Finding Sunshine (24 page)

“I
know
you’re perfect for me.” Wrapping my arm tightly around her body, I pull her in closer and give in to the temptation to steal a kiss. I take the time to memorize ever second
—
the softness of her lips, the gentle caress of her breath and the sweetness of her taste—as if it was my last chance.

“Do you know why I call you Sunshine?” I ask, watching as her brow furrows and she shakes her head no. “Because, before you, I’d been under a dark cloud. But the moment you smiled at me that first time, it felt like there was suddenly sunshine back in my life. Meeting you, falling in love with you, made me want to move on from the past, and to finally start
living
again.”

“
You love me
?” she whispers, her eyes wide with wonder.

“Of course I do.” I take my hand off her back to cup her face and caress her cheek gently as I speak the truth.

“Nina. You’re everything to me. Why do you think I was so scared to let you in—to let you see all of me? I’ve been terrified of losing you. Please.” I take a deep breath and move my hand into her hair. “
Please
tell me I haven’t lost my sunshine.”

“I’m right here,” she whispers, resting our foreheads together and wrapping her arm tightly around me. I squeeze her tightly and release the breath I’ve been holding in.

Pulling away, her eyes blaze as she states, “But for us to work, I
need
you to let me in. I need you to trust me. I won’t accept you lying to me, even by omission.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know—
anything
,” I state earnestly, kissing her gently and rubbing our noses together.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

“What do you want to know?” I roll onto my back, pulling her with me, and then letting, go I cover my eyes with my arm. Hiding from the past.

“Everything,” she says, wrapping her arm around my waist and resting her head comfortably on my chest.

Where do I begin?

“I never told you how my parents died.” I begin, taking a deep breath, and wrapping my arms around her.

“Don’t be mad at her, but Sarah told me when I asked.”

“
So you know I found them
.” I say, barely able to whisper the words as my throat tightens painfully.

“Yes,” she says kissing the underside of my jaw and running her hand along my chest. At her gentle touch, I let out a stuttering breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“What Sarah and I didn’t know was they were behind on the second mortgage on the house. It was close to being foreclosed on. It would’ve been fine, since they both had life insurance policies. But then the fuckin’ insurance company started stalling, wanting to investigate their deaths.”

“Why?” Nina rests her chin on my chest and looks up at me in shock.

“They tried to say that my parents committed suicide.”

“
What
?”

“Yeah, because they were so far in debt. Credit cards, too. The insurance company wasn’t going to pay us, and we were going to lose the house. It was our
home
. I couldn’t let it go.” I pause and take a fortifying breath before continuing, “So I started dealing drugs. It was quick cash, and it allowed us to pay the mortgage and support ourselves.”

“That’s why you were in pr-prison?” she asks, stumbling over the words.

“Yes. I got caught, and it all went to shit.” I say, pulling her in closer and running my hands along her back
,
comforting myself in her presence
.
“We ended up winning the insurance claim and got the money. Paid off the house. Hired me a decent lawyer. I still got five years, but since it was my first offense, I only ended up serving two.”

We lay there in silence, neither of us knowing what to say next. I comfort myself in the fact that she’s at least still contentedly wrapped in my arms.

“It’s where I learned how to train dogs.” I finally say, offering another truth I know she’s been wondering about for months. “A space unexpectedly opened up, and the warden offered me a spot in their puppy rehabilitation program.”

“You love doing that,” she comments softly.

“Yeah, I do.”

“An opportunity came around, and you took it,” she mumbles the words I had said to her more than once before into my chest.

“Yeah. It was pretty great. I got assigned a puppy, Bella, and we got moved to our own cell. We spent every moment together. She was the sweetest little thing. I still miss her.” I pause in telling the story, waiting—wanting to know if Nina is interested—if she
cares
to hear more.

“What were you training her for?” Nina finally asks.

“These were companion dogs for soldiers coming back from warzones with PTSD. We taught them over eighty different commands. Including how to salute.”

“I’ve read about those programs,” she says, and then sighs into my chest, “I guess, some things happen for a reason.”

“Yeah.” I lean down, kiss the top of her head, and pull her tighter into my arms.

“There’s something else I need to tell you,” I admit, deciding that this would be the best time to mention Vermont. I hadn’t meant to keep the job offer from her, but she might not see it that way if I wait any longer to tell her.

I want to take the opportunity and start over with my Nina.

“What is it?” she asks warily. Pulling away, I can see pain filtering into her eyes.

“Do you remember those guys from Vermont that came to the club a while back? One was a priest.”

“How could I forget?” she says, still looking at me critically, though trying to fight a giggle.

“I ran into Franklin today.”

“Which one was he?”

“The guy with the glasses,” I answer, and she nods her head in recognition, a slight scowl still on her face.

“I ran into him after I left your apartment, and he took me out for a Fribble.
”

“You two went to
Friendly’s
?” She lets herself go at that, releasing her gentle giggle.

“Yeah.” I chuckle. “He’d offered me a job that night at the club, managing his family’s new pub, and wanted to know if I was interested in meeting with his father. It’s an amazing opportunity, and with my record, I may never find another one like this again.”

“Do they—you know—
know
.”

“That I’ve been in prison? Yes. The family first made their money bootlegging during Prohibition. Although they aren’t in the drug trade—and are against it—they aren’t averse to breaking a few laws for a good cause.”

“Then what’s the problem? Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks, her scowl returning.

“It’s in Vermont.” I state plainly, cupping her face and gently stroking her cheek.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. And I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“You’d want me to come with you?”

“Of course.” I pull her down for a quick breath-arresting kiss. “But how could I ask you pick up and move away with me, when you didn’t know all of me? Don’t say anything now, but just think about it, okay?”

“Okay. Is there anything else you’ve lied about?” she asks, her eyes boring into mine, as if seeking out the truth.

“I don’t like asparagus. I actually kind of hate it,” I say, with a tentative grin.

“But you love them when I make them for you,” she insists.

“No. I sneak them to Russell when you’re not looking,” I admit sheepishly.

“What!”

“Sorry. You were just so excited to be cooking for me the first time, I didn’t have the heart to tell you that even the smell was making me gag,” I tell her, pulling her back down for a quick kiss. “I’m sure you’ve lied to me, too.”

“What? No, I’ve never lied to you,” she argues, pulling away from me.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Our first date doesn’t ring any bells?”

“You never asked if I could skate. So I didn’t lie, I just withheld information,” she states superiorly. Several emotions flit across her ever-expressive face before she insists, “What you did was not the same thing.”

“No, it wasn’t,” I agree whole-heartedly. “But can you see how I never meant to lie to you? I truly intended to tell you the whole story. There were so many times I wanted to, but I
literally
couldn’t find the words.”

“I wouldn’t have judged you for your past.” Her words are pained.

“I know, Sunshine.” I kiss her lightly. “Please say you forgive me. For
everything
.”

“I do. I love you, Aaron.” She gives me a glassy-eyed smile, full of emotion.

Fuck. My Nina loves me!

“Really, Sunshine?” I ask, flipping her over onto her back and tasting her lips hungrily. “Fuck. I love you so much.”

Reaching up and tucking my hair behind my ears, she whispers, “I love you, that’s why I’m hurt.”

“Say it again.”

“I love you, Aaron.”

“
Again.
”

“I love you!” she practically shouts. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulls me down to pepper my face with enthusiastic kisses. “Do you love me?”

“Yes!” I exclaim, before moving down and whispering against her lips, “
And I’m going to spend all night proving it to you
.”

Gently pushing me away, Nina sits up. I watch as she tosses the t-shirt she had been holding over the side of the bed. It was then that I notice for the first time what she’s wearing. Her body is dwarfed in another one of my shirts, and an old pair of sweatpants, which are rolled at the waist.

“
Leave it on
,” I whisper hoarsely, when she reaches to take off the t-shirt. Sitting up, I quickly shuck off my own shirt before pushing her back down onto the bed. I fall between her thighs, covering her small body with my large one.

She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down into a greedy kiss, biting, sucking, and tasting my lips. Her nails scratch the back of my neck, sending sparks through my body. I pull away to bury my face into her neck and breathe in her sweetness. I relish in her soft moans, as I leave a trail of wet, sucking kisses down the column of her neck.

Running my hand along her curves, I palm her breast through the worn t-shirt, thumbing the already erect nipple. Nina bucks against me and moans loudly as I suck it hungrily into my mouth.

I hear a whine in protest as I move down her body, nuzzling her stomach along the way.

“These have got to go,” I murmur, tugging on the waistband of the sweatpants with my teeth. Nina giggles, and putting her hands on her hips, wiggles and begins helping me push them down.

The sweet scent of her excitement suddenly hits me, and kneeling, I quickly tear off her pants. It is then that I notice she’s completely bare underneath. My pulse quickens
.
Grabbing her ankles, I throw them over my shoulders, drop back onto my elbows, and slide my palms under her gorgeous ass.

“Aaron,” she pants, as I leave a path of kisses along her thighs, hips, and stomach. “Please.”

“Please, what?” I ask, nipping and sucking on her inner thigh, leaving my mark.

“I need your mouth on me,” she growls, digging her heels into my shoulders and tilting her pussy up towards my face.

“I love the way you taste,” I breathe. Rimming her pussy with my tongue, I tease her as I sample her juices.

She moans appreciatively.

“I also love the way you smell.” I nuzzle her pussy, flicking her swollen clit with my nose.

“More,” she moans, as her fingers tighten in my hair and her hips begin to rock in my hand.

“And I love the way you feel.” I knead her ass roughly as I begin to devour her sweetness more intently.

I listen as her breathing becomes labored the closer she gets to climax. She moves against me greedily—
wildly
—seeking release. Taking one hand out from underneath her, I plunge two fingers into her soaking wet pussy as I flick her clit with my tongue.

“Aaron,” she gasps. Her fingers tighten in my hair as her body begins to roll into her orgasm. I feast on her cream, prolonging her shuddering release.

“Most of all, I love listening to you come,” I whisper against her pussy. I move up her body, pressing my hardness into her. “Basically, I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she says still breathing hard.

She lifts her shapely legs and wraps them around my waist, as she simultaneously places her arms around my neck, pulling me in closer. Nuzzling my neck and running her hands along my side, my Nina sends shocks of pleasure through my body with her fingernails. I need her—I need
more
.

“I need you,” she begs, moving her hand to cup my already aching cock. I shudder as she rubs me firmly through my jeans, teasing me.