“O pen your eyes. Elizabeth, wake up,” Benny said next to her ear. His spicy aroma was so much more alluring than the beer she’d been pouring all night.

She felt his hand against her cheek, and behind her head. It was still so loud and her head throbbed. Beth blinked a few times before her vision settled on his handsome face. Worried brown eyes stared back at her. She ran her fingers over the stubble on his chin. There were no marks or bruises. He looked to be fully intact.

“What happened?” She shook her head, and dizziness followed. “Woah.” Her hands shot out to brace herself from falling over, but she was already seated. Her body was cradled in Benny’s arms. Safe.

“This fucking place happened. I’m so glad you’re done here.” He helped her sit upright, but never let go of her arms.

She searched the room which had significantly fewer people than a moment ago. “Did I take a hit to the head and miss the rest of the fight?”

Benny chortled. “No one hit you. I think you fainted, and it wasn’t much of a fight. A bunch of cowards trying to look tough. Your friend’s fine and they’re shutting down for the night.”

They never closed the doors. She rubbed the back of her head. There was definitely a goose egg growing. “I can’t believe I fainted. Why are they closing? People fight here all the time. Oh, no… the teenagers. Are they still here?” She gripped his forearms and struggled to rise to her feet. With his help she managed. Glancing around the room, the half-empty bar confirmed her fears. They were gone.

“They should close their doors permanently. Those idiots had knives. Two people got stabbed before we took them down. The cops are on their way. You were so brave. I’m not sure whether to be proud or pissed off with you.” He hugged her, wrapping his big arms around her body.

She smiled against his chest. Her arms were pinned by her sides, preventing her from hugging him back. “Let’s go with proud. Who got stabbed?” Then she remembered. “Are you okay? Oh my God! Am I okay?” She wriggled free and reached for her side.

“A scratch. I checked. The knife barely nicked the surface.” He helped her lift the shirt, revealing a small scrape. “I’m fine too. Took a few punches, but no damage done. Still, that was way too close for comfort. I want you out of here. You never should have been here in the first place.”

“You’re right.” Beth took both of Benny’s hands and held them. “I don’t need to work here, and I should have accepted your help. When I saw that knife coming towards us I pushed Cliff, but I put you in the way. You shouldn’t have been exposed to all this shit. I am so sorry.” She brought his hands to her mouth and kissed them. His knuckles were red and swollen.

They stood in the middle of the room. The lights were on and people walked by them on their way out. Beth had a lot more she wanted to say. It wasn’t the right place, but she couldn’t wait another second. “Come here.”

“Where are we going?” Benny asked as she pulled him towards the back office.

The room was full of staff and Beth marched further down the hall towards the staff washroom. It was empty. She turned on the lights and waited for Benny to follow her in before bolting the door behind him.

“I love you!” The words came out in a rush of air. Her eyes fixed on his, seeking the strength she needed to get all her feelings off her chest. Beth grabbed a hold of his hands again. “I’ve always loved you. Never stopped, not even when I should have.”

“I love you too,” he said, making her tear up.

“This thing between us; it’s never going away. I don’t want it to end. I’ve been scared that you won’t fight for me or for us if hard times come. The problem with fear is that it causes people to do reckless things, like making their boyfriends break-up knife fights. You’ve proven yourself over and over.”

“I’ll keep proving myself to you; until you trust what we share is forever.”

She blew out a shaky breath. “I do trust you. Seeing you here, fighting for me, it reinforced what I’ve known all along. You’ve got my back no matter what.”

“Always,” he said, hugging her.

“I’ve got your back too. I love you so much.” She grabbed his neck and kissed him. Her tongue invaded his mouth.

He kissed her back. Hard. Pushing her back against the counter. Their bodies pressed together and his cock hardened.

“I want you right now.” Her fingers fought with the knot on her apron. “Make love to me.”

“Here?” His eyes widened, eyeing the dingy bathroom.

She dropped the apron by their feet and unzipped her pants. The tight pants weren’t as easy to remove as she was hoping, but they came off along with her panties, leaving her naked from the waist down. “Now. I don’t want to wait until we get home.” She undid his belt. “Once the cops get here, we won’t be able to leave for hours. I can’t wait that long.”

Benny closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. “This is not where I imagined making love for the first time after you’d said those words.”

“I love you. I don’t need a bed of roses. Just you. All I need is you.” Beth unzipped the fly on his slacks and pushed them over his hips, letting them fall to his ankles.

He cupped her ass cheeks with both hands, lifting her off the ground. “Wrap your legs around me and hold on.” He set her backside on the counter as she opened her legs and wrapped them around his waist.

Their lower bodies lined up. She ran her fingers through his curls as he wet the tip of his erection with her arousal. “I love you, Elizabeth,” he moaned as he pushed his cock deep inside.

“Oh… I love you, Benny,” she responded as he thrust again.

The edge of the sink dug into her ass, but she didn’t care. Beth pulled his hair and kissed him as he pounded into her. Each thrust broke another brick in the wall she’d been using to keep her distance. He slammed their bodies together until there was nothing left but love.

Her hand fisted in his hair as she came. She moaned into his mouth as he continued to pump his hips. The orgasm twisted its way through her as every inch of her tightened.

“I love the way you squeeze me like a vice when you come. Elizabeth, we’re only getting started,” he said as her legs loosened their grip and her body went lax. He pulled out, lifted her off the countertop and turned her to face the mirror. “Hold the counter and look at me in the mirror.”

She gripped the counter as he pushed back in. His eyes darkened to the color of cognac and she was mesmerized. He ground his pelvis against her ass, filling her completely. “Do you feel how much I love you?”

She felt every inch. The sound of skin slapping echoed in the small space. He moved faster and faster until she was seconds from another orgasm. He pressed harder, lifting her onto the tips of her toes as he reached her G-spot. “I feel it.” She clenched her muscles. “I love you!”

The words prompted her release and his. He covered her back with his front as he emptied himself inside her. His heavy breaths heated her neck, blowing her hair to the side of her face. A shroud of happiness dropped over her. Beth finally understood. It didn’t matter what city they were in or what they were doing as long as they were together.

Unfortunately, they weren’t in the right place to bask in their new love. Benny pulled out and his cream leaked down her leg. He bent over and kissed the bottom of her spine, running his hands over her ass cheeks. “I guess we should clean up and get out there.”

She reached over and grabbed tissues from the dispenser. She turned on the faucet, wetting them in the sink before handing them to Benny. “Would you mind? I don’t want to deal with the authorities twice in one week while I have sticky thighs.” Beth laughed.

Benny pulled up his pants and refastened his belt before he took the tissues. “I like when your smooth, perfect skin is sticky with my cum.” He dropped to his knees and cleaned between her legs, following the wet trail with kisses. Her body trembled when he neared her clit, but he was gentle. “You’re all set. Keep in mind, I plan on getting you dirty again. Soon.”

It was a promise she couldn’t wait to have delivered.

“I’ll look forward to it.” She straightened her stance. “I’m sorry I made you come out here tonight. We should have been out celebrating your win, not dodging fists and pointy objects.” Beth grabbed more tissue and cleaned the cut on her side.

The tiny incision had already stopped bleeding. Benny inspected it and kissed above the mark. “I want to be wherever you are. Although, I’d be happy to never set foot in this dump again.” He traced the outline of the cut with his finger. “You’ll need a tetanus shot. It’s better to be safe than sorry. We’ve got a physician I can call instead of waiting around at the hospital. If you’re all right accepting my help.”

“Fuck. I hate hospitals. Ever since Dad… both blood and hospitals give me the creeps.” She shivered and gripped his chin. “I’m done fighting you.”

Benny raised an eyebrow. Disbelief written all over his face. “What happened to teaching our kids you do everything on your own?” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“We’ll teach our kids to work hard and accept help when it’s offered. You’ve got money and connections. I’d be stupid not to let you help me. Call your doctor. Once we finish giving the police our statements, I want to take you to bed and not let you go until we absolutely have to. I want to tell you I love you a million times and show you exactly how much I appreciate this second chance we’ve been given.”

“St. Patrick’s Day is my new favorite holiday,” Benny exclaimed.

She smiled. “Why is that? Because you got lucky.” Beth picked up her pants and panties and got dressed.

Once she finished zipping them, Benny wrapped her in his arms. “That might be part of it. It’s mostly because we’re the luckiest people in the world to have found love once; lost it and found it again. After I tracked you down in this city, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to win you back. It would take a miracle to get you to love me again.”

Beth hugged him close. “It didn’t take a miracle for me to fall in love with you again.”

“No. It took a trade, a lot of exercises and the luck of the Irish.”

Her eyes locked on his. They both smiled before their lips joined again. There was so much love between them. It had grown from the past. Become stronger with the present. And had endless potential in the future.