Chapter 37

"Do you want me to stay?" He whispers in my ear as his fingers brush my cheek.

"More than anything." I whisper back.

And with that, he pulls me off my feet and into his arms, kissing me. He walks us over to my bed. We lay back on it and he kicks off his shoes.

"How do you always manage to look so beautiful?" He asks as his hand runs down my side coming to a rest on my hip.

"I must have tried 30 different outfits on tonight before deciding it didn't matter." I tell him. "It's a shame I wore the ruffled gown last night. Seems like tonight would've been more fitting."

"Those damn ruffles." He says as he shakes his head with a grin.

"Maybe I'll have to buy more things with ruffles on them." I tease as I begin to kiss his neck.

"Don't you dare. I don't think I'd be able to keep my hands off of you." He warns as he reaches up and undoes my hair. I make a note to ask specifically for ruffled items when my stylist contacts me next time.

"Maybe I don't want you to keep your hands off me Gale Hawthorne." I say between pressing my lips to his neck. He sighs and pulls me close to him until I'm pressed against his chest. My heart is pounding so fast that I think he must be able to feel it. He rolls us so that I'm lying on my back and he's on his side hovering just over me. His hands reach up and his fingers circle the top button on my dress. He looks at me with a longing in his eyes and I know my eyes must reflect that same longing. His lips press into mine and his fingers slowly unbutton the top two buttons of my dress before he moves his lips and tongue move down to my neck. His hands grip alongside my ribcage. When I feel his hands move up and over the curves of my body my head gets that floating feeling that I got after our first kiss. That blissful feeling. My hands tremble as they tug his shirt upward. His hands leave my body only long enough to slip the shirt over his head and then they find their way back to the buttons of my dress. He slides his lips down my body as his fingers unhook the remaining buttons. I reach down and unbutton his pants and push them down a little before he reaches down and slips them off the rest of the way. The feel of his bare skin against mine is almost more than I can take. A moan escapes me and he pulls his face back and looks into my eyes.

"Madge…" He says in a breathy voice.

"Don't. Don't stop. I want you Gale." I plead. I can't believe he's about to do this again. I reach up to his face and place my palms against either side of his face and press my lips against his.

He returns my kiss but only that. He parts our kiss and looks at me, stroking my cheek with his hand. "Do you know why I always stop us?" He says softly.

"Because you don't want me to have any regrets. I know, I know." I retort. I can't believe he's doing this.

"True. But that's not all Madge. I don't want to mess this up. You mean too much to me."

"How would you mess anything up? It's not like you haven't done this before. I'm the one venturing into new territory. I'm the one who is supposed to be worried about messing things up." The annoyance is obvious in my voice.

"That's just it but you have it wrong. I don't want it to be like those other girls. They were just momentary. I want more with you. I want everything with you. God, Madge, you have no idea how much I want with you. I have dreams of a whole future with you, not just a momentary one. And because of that I have to be sure you're ready for this." His voice now the one containing pleading.

"You have dreams for us?" I echo.

He says nothing but nods, his eyes beg for me to understand. There's a silence between us though our eyes stay connected the entire time.

"Is that foolish of me? To have dreams for us?" He finally asks, his voice shaky.

"No. Not at all." I rise up to kiss him. When our lips separate I continue. " I just didn't realize you were thinking that far ahead."

"Do you think that far ahead? About us I mean?"

I nod. He kisses me. "Tell me." He says, his face just inches from mine.

"It's probably silly." I say suddenly embarrassed.

"No, tell me. I want to know."

"I think about us, being together. After we're finished with school. I picture us married, with a family. Picture us happy."

"Really? You think about us having a family?"

"Yes. I told you it was silly." I say wishing I hadn't told him. I'm sure he hasn't thought that far ahead into our future.

"But it can't be silly because I think about that too." He says pressing his lips once more against mine. "I love you."

"You what?" I gasp, thinking I mustn't have heard that last part correctly. Loves me?

"I love you." He repeats with a look of total vulnerability on his face.

"Me too. I mean, I love you too!" My heart is racing and that floating feeling consumes me.

And then we crash together with fierce passion. Our bodies becoming one as they meet each other, my skin against his. His concerns resolved, he doesn't stop us this time. We devour each other, taking in each other's desires after all of our of waiting. The swirling floating sensation that had so consumed me before fizzles in comparison to that which overtakes me now. It's like nothing I've ever felt and when it's over, we collapse together against the down pillows of my bed. His arms pull my body against his as we lay breathless beneath the sheets of my bed.

"I love you." I tell him. I want to say it to him over and over again. I press my lips against his neck, craving him even more now than I did before.

"I love you." He says back. His eyes find mine and in this one look, I know our love will last. He'll love me forever. And I will forever love him.