Never Giving Up (Never #3)(3)
“Don’t let Kyle and what he did make you miserable, Kalli. Don’t give him that kind of control. He doesn’t deserve it,” I stated, wishing she’d do more than listen, wishing she’d hear me. She nodded her head and let out a sigh. Then I watched as she plastered on a fake smile for my benefit.
“How’s Megan holding up? Only four months until the wedding. Has she become a bridezilla yet?”
“No, I think she is starting to see the appeal of doing it the way Porter and I did though.”
“You mean eloping?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I think she’s getting bogged down by details and just wants to be married.” I shrugged. “It’ll be beautiful and over before she knows it.”
“Why did you and Porter elope?”
I thought about the question, trying to put together a good answer for her. “I guess, after everything that happened, we just wanted to be together. After a few months of trying to plan a traditional wedding, thinking about guest lists and table settings, all stuff that didn’t really matter to either of us, we just wanted to skip the planning and start the marriage.”
“Well, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” she said with a grin. “Married life suits you.”
“Porter suits me.” I couldn’t help but smile. I remember what life was like without him and I never wanted to be that person again. The idea that I could have gone my whole life without experiencing the way he made me feel was depressing. Everyone deserved to have someone love them the way Porter loved me. His love was transcendent. It lifted me up in so many ways. I would gladly spend the rest of my life trying to make him feel even a small semblance of how he made me feel. It was the least I could do.
“So, you’ll be there tomorrow to try on dresses?” Kalli asked hopefully.
“I’ll be there. It’ll be fantastic.”
That evening when I walked into our rental house in Salem, I didn’t see Porter in the living room so I called out to him, “Babe, you home?”
“I’m in the bedroom,” he responded. I set my purse and bags down on the kitchen table and walked back to the bedroom.
The house was small. Much smaller than I would have ever wanted, but it was only a rental while our house was being completed, so I knew I could deal with it in the meantime. It had been a struggle to find another house that was available so quickly. I never could return to the first house we rented in Salem, never could bring myself to walk back into the house where Kyle abducted me. No one blamed me and Porter didn’t want to go in that house either. We found another house to rent, albeit smaller, until ours was built and move-in ready.
“Hey, you,” I said as I leaned up against the doorframe of the bedroom. I wanted to take a picture of him as he was sprawled out on the bed in my most favorite of Porter pastimes: lying in bed, in his pajamas, reading. Nothing sexier than a relaxed Porter reading a book. Well, there were a few sexier sides of Porter.
“Hey, Babe. How was the rest of your day?” He asked as he laid the book down on his chest, pages opened up against him, saving his place.
“It was good. I had lunch with Kalli and then just worked on the merchandise at the store for a little while. By the way,” I said as I walked to the dresser in the corner of the room, unbuttoning my jeans as I walked. “I’ll probably be a little late tomorrow evening. I am going to Portland to do some dress shopping.” I watched his eyes follow my movements as I pushed the pants down my legs, taking care to bend at the waist, carefully aiming my bottom at him, knowing he’d enjoy it.
“I was planning on working in Lincoln City tomorrow, so maybe I’ll stay a little later and have dinner with my mom.”
I smiled at him. Not only did I love his mother, Tilly, but the idea that he thought of her and went out of his way to spend time with her made my heart melt a little. I grabbed the hem of my shirt and slowly pulled it over my head. I watched as he swallowed hard, his eyes raking me over as I stood at the foot of our bed in just my bra and panties. He picked his book up and closed it, laying it on his bedside table.
“Good book?” I asked him innocently.
“Huh?” He asked, confused.
“The book you just put down, is it a good book?”
He looked over at the nightstand and then back to me. “I don’t want to talk about books right now,” he said, his voice becoming low and sexy. He crawled forward on the bed towards me, making me giggle. When he reached the edge of the bed, he sat up on his knees and I reached forward, pulling his tee shirt up. He had to help me by pulling it over his head, but that gave me the opportunity to place my hands on his fantastic body.
“I should have held out for a sexier husband,” I said, trying to keep a straight face as I splayed my hands over his pectoral muscles, sliding them up and over his glorious shoulders and biceps.
“Oh, you’ve got jokes, Mrs. Masters?” Hearing him use my married name did more for me sexually than I thought he could ever comprehend. I loved that our name bound us together, that he gave me something so sacred to him—the name his father gave him. I took his name willingly and thankfully. I loved being Mrs. Masters. “Jokes on you, I think. I got the better end of this deal,” he said as he grabbed my ass. He pulled my body into his as he peered into my eyes, our foreheads gently meeting. I felt his erection pressing into my belly, his obvious need for me making my own insides burn intensely.