Page 6 of Wrapped in Hope

Chapter 3

I don’t wantto leave the warmth of his embrace. We’re cuddled up in bed, holding on to one another like it’s the end of the world. What we just did touched me in more ways than one. It touched my heart and soul. His touch, our bond, is enteral now. I’ll forever feel it, like it’s seared into my memory, into my heart.

He presses a kiss to my forehead while I’m trailing my fingertips up and down his bare chest and stomach. I watch as the ripples in his abs make my fingertips dip down before skimming over another defined muscle. “What do you say to some dinner?”

I lift my head to look up at him. “What do you have in mind?”

He shrugs. “I’m not the best at cooking, but I did have my mom show me how to make spaghetti.”

I perk up. “Spaghetti is my favorite. Are you going to make meatballs?”

His brow wrinkles. “I’m not that good. But I bought some from the frozen food section. They can’t be that bad.”

“Sounds like a plan!” I sit up, causing the blanket to fall from my naked chest. I temporally forget that he’s seen all I have to offer and cover it back up.

“What are you doing?” He tugs the blanket back down as he covers my body with his. “No use in being shy now. I’m pretty sure my mouth was just right here a few minutes ago,” he says moving down to press a kiss to the swell of my breast, the soft touch causes goosebumps to break out across my skin.

I wiggle against him. “I’m not quite ready for round two just yet so you better stop that,” I tease him as I slide out of bed, quickly walking to the closest door in hopes that it’s a bathroom.

It is. Thank God. I know I shouldn’t be shy now, but I’m not used to letting anyone see me walking around naked. I sit on the toilet, holding my head in my hands. I can’t believe we just did that. I can’t believe it felt so wonderful.

I have heard the horror stories about girls losing their virginity. My experience was nothing like that. Maybe it’s because Dean and I have a bond of trust and love built up.

I expected to feel different afterwards, but I didn’t expect to feel such strong emotions pumping through my body. I’m nearly in shock. My hands are shaking from excitement, my body is sore, and my head is swimming. But more than anything, I feel the love I have for him grow to be more than I ever thought possible. It feels like there is an unbreakable bond between us now. We’ve shared a part of ourselves that we haven’t shared with anyone else. My love for him has sunk past my heart. It now resides in my soul.

I do my business and clean up quickly. When I walk back into the room, ready to no longer hide myself from him, he’s gone. I feel my shoulders slump. I really wanted him to see how put together I am now that I’ve had a few minutes to reflect.

I turn and study my naked body in the dresser mirror. My already plump lips are swollen from our passionate kisses. My auburn hair is disheveled, creating this wild woman look on me. My round breasts seem fuller, making my waist appear even smaller. I’ve always thought of myself as too skinny. I felt like I had chicken legs with knobby knees. But looking at myself now, with the just fucked look on my face, I finally see the woman I was meant to become.

I smile to myself before quickly pulling on a pair of shorts and one of Dean’s t-shirts he loaned me long ago. I run a brush through my hair quickly and go in search of him.

When I make my way down stairs, I find him standing at the stove in nothing but a pair of jeans. His muscular back flexes as he moves about, stirring a pot. His loose jeans hang low on his hips, showcasing those two dimples on either side of his spine just before his firm ass – a part of him I’ve always found irresistible. I love running my hands over those dimples.

He doesn’t see me come in, so I walk quietly up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist.

He looks at me over his shoulder before tapping the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot and setting it down on the stovetop. He spins in my arms, wrapping me up tight against him. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am. That was some workout,” I joke as I pull away to grab my bottle of water that was long forgotten. I take the cap off and drink deeply from the bottle, not realizing how thirsty I really am from all the strenuous activity.

“I have something better.” He holds up a finger as he moves to the fridge. He turns around with a bottle of wine.

I giggle. “How’d you get that?”

He shrugs as he grabs a corkscrew. “I may have bribed a drunk guy at the liquor store to go in and buy it for me.”

I laugh. “You bribed a drunk guy to buy you a bottle of wine?”

The cork being pulled from the bottle causes a popping sound to fill the room. “Yeah, he thought it was weird too. He was expecting me to ask for beer or a bottle of liquor, not wine.”

“I’ve never had wine before. Have you?” I ask, taking the glass he’s offering me.

“Nope.” He picks up his glass and smells it, wrinkling his face from the scent. “First time for everything.”

We both take a sip of the dark, red wine. It’s sweet and fruity with a hint of bitterness. “I like it. What kind is this?”

He quickly chugs his glass and shivers with disgust. “Concord. I thought the juice was good and figured this would be too.”

We both laugh at our inexperience in adulting.