“I can wait, especially if I can do a little of this.” He laid back down on top of me and started to kiss my neck again. We continued like this for at least an hour before we fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. He felt so warm and safe; I could sleep like this every night.

Chapter Twelve

I was woken the next morning by Dane’s warm kisses across my face. This was better than an alarm clock any day. “Good morning,” I whispered, curling into him.

“Good morning, Gorgeous. Did you sleep well?” I slept better than I had slept in forever.

“Yes, I had this amazing human blanket keeping me warm and cozy all night.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, halting his kisses. As he looked in my eyes, I felt something new inside of me. It was a feeling I had never felt towards a man before; it made butterflies multiply in my stomach, but at the same time scared me to death. Looking up at Dane, I realized I was falling for him; that realization caused me to freeze and panic.

The part of me that doubts everything made a sudden appearance. I saw my parent’s disappointed faces flash before me. I thought of the times I wasn’t enough. Dane didn’t tell me what to do or what I needed to change. He was lying here beside me, calling me Gorgeous, kissing me like he meant it and for once I felt complete. Dane was the half that makes me whole.

Dane lifted my chin, bringing my eyes back up to his, “Are you okay? You have a weird look on your face,” he said, brushing the hair out of my eyes with his free hand. The softness of his touch made me close my eyes and take a deep breath; he had a way of relaxing me.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something I have to do this morning before class. I should probably get going.” I needed time to think about what the feeling in my chest meant. “And I should probably change out of the clothes I wore last night.”

His face broke out in a smile. “Yeah, you don’t want anyone to know you just spent the night wrapped in your boyfriend’s arms.”

“Come on, time to get up,” I said, lightly smacking him on the shoulder.

He stood as I began to button my dress, pulling everything back into place. Fortunately, I’d worn my long pea coat which would help me cover the wrinkled state of my dress.

He reached for my hand, kissing my palm before wrapping his arms around me, pulling me in for a lingering kiss. We said our goodbyes and I had to hold back the words that wanted to escape my lips. I wanted to be honest and tell him that being with him scared me. My heart ached because I wanted to tell him everything about my parents and the conflict they caused within me. Most of all, I wanted to tell him he made me happy and made me feel things I’d never felt before. I was already broken, but he had the ability to break me into a million more pieces if I let myself fall for him.

Jade wasn’t in our room when I got back. She didn’t have class this early on Thursday so I could only assume that she didn’t come home last night. No surprise there. This happened a lot since she had started hanging out with Tyler.

I’d been stuck inside my own head since I left Dane’s apartment. What I felt this morning after waking up next to him terrified me. For one thing, it was too soon to feel this strongly about someone. This was not supposed to be happening and I let it. Was I ready for this?

I showered and dressed for class, not expecting Dane to come over with coffee; I had just left him an hour ago, but once again he surprised me. I was trying on the leather jacket he gave me when I heard the knock at the door and when I opened it, he noticed the jacket right away. “I knew it would look great on you. It looked great hanging in the store, but on you..there are no words,” he said, biting his lip and running his eyes down the length of my body.

“I love it. It’s not something I would have picked out for myself, but you have great taste.”

He walked closer to me. “I’ve never seen anything sexier than you in that jacket.” I blushed before reaching up to kiss him. We didn’t have Art class so most of the day would be spent apart. I was going to my much-hated medical classes while he was enjoying his other Art classes. Every day I spent with Dane increased my desire to follow my heart because I watched him follow his without reservations. I didn’t know if I’d ever act on my desires, but they were growing like a weed.

After a few minutes of kisses, I looked at the clock. “I have to get to class. Some hot guy had me wrapped up all night and I’m already running late.” I winked as I pulled my black ankle boots on over my jeans.

“Sorry, Gorgeous. Next time, I’m not letting you go,” he said with a sly grin on his face. He grabbed me for one more kiss.

“Is that a promise?” I asked, breathing heavier than normal. Within seconds, he was behind me, pressing against my back. I felt exactly what I did to him.

“You better be careful what you ask for,” he whispered, pushing against me one more time. “I may have to show you.” His voice was breathy and I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t aroused by what he was doing to me. I’d never been with someone so intense and didn’t realize how much it would turn me on.

I turned, trying my hardest to hide the blush on my face. I placed my finger over his lips. “Hold that thought. I have to go to class.” He eyes burned with desire as he turned to open the door for me. He certainly made things interesting and fun. I hoped it would stay that way when Gwen arrived on Saturday.

Gwen was in the city to meet her florist and we had made plans to have dinner. I was a little surprised when she suggested I bring Dane. I wanted them to meet, but I was nervous about it. If Gwen couldn’t accept him, there was no way my parents would accept him. I was happier than I had ever been in my life and I didn’t want anything to ruin it.

A knock at the door pulled me away from my thoughts. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was. As I opened the door, Dane pulled me in for a kiss with one hand while holding a carrier with two coffees in the other. He broke away long enough to whisper, “Good morning, Gorgeous”, against my lips before capturing them for one more kiss. If this was my future, I would be a very happy girl.

“Good morning. Thanks for the coffee,” I said, smiling up at him. I opened the door to let him in and watched as he took his usual seat on my bed. We hadn’t spent the night together since that one night; I think Dane knew that moving too fast scared me and had decided to give me my space. I appreciated how considerate he was, especially since I was pretty sure he was not used to being so patient. He continued to surprise me on a daily basis.

He watched me as I pulled my hair into a loose knot at the top of my head and applied makeup. I would have thought he’d be bored just watching me do this day after day, but he never complained. “Are you excited for Gwen to get here?”

“Yeah, I’m a little nervous though,” I said, honestly. We’d talked about this throughout the week. I told him my family was a little judgmental, but Gwen was the least evil of the three. If we could get through today, I would be one step closer to meshing my two lives. I never thought this was possible a month ago, but being with Dane changed me.

“Baby, it’ll be fine. I’ll be right there with you and I promise to be on my best behavior,” he said, taking a drink from his coffee cup.

I took a deep breath. “I know. You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“Quit saying that. I want to meet your family,” he said, grabbing my hand in his.

I sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“Wouldn’t miss it, especially if it’s the only time I’m going to see you this weekend.” He gave me a quick kiss. “You should come over on Sunday. I’ll cook you dinner.”

“You cook?” I raised an eyebrow.

“For you, Gorgeous, I can do anything.” How did this guy always know what to say? He could melt a thousand hearts with his words and he didn’t even realize it.

“Sounds like a plan. No hot dogs or macaroni and cheese, though.” He laughed.

“Don’t worry, you are worth at least a hamburger,” he winked. I replied by tickling him on both his sides until he was laughing uncontrollably. I knew from previous experience that this would drive him mad and he would be begging me to stop. It worked. “Okay, okay, steak? Pork chops? You name it, Baby, and it’s yours.” Yep, I had Dane Wright wrapped around my finger.

Dane left right after coffee to run a few errands and I went to the library to get a few hours of studying in before Gwen arrived. I had a hard time concentrating on my notes because I couldn’t stop thinking about tonight and how everything would play out. Would Gwen like Dane? Would she see what I saw in him? What if she hated him and ran right to Mom? I prayed she would see him through my eyes and give him the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully she would see how happy I was and give him credit for his part in that.

I finally gave up on my attempt to get some studying in and walked back to my dorm. It wouldn’t be much longer until Gwen was here. When I opened the door to our room, Jade was standing there in a tight black cocktail dress and four inch heels. “Wow, Jade, where are you guys going tonight?”

I invited Jade to have dinner with us, but she had said she had plans. I didn’t press her, but I thought her and Tyler were getting kind of serious. She seemed happy, but guarded, and I hoped he had good intentions. I didn’t want to see her heart broken.

She looked at me, a huge smile pulling at both sides of her mouth. “Tyler’s company is throwing a cocktail party at Keen tonight to celebrate the completion of a big project. He should be here any minute.” She was absolutely beaming and I knew that look; I’d seen it in the mirror numerous times over the past few weeks.

There was a soft knock at the door. Jade moved as fast as she could in her killer heels to open it, only to find Gwen standing there. The two had met before and while they got along, I doubted they would ever hit friend status; they were two very different people. “A little happy to see me, Jade?”