your dreams and I'll be there to support you, too." She slid her hands into my hair and pushed at my head a little.
I chuckled and moved down the couch to hover above the silky white material that held me back from my treat for the evening. I licked at the side of her panties as she squirmed beneath me.
"You're coming with me to the try outs, right?" I ran my hand over her panties and dipped my fingers just below the cloth to pull it to the side. My breath left me as I realized she had shaved herself bare. "Val. Shit."
"You like it?” She reached down and ran her hand over her smooth lips, parting them for me.
"I love it." I licked at her before glancing back up. "You're coming with me, right?"
"Yes, of course. Anything you want. Just stop making me wait." She smirked before letting her head drop back.
I chuckled and swatted her hand away before tugging her panties off and letting my eyes take in the feast. "Beautiful."
"All yours." She was panting, and I'd yet to touch her more than a little teasing here or there. The night was sure to be long and fulfilling, if nothing else.
I slid my hands under her ass and squeezed it as I leaned down and gave her exactly what she wanted.
Me, hungry as fuck for her.