Chapter 14

 

 

Paige stretched out her limbs, the morning sun shining through the room and bathing her in bright light before she looked out the window.

The sounds from the open window of the rolling ocean waves tossing along the surf were calming. She smiled, snuggling down into the blankets, the warmth a comfort against the cool breeze carrying through the window.

Her eyes closed, blocking out the sights as a contented sigh escaped her. For the first time in her life, she made decisions for her and she was happy in her choices.

"Paige?"

Paige looked at her friends standing at the end of the hall before they slowly made their way to her. She knew she had to choose. She turned her head, looking back at Simon and the questioning look still in his eyes. He stared down at her and her heart leapt with the possibilities.

"Paige, they're serving; we need to get back inside," Heather said as the group came to a stop.

Paige looked back over at them, their gazes flickering between her and Simon and she had never felt more alone than at that moment. She was torn. Would her friends hate her if she left with him? Would she ever see him again if she didn't?

She took too long to decide.

One minute, she was staring up into clear blue eyes that held so much promise, the next she was watching him walk away. A man, that in two days made her feel alive. A man that made her body burn and beg for more. A man who she knew would never purposely hurt her.

She watched him leave, the scene almost playing in slow motion as the door closed behind him… the voices of her friends a dull thud in her head. She was frozen in place, her mind going in ten different directions at once.

"Come on Paige, our dinner is getting cold," Amy said, smiling as she turned and started down the hall.

The roar of his motorcycle echoed in her head when a light touch on her arm finally snapped her attention back to her friends. Megan was still there and the reassuring smile she always got from her best friend calmed her slightly.

"So, what's it going to be?" Megan asked, "It's your choice you know."

Paige glanced at the others as they slowly trickled back down the hall towards the dining hall before she looked out the windows. "What if it goes bad?"

"What if it doesn't?"

Paige looked back at Megan, a tiny smile forming on her lips. "I really love you Meg, you know that, right?"

"I know, Paige."

Paige's eyes opened when the alarm on the clock began to play. She reached over, switching it off before her attention fell back to the view outside. She sighed, closing her eyes briefly before throwing the covers back and crawling from the bed. She walked to the window and shut it, cutting off the chilling air blowing through. She stared out at the ocean, the blue water bringing another smile to her face when it reminded her of him.

Turning, her smile lingered as she walked back to the bed, crawled under the covers and snuggled in.

"Whose turn is it?"

Paige pulled the blankets up higher around her neck before her eyes snapped opened when they were jerked away. "Yours," she giggled.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran through the parking lot. The loud roar of his motorcycle drowning out her voice as she called his name.

"Okay. Let's see. How about… your biggest regret."

"Now or then?" she asked.

"Then."

The loud blaring sound of a car horn startled her as she ran out between the parked cars, the driver slamming on his breaks just as she stopped and looked at him. Her already pounding heart quickening its pace when she realized what had nearly just happened.

She turned quickly, once again running toward the street, watching Simon pull away without even glancing back. She felt like her world was crumbling right before her eyes.

Paige turned, lying on her back before closing her eyes and thinking. A slow smile played across her lips before she opened them. "Probably me listening to your brother when he told me to never call back."

"My brother?"

"Yeah," Paige said closing her eyes. "He wasn't very nice about it either."

Paige screamed his name when she finally stopped running and made it to the road. She watched him drive out of sight, her heart sinking in her chest. Her eyes closed briefly before she finally turned, walking slowly back toward the building where her friends were all waiting.

"When was this?"

"You know that's very distracting," Paige said as slow wet kisses were placed on her neck.

"Your point?"

A light giggle escaped her as the kisses began to rain over her collarbone, the light sweep of his tongue darting out and tasting her skin. "My point is, I can't think clearly when you're doing that." She moaned when he found his way to her breast.

"Too bad," he said smiling, his tongue flicking out, teasing her nipple before his eyes lifted to her face. "Now, what's this about my brother?"

Paige took a deep breath, her hand on the door handle, trying to compose herself before facing everyone in that room again.

She pulled the door open; her friends were all whispering and waiting just down the hall as she looked at them. She sighed heavily, pulling a fake smile onto her face before her body went numb.

Walking in, the door slowly closed behind her and her eyes widened when she heard it.

"Well, I called and he told me to not ever call back."

"You called my house?" he asked surprised, lifting his head.

"Yeah."

Turning slowly, Paige looked out the windows on the door, the fake smile on her face turning into a true smile, as the roar of his motorcycle echoed off the building.

She looked back at her friends, smiling at them before turning back to the door and opening it and walking back outside.

"I made it three blocks before I realized what I had done."

"And what was that?" Paige asked, walking over to him.

"I walked away without a fight. I haven't done that in years," he told her grinning.

Paige smiled as she stopped beside him. "Do you always win?"

"Yes." Simon said looking up at her.

"Really?" she asked, raising her arm and touching his cheek with her hand.

"Yeah, I'm kind of used to getting my way," he told her, leaning into her hand as it cupped his cheek. "I get a little cranky when I don't."

"And what do you want now?"

"The same thing I've always wanted, Paige. You."

"I don't ever remember you calling my house."

"It was two nights before prom," Paige told him smiling slightly.

"He never told me you called."

"Figured as much."

"Well, why is that a regret?"

Paige raised her hand, running it through the short tussled curls on his head before looking up at him. "Because, I never got to tell you."

"Tell me what?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"I never got to tell you, that I'd love to be your date for the prom."

Simon let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in as he stared down at her.

Ten years had passed since then and the memory of that day was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. As much as he hated to admit it, it still hurt.

"You ran out of the room so fast that day, I never got a chance to answer you," Paige said smiling. "And after school, I tried to tell you, but you walked away," she said quietly, her hand lowering to cup his cheek. "I ended up going with Lance, only after Heather said she'd drag me there kicking and screaming if I didn't. I've never been so humiliated as I was that night. There wasn't a person there who didn't know what he'd done to me, and I looked like the biggest fool in the world, walking around with him on my arm. The worst past was, the whole time I was there, I was wishing I was with you."

Simon's eyes closed, his jaw twitching slightly as he ran her words through his head. "You really wanted to go?"

"Yes. I was tired of being everyone's Stepford friend and wanted to do something for me, just once, before I graduated. I refused to go, especially with Lance. I kept waiting for you to talk to me or to just even look at me. When you didn't, I tried calling you, to see if… to see if you still wanted to go to Prom with me, but Michael told me you weren't there and to never call back, so I didn't. I just figured you hated me by that point, so I didn't even try again."

"I could never hate you," Simon told her as he laid his forehead against hers. "I love you. I have from the moment I saw you."

"I know," Paige said smiling as she leaned up and kissed him.

It felt better than anything she had ever felt. Free to make her own decisions, free from the guilt of what her friends would think. With the wind whipping around her face, Paige's arms wrapped tighter around Simon's waist as they headed back to L.A. on his bike and she knew she'd made the right decision.

It had been an easy choice to make once she realized he was right. Her friends didn't live her life. They wouldn't be there day in and day out to help her cope with the everyday things she faced. She made her own choices daily. Why, just because they were here, could she not make them now?

She wondered why she hadn't ever done it before. The looks on her friends' faces were filled with surprise, but when she tossed her car keys to Megan and seated herself behind Simon, they were smiling. Would it have been that easy all along? Could she have told them no all those years ago and it still have worked out okay?

Paige held Simon to her as the kiss deepened. A month had passed since the reunion and there hadn't been a day since, they hadn't been together. She'd almost given up on her apartment all together as his beach house felt more like home.

They spent most of their time together talking or walking along the beach or their favorite pastime, exploring each other and learning what pleased them. Paige wondered daily what it would have been like over the last ten years if she had been strong enough to stand up for herself and admit that she had always sort of liked him when they were in school. Would he have been like he is now, or had he needed time to discover himself as she had?

She didn't know the answer but she saw him differently now. She saw him for who he was, not what her friends thought he was. And she liked what she saw. She saw a man who loved her completely. A man who would probably take his last breath loving her and the thought warmed her to the bone. Simon loved her, he always did, and she was glad.

Paige's eyes opened when Simon broke the kiss. She smiled up at him when his hand slipped down her body to her leg, moving it aside to allow himself room to settle between them. She was constantly amazed at how the slightest touches sent her body into a rush of tingles. One soft touch of his lips across her skin and she was completely swept away.

He had become a constant fixture in her life over the last month and she knew she'd be miserable if he were no longer there.

She felt him enter her and their eyes locked. Limbs entangled and emotions poured out through light touches and soft kisses. No matter how many times they came together, it always felt like the first time. Whether it was fast and hard or slow and passionate like now, it was always like finding their way home.

Simon lowered his head, kissing her before slowly grinding his hips into hers. He had one hand tangled in her hair while the other was wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. A small moan escaped her throat when his tongue slipped between her lips.

As the rhythm of Simon's thrusts increased, Paige's nails bit into his back and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her eyes opened, staring up at him and she felt the fluttering in her stomach as her release neared. Simon's grip around her waist tightened, his hips rocking against her in a steady but urgent rhythm.

Paige leaned up, kissing him as her body began to hum with electricity, the friction between them increasing until she pulled away with a gasp as her body began to tremble.

Simon's head lowered to her shoulder when he felt her muscles clench around him before she let out a small scream, her body trembling beneath him. His own release quickly became apparent, his thrusts increased, his hips pushing against her before his world slowly exploded around him.

Paige lay breathless, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him as he lay on top of her. Her hot breath tickled his neck as he tried to regain hold of his erratic breathing while their bodies calmed. A small sigh escaped her as she held him to her and leaned in, placing a small kiss on his shoulder.

"You know, you just keep getting better and better at that," Paige said, breathing in deeply.

Simon chuckled against her neck before raising his head. "Well, I aim to please, Ms. Foster," he told her before stealing a quick kiss from her.

"Do you now?" Paige asked raising an eyebrow, "Cause if you really want to please me, you can skip out of work tonight and every other night for that matter."

"Here we go again," Simon said laughing before moving to lie beside her. "You know, I still can't for the life of me figure out why me working at the club is such an issue now, when I distinctly remember a certain gorgeous blonde, namely you, checking me out there not more than a month ago."

"Well, that's different," Paige said, before rolling to her side so she could see him. "Me gawking at you is different than others gawking at you."

Simon looked up at her when she rose up on her elbow and looked down at him. "I'll tell you what. When I finish paying off the beach house, I'll quit."

"Really?" Paige asked excitedly, her smile huge as she stared down at him.

"Really," Simon said smiling back at her.

Paige giggled before kissing him hard and laying her head on his chest. "So, how long till the house is paid for?" she asked, tracing circles around his stomach with her finger.

"Twenty-eight years."

Paige's head shot up, her eyes and mouth wide and she stared down at him before he laughed and tackled her onto her back.

"What? I've only had the place a few years. I don't make that much money, you know."

He knew he should tell her he had already put in his notice, but just watching her pout about it daily gave his ego a boost he'd never get tired of. Just knowing she wanted him all to herself was enough for him to keep the information to himself.

"You really aren't funny," Paige said pouting up at him.

"Yes I am," Simon said, lowering his head.

"Are not," Paige said finally smiling.

"Are too,"

Paige giggled when he kissed her, his hand grabbing at her side as his fingers dug into her flesh. "Stop!" she yelled, laughing as he tickled her before she started tickling him back, sending them both into a fit of giggles. They finally both released their hold on each other.

"What am I going to do with you?" Paige asked as they both lay panting for breath.

Simon looked down at her, his eyes softening as he said, "Love me forever."

Paige smiled before saying, "I don't think that will ever be a problem, Colin."

He smiled down at her when she said his name and knew she meant what she said. He could see it in her eyes. He stared at her as she raised her head and their lips finally made contact. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think his fantasies of having a life with her would ever come true, but here he was. He held heaven in the palm of his hands and his entire world existed in the eyes of an angel.

 

 

The End

 

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About the Author:

 

LILY GRAISON resides in North Carolina, a stones throw away from the Blue Ridge Mountains and a few hours from the Outer Banks. First published in 2005, her debut novel won a Reviewers Choice Award. Writing mainly in the contemporary romance genre, Lily also dabbles in erotica, paranormals and occasionally in a fantasy realm of her own making. Her love of adventure, and a very active imagination, take Lily to worlds she can only imagine.

 

Visit Lily' on the Web.

 

Website: http://lilygraison.com

 

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