“Are you saying I’m not a Prince?” He smiled, slowly.

“I’m saying you’re better than a Prince. I’m saying you’re my best friend, my everything. You’ve been the sunshine sitting in my pocket while I’ve been waiting for the rain to stop.”

“I like being the sunshine in your pocket.”

“I like you liking that.”

“I like you liking me like that.”

“I like that you’re a goof.” I laughed and he leaned over and kissed my nose.

“I like that I can lean over and kiss your nose now.”

“You always kiss my nose.”

“But I didn’t do this afterwards.” Luke reached over to kiss me and rolled me over so that he was lying on top of me. His arms were splayed to the side of me so that he wasn’t resting all of his weight on me. He leaned down and kissed me again and, this time, he rested his chest against me. I put my arms around him and he played with my hair as he kissed me. His lips left my mine and trailed down my neck. I felt his tongue against my skin and I squirmed against him.

“Luke,” I giggled, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but extremely happy.

“Yes, my love.”

I don’t know…” My words cut off as I felt his tongue run over my breast. Even though I still had on my top and bra, I felt the tip of his tongue against me. “Oh Luke.”

“Can I take off your top, Lexi?” He looked into my eyes again and I nodded. He pulled my top off and I lifted my arms up so he could get it all the way off. “You’re beautiful, Lexi.”

“Ssh,” I laughed, shaking my head.

“Your br**sts fit the palms of my hands perfectly.” He grinned as he cupped my br**sts through the bra. His finger slipped up into my bra and I squealed as he pinched me.

“What are you doing?” I breathed in shock, barely believing he had just touched me there.

“Do you trust me, Lexi?”

“With my life,” I nodded.

“Do you love me?” He whispered, hopefully. He was on top of me, looking into my eyes, keenly, with a scared concern on his face.

“I love you with all my heart and soul, Luke Bryan.”

“Oh Lexi.” He burst into a huge grin and showered kisses all over my chest. “You don’t know how I’ve longed to hear you say those words.”

“Oh you have, have you?”

“Yes.” He leaned down and stroked the hair away from my face. “I want you to know something.”

“Uh oh,” I groaned. “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” he sighed. “I need you to know something.”

“What? You’re killing me here, Luke.”

“I never slept with Briget,” he mumbled.

“What?” I frowned. “You what?”

“I never slept with Briget.”

“But I always saw you guys kissing and stuff.”

“Well, yeah we kissed,” he laughed. “But we never had sex.”

“Why not?”

“I was hoping you’d come around.” He blushed.

“What!” I screamed and pushed him off of me. “Are you joking?” I was now sitting on top of him.

“No. I just wanted you to be my first.”

“Luke!”

“I mean, it’s not like we didn’t do stuff. We got na**d and fooled around but…”

I groaned. “I don’t want to hear about you and Briget. Yuck.”

“Oh, Lexi.” He laughed.

“I can’t believe you’re a virgin.”

“Do you remember when we were sixteen and you said that you thought it would be the most romantic thing in the world for two people in love to be each other’s firsts?”

“I was sixteen, Luke,” I sighed. “I can’t believe this.”

“Are you upset?” He frowned at me. “I’m pretty sure I can still pleasure you, Lexi. I have developed my skills and seen enough movies.”

“Are you talking about pornos, Luke?” I laughed. “Those are not movies.”

“They’re sex movies.” He laughed and he adjusted his body.

“Luke,” I squealed and moaned slightly as I felt him move under me.

“What?” He held my h*ps and stared up at me. “I like you sitting here like this, Lexi.”

“I’m sure you do.” I laughed and then bit my lip. “There’s something else I need to tell you, Luke.”

“Go on.”

“It’s about what you just told me and Bryce…” I mumbled, looking away from him, embarrassed.

“It’s okay Lexi.” He grabbed my face and turned it to face his. “Look at me, Lexi.”

I turned my face towards his and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. “Lexi, I don’t care what you did with Bryce, or with any other guy for that matter. Your past doesn’t make a difference to me. You’re still my Lexi, my sweet, beautiful, wonderful Lexi.”

“I thought we were meant to be—”

“—Ssh.” He brought me down towards him. “I know how you felt about Bryce, Lexi. Hell, even I can tell he’s hot. And he’s a broken soul. I know how much you like to fix broken souls. But you chose me. And that’s all I care about.”

“I don’t deserve you, Luke.”

“Lexi, do you know how much I love you?”

I shake my head and hide a smile.

“Let me count the ways.” I felt his fingers on my bra straps and as he pulled them down I giggled. I heard him unclasping the hook before I felt it being undone and I fell forward, laughing, as he threw my bra across the room.

“Touchdown!” He shouted and kissed me.

“Take your shirt off.” I laughed and pull his shirt up. His chest is more defined than I remember it being and I ran my hands across his stomach and pecks, laughing as he twitched his muscles beneath my fingers. “You’re beautiful.” I kissed his chest and down his happy trail until I’m at his pants. I looked up and he grinned down at me and then I kissed all the way back up to his lips. “You wish, Luke Bryan.”

“You know me soo well.” He winked at me and rolled me over onto my back. This time it is his turn to kiss me and I felt his lips all over my face and neck. I closed my eyes and clutched the sheets as I felt his lips on my breasts. Then he started nibbling on my peaks with his teeth and I groaned. I heard his laughter as he continued kissing down my stomach to the top of my pants. Only he’s braver than I and I felt him unzip my pants and then he pulled them down. I was lying on his bed, almost na**d, and all I could think about was, why did I wait so long for this to happen? My body felt like it was fire and I felt a deep, wanton urge awaken inside of me. I wanted to make love to Luke. I wanted him to make love to me and devour me. And I wanted us to merge our bodies together so that no one could ever part us.

I finally opened my eyes and looked up to see Luke pulling down his boxer trunks. I looked away, quickly, not wanting to be caught staring at his manhood. I quickly looked back to take a look. I can’t not look at his magnificent body. He caught me staring at him and grinned, before crawling back onto the bed to join me. His member brushed across my leg and I gasped.

“Don’t you want me to be na**d as well?” I whispered.

“If that’s what you want.”

“Of course I want.” I smiled. “Do you have protection?”

“Yes.” He grinned and I noticed that he had some packets in his hand. “They were in my wallet.”

“I’m not even going to ask why.”

“Okay.” He just stood there; so I pulled him down to join me on the bed.

“What are you waiting on, Luke?” I whispered in his ear and he started to tickle me. We rolled around on the bed and I suddenly realized that he was on top of me, his pelvic bone was crushed into me, and his manhood was pressed up against my most intimate of places. I then realized that I don’t want to wait any longer. I need to feel all of him.

He seemed to sense what I was feeling, because, before I knew it, he had pulled my underwear down with his teeth and he grabbed the packet next to the bed and ripped it open. I watched as he slid it on quickly and smoothly and then I felt him inside of me and I felt like I had somehow died and gone to heaven. It was the most exquisite and sweetest feeling I’ve ever felt in my life and I felt like every nerve end in my body was celebrating our union.

I held onto him tightly and I heard voices groaning and moaning. I felt bodies writhing and moving. And it felt like an out of body experience. I felt like I was floating on air. Everything about our lovemaking was magical and I was the recipient of the most intense pleasure in the world. And then I got to the top of the rollercoaster and I was falling, screaming, crying out in excitement and pleasure. I felt Luke’s lips on mine, kissing me urgently and, as he collapsed onto me, heaving and grunting, I held him close and smiled.

I’d been in Luke’s bed many, many times, but never had we had an experience like this. This was an experience I could have once in my life and be satisfied forever. This was what making love was all about. For a fleeting moment, I thought about my experience with Bryce and I felt a pang of shame and distress. My union with Bryce had been nothing like this. I had given my virginity to him and the experience had meant nothing. I wanted to feel sorry for myself but I didn’t. In a way, I was thankful that I had had that experience, so I could appreciate even more what it was like to make love to a man I truly loved as opposed to a man I had lusted after. But still I felt guilty.

I knew that Bryce was heartbroken over his mother’s death and that he felt bad over cheating on me. I knew internally that that was his bad, but I still felt like I should have spoken to him before I came to Luke’s.

“Are you okay, Lexi?” Luke looked at me with concern. “Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine, my love.” I kissed him and smiled. “That was amazing.”

“I thought so as well.” He grinned. “And to think that was my first time, I’ll be a regular Don Juan in a few weeks.”

“You better not turn into a Don Juan,” I laughed.

“Are you really okay?” He studied my face and I pulled him down to me.

“I’m fine.” I snuggled into his arms and closed my eyes. “This is, most probably, the best I had ever felt in my life.”

“I think I have to admit this beat out the day I found out MIT was offering me a full scholarship.” He laughed and played with my hair as I lay in his arms. I could feel him growing against my thigh again and I grinned.

“Well I’m glad to hear I beat out MIT.” I laughed and giggled as Luke tickled me in places he never had before. I turned around to face him and delighted in this next step of our relationship, but my mind was left wondering what would happen next. Now that he had brought up MIT I wanted to know if he was still going to move to Boston and if he was, what would it mean for us?

Before I had a chance to ask Luke what would come next, he kissed his way down to my womanhood and I closed my eyes as I felt him down there and he took me to places I never knew existed before.

Chapter 6

Bryce

I picked up a Barbie from the local toy store to take Shelby. I wasn’t sure if she would like it, but I figured I had pretty good odds. What little girl didn’t like dolls? I still had some time to kill after I left the store, so I decided to go and get her some flowers as well. I settled on sunflowers instead of roses. Roses seemed too grown up for a little kid. I wanted to get her sunflowers because I wanted her to know that she was like sunshine in my life. I figured she was too young to understand the symbolism, but I figured she would appreciate it when I explained it to her when she was older.

I thought about picking some flowers up for Lexi as well, but I hadn’t heard back from her after I had tried calling her back the day before. I figured she must be angry at me for what had happened with Anna. I hadn’t minded that she hadn’t called me back. I didn’t deserve it. And I wasn’t really ready to talk. Not yet. It was a big move to ask her to marry me. I wanted to make sure that I was ready. Really ready. And I honestly didn’t know if I was.

All I could think about was my mom and what she had been through. I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t joined the marines. Maybe she would have left my dad earlier and then she’d still be alive. I tried not to let those thoughts burn and fester in my mind. I knew it wasn’t helpful. That’s what the doctor had told me. Don’t dwell on the negative, Bryce; it will only bring you down. And I tried now, more than ever, to remember what he said and to live by it. I couldn’t depend on the pills anymore.

My father told me that the funeral was going to be in a few days. I didn’t quite get it. How could it take nine months for a baby to come into the world but only a few days to bury someone once they died? I didn’t want to have to say that final goodbye. The previous night, when I was sleeping in my bed, I kept waiting to hear my mother’s footsteps as she went back and forth doing her daily chores. I was waiting to hear her singing in the shower like she always did. But all that greeted me was silence.

My father and I didn’t talk, save for him telling me about the funeral. I had nothing to say to him. And it seemed that he had nothing to say to me either. I couldn’t tell if he was upset or not. He was so hard to read these days.

“Hey, Bryce, sorry I’m late.” Luke ran up to me and joined me in the hospital lobby with a huge smile on his face.

“No worries, I just got here.” I nodded and held up the Barbie. “I stopped to get Shelby a present. I hope it’s okay.”