I grab hold of her hand but hesitate. “So, we’re doing this?”
“We’re doing this,” she says hoarsely. “I assume you’re still clean.”
I flip her on her back, step out of my jeans, and hover over her. “I’ve never looked at another girl since you. Never wanted another girl since meeting you.”
With a deftness of which we are acquainted, I’m inside her and making love to every inch of her body, feeding greedily on her passion while giving all I have to give in return.
Her moans build, enticing me to drive my cock deeper, filling every inch until she loses control, and her eyes glaze over. I dip my head and kiss her lips. Ride her to another orgasm, and the moment my name sounds from her lips, I come with force, collapsing on her curves.
Out of breath, I murmur, “I love you, Macy.”
Her lips caress my cheek until they make their way to the lobe of my ear. “I love you, too.”
Two hours later, we’re eating prawns and lobster at a Glenelg restaurant, an area fondly known to the locals as The Bay.
“Gah, I hate the smell of my fingers after peeling prawns.”
I chuckle. “It’s a smell I quite like.” I wink at her. “So, toss me yours to shell.”
“Gladly.” She watches as I peel each crustacean, dip it in the sauce, and place it in her mouth.
“It’s… easy.” I hold her gaze.
“Yeah, well, I don’t like doing it.” She opens her plump lips, and I lean across the table and plant a kiss on her lips before giving up the prawn.
“I’m referring to you and me. We’re a good fit despite being apart for weeks.”
She tilts her head to the side. “I know.”
“One night. It’s what you asked.”
Her brow pulls tight. “I did.”
“What now?”
She picks up the glass of Mojito, toys the straw with her tongue before her plump lips close, and she sucks. Damn, she is sexy. She finishes the cocktail and sets the glass down, then meets my gaze. “What do you want? A day or two? A month… year?”
“It’s not up to me.”
“It is up to you.” She sits back in her chair and glances sideways after raising her voice a notch. “Do you want to be with me?”
“I want nothing more than to be with you every day for the rest of my life. Only it’s not so easy. Or fair. And I don’t want to get into an argument with you here about how much I love you.”
“So, what? We write on the napkins and pass them to each other?”
I fold my arms. “That’s not even funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. I asked you a question. It’s a simple yes or no.”
“Simple?” I raise my brow. “If so, we wouldn’t be discussing it now.”
“Exactly, because there shouldn’t be anything to discuss. Yes or no?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, Macy. It’s always been yes.”
She removes the napkin from her lap and places it on her plate before standing.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“We haven’t finished eating.”
“I’m leaving enough room for dessert. It’s all about balance. Life’s about balance.”
“So, where are you thinking for dessert?”
She walks around the table and stands up on her toes, so her lips are near my ear. “Your place or mine?”
Standing on the balcony, I finish the glass of water and place it on the table. Moonlight flickers across a dark ocean, and circles of light dance in an attempt not to be swallowed up by midnight water. It’s here I find answers, although tonight I’m rethinking some things.
I promised her a couple of months to see where we lead as a couple. It’s enough time for me to make some medical appointments and for Macy to be sure. I’m not allowing to her to rush into this decision lightly. What’s bothering me is asking her to leave her father, and I also want to believe we have a future together in Melbourne.
Out here, with every new thought, I’m wondering if Melbourne is where I truly belong. I close the sliding door and head back into my bedroom, to my bed where Macy’s sleeping.
“Are you okay?” she whispers, the moment I climb in beside her.
“I am now.” I kiss her forehead.
“Now?” She lifts her head.
Pulling her into my arms, I hold her knowing this is how I want to spend my nights. “Yeah, I just realised something.”
“What?”
“I really like Adelaide because you’re here. And if the club offers me a viable contract, I guess I’m not going anywhere.”
She pushes up to her elbow. “You’d do that for me?”
I ease her over my body, so she’s lying on top of me. “I love you… and want to be with you.”
“You know over the past couple of weeks I’ve thought about Melbourne and getting a job there, starting a fresh new life. Dad and Bernadette can visit me anytime, and I could come home in between visits.”
“You’ve thought about moving?”
She nuzzles my cheek with her nose. “Uh-huh,” she says sleepily.
“Jesus, why did we waste those weeks apart?”
“So, you could write me love notes.”
Epilogue
MACY
Eight Months Later
Oliver places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry to see you go. If you ever decide to come back to Adelaide, you’ll always have a job here at Lombardi’s.”
“Thank you,” I croak. “I really appreciate you saying so. But we have a few hours until we close, so don’t say anything else to make my mascara run.”
“What time are Reef’s friends coming for your farewell?”
“Most are travelling before preseason training commences or with families if they live interstate. So, I think maybe four teammates, Georgia, my dad, and Bernadette, and the Lombardi staff, so not many.”
“Enough for the drinks to be on me.” He smiles when I throw my arms around his narrow waist.
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
He chuckles. “I’ll head out back and check Dominic has appetisers ready to go.
“Oliver…”
He turns and waits.
“I want to ask about Harry…” I know Oliver well enough he won’t make the situation rosy for me.
He gives me a nod. “I’ve always trusted your judgement. When you said Harry is a reliable worker, I didn’t doubt you. And he is. He does everything we ask of him. As a matter of fact, I’ll be offering him more hours.”
I can hardly contain my excitement. “I’m so thankful Harry is going to be okay.”
After Reef and I rekindled our relationship, I wanted to show him I was not the same person, so I started working at the shelter on the nights he trained and when Dad stayed at Bernadette’s. Sponsorships were being sought to help suitable homeless persons get back into the workforce. I managed to secure barista training, along with some hospitality training, and then approached Oliver to sponsor Harry. He’s been working two days a week for three hours a day for over a month to adapt, staying at the shelter and not on the streets.