Lucky Penny (35 page)

She blushed, pink spreading across her neck and into her cheeks. Almost a year together and I still had that effect on her. I never wanted it to end—I wanted a lifetime of these moments.

The Prius rolled to a stop, and I put it in park. Reaching over, I pulled Penny to me, my hands buried deep in her hair as my lips captured hers. She fisted her hands in my hoodie, holding on for life, letting me explore her mouth. By the time we came up for air, our chests heaved between us as our breaths came in short, shallow bursts.

“How are we going to uphold camp rules for ten weeks?” she asked blushing again.

I laughed. My vulnerable girl needed me as much as I needed her. “I have my ways. You forget I was once the master of sneaking out.” I winked; I couldn’t help it.

Penny’s mouth formed an
o,
and she sucked in a breath. “Blake, I don’t want to get into trouble. Tina was very clear about the rules last year.”

Capturing her mouth again, I mumbled, “Rules are meant to be broken.” Besides, there was no way on earth I was going ten weeks without feeling Penny underneath me.

“Are you sure they’re okay with our…” She hesitated. “Our situation?”

Releasing Penny, I frowned. “Situation? One day, Penny Wilson, you are going to be my wife. The mother of our children. Please don’t ever call our relationship a situation again.”

Her jaw dropped slightly, and I saw the flash of panic in her eyes. Feeling like a total shit, I pulled her back into me. “I’m joking. Well, about calling our relationship a situation. The rest of it, not so much.”

“Blake,” she hissed, batting me away with her hand. “That was mean.”

I noticed movement in front of the car and glanced out of the corner of my eye. Troy, the big goof, was pretending to make out with himself. I swear that guy was forty going on twelve.

“Well, come on, we have company.”

Penny turned her head slowly and the blush from earlier returned. “How long has he been standing there?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure he saw everything.”

“Perfect, just perfect...” Penny started muttering to herself, and I laughed, pressing one last kiss to her lips before climbing out of the car. I retrieved our bags out of the trunk, and Troy came around. “Looking good, brother, and you don’t look so bad either.”

“Troy,” I warned. Penny was embarrassed enough without Troy hitting on her.

“What? You two almost caught fire.” He clapped me on the back and grinned. “Get out here, Penny, I have some Troy love for you.”

Shaking my head, I said, “Seriously, where do you come up with this shit?”

“Just sharing my love, my man. Sharing the love.”

The passenger door opened, and Penny stepped out. I could tell she had withdrawn into herself. Getting away for the summer was supposed to take her mind off the impending trial, but now, I wasn’t so sure it was a great idea.

“There she is.” Troy started to move in her direction, but I shot a hand out in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at me, but I just shook my head. His overenthusiasm was usually infectious, but Penny, although mostly okay with touch now, still had a tendency to fall back into her old ways when her stress levels were high.

“My bad. Hey, Penny, it’s really good to have you back.”

Penny slammed the door shut and looked over at us. “Thanks, Troy. It’s good to be back.” She ignored Troy as she stared right at me. A small smile broke over her face, and my heart skipped a beat.

She was telling me we would be okay.

Always.

“Pssst, could you two be any cuter?” Marissa tipped the bottle of lukewarm beer in our direction and grinned like a fool.

Penny giggled from her position between my legs as I perched on one of the overturned trunks. In usual fashion, Troy led the circle in song while we toasted marshmallows and drank warm beer. Tina had already given the whole ‘don’t fool around with each other speech’ earning Penny and me a stern glance. We knew the rules. After tomorrow, we had to keep our hands to ourselves—for the most part. If Troy and Tina thought I was going to go ten weeks without kissing or making love to Penny, then they were more deluded than I realized. It was all about discretion, and I intended to be discreet. After all, it was what I did best.

“Are you okay?” I brushed Penny’s ear with my lips and felt her body shudder. My dick twitched. Perhaps ten weeks was going to be harder than I first thought. She turned her head slightly and whispered, “I’m fine. Pay attention.”

Her warm breath lingered against my face, and I closed my eyes lost in her. “I can’t. You’re distracting me.”

She started to shuffle forward. “Maybe I should sit somewhere else?”

“Not happening.” I looped my arms around her tighter, drawing her back to me.

Troy continued to sing but kept winking in our direction, the fucker. But for as goofy as he was, he had been a great friend over the last six years. He and Tina had given me a chance, no questions asked, and in an ironic kind of way, the owners of a camp for fostered kids had saved me. If it hadn’t been for Camp Chance that first summer after I left the Freeman house, who knows where I would be now.

The music stopped and people broke off into their own huddles. New faces had replaced a couple of the regular counselors, and Tina sat with them to fill them in on the dos and don’ts, no doubt. Where Troy was carefree, she was uptight, but they worked. In fact, I’d never seen a couple stronger than the two of them.

Marissa stood and dusted herself to come sit with us. “I miss you guys.”

“We told you, door’s always open.”

“Not too open, though,” I added smirking at Marissa. She scowled and flipped me off.

“Ignore him. He’s just jealous at the thought of sharing me,” Penny said amusement heavy in her voice.

I rested my chin on her shoulder. “Damn right, I’m not sharing.”

“I don’t know whether to cry or puke watching the two of you. I mean, we’re all glad you sorted shit out, but we can’t all be lucky enough to find our lobsters.” Marissa leaned over to kiss Penny’s cheek. “Show a little thought for the rest of us, yeah?”

We watched Marissa sashay away and join the regular staff. Everyone was busy talking, catching up and stuffing their faces with Troy’s grilling efforts. Now was my chance. “Come on.” I pulled Penny up with me and curled my hand around hers.

“Blake, we can’t just leave. Everyone will notice.” The caution in her voice was so fucking cute. It reminded me of every time we had escaped from the group home.

I didn’t give her time to worry, pulling her along the path that snaked around the main cabin and out to cabin row. Penny dragged her feet behind me until I slowed, letting her catch up, and wrapped an arm around her waist hugging her to me. “I miss you.”

“Blake, it’s only been twenty-four hours.” She knew exactly what I was referring to and rolled her eyes at me.

“I don’t care. It’s too long. I need you. Always.”

Our eyes locked and my love for Penny reflected back at me in two dark pools. Was it still supposed to be this intense between us? After all of this time?

Eight years.

Snapping myself out of it, I walked us to the spot. The one I’d brought Penny to last summer. Earlier, when she’d been catching up with Marissa and unpacking in their cabin, I’d come out to prepare things. I released my hold on Penny and took her hand so I could go in ahead of her, just to see the look in her eyes when she realized what was happening.

We broke through the small clearing, and I turned around not wanting to miss it. Penny’s eyes widened and then filled with tears. “I, I- Blake, this is, this is everything.”

Mission accomplished.

I’d laid the picnic blanket in the middle of the tree circle. Cartons of juice and cookies were scattered in one corner and a bunch of hand-tied flowers lay in the middle. Those were new, and with her hand in mine, I tugged a speechless Penny over to the blanket and pulled her down with me.

“Eight years ago, a lost, sad, and afraid girl showed up at the group home where I was staying. I was pissed because it was another girl. Until I saw her. Saw the pain in her eyes and the way she held herself together with just her arms. I wanted to make her smile. I was only twelve, and I didn’t know why I felt that way, but I did. Over the years, I watched this girl grow into someone special. My friend. My partner in crime. My heart. She became everything. The light in my dark. My hope in despair. I lay out in No Man’s Land with her looking up at the stars planning our future. One where we were free. Where we could make our own rules. And then, one day, I was ripped away from her.” A lump stuck in my throat, and I gulped back the rush of tears behind my eyes. Penny’s eyes were already glazed over, and I saw her inhale a sharp breath.

“Not a day went by when I didn’t think about her. Even when I thought she’d moved on, I still dreamed of her. Of where she was and what she was doing…” The lump grew, and I swallowed hard trying to choke down the emotion running through me.

“Blake…” My name on her lips almost broke me, but I reached my hand for her and pressed a finger to her lips. “No, I need to say this. If I could go back and do everything differently, I would. I would pick you every time, Penny. I would be brave and strong and fight for you. But I can’t turn back the clock, so all I ask is for you to let me be that person now. Let me hold you when you’re sad and cry with you when you’re hurt. If you let me, I promise I’ll spend my life loving you.”

I exhaled. Really, inhaling would have been better to let me catch my breath, but I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. After everything with my uncle, Brittany being a total bitch in the aftermath of finding out about Penny and me, and then the charges against Derek and Marie, the last seven months had been a whirlwind. I told Penny I loved her all the time, but I needed her to know that I never
stopped
loving her.

My hands buried themselves deep into her hair and I drew her to me, pressing my lips to hers. I needed her to know I hadn’t just saved her, but she had also saved me.

My tongue traced the outline of her mouth, and she parted her lips. The kiss was hungry, needy… desperate. I needed her to know she was my lucky Penny.

She always would be.

You can listen to the playlist
here

Young Love
– Eli Lieb

From Eden
– Hozier

Body Talk
– Foxes

Wings
– Birdy

Yours
– Ella Henderson

Sweet Nothing
– Gabrielle Aplin

XO
– John Mayer

Second Chances
– Imagine Dragons

Please Don’t Say You Love Me
– Gabrielle Aplin

Tears and Rain
– James Blunt

Say Something
– Boyce Avenue

Leave A Trace
– CHVRCHES

Wasn’t Expecting That
– Jamie Lawson

Let It All Go
– Rhodes / Birdy

Scars
– James Bay

Alive
- Sia

Contemporary romance and romantic suspense

… written with feeling

L.A is author of the Fate’s Love Series and Chastity Falls Series. Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time mum to two little people with writing. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L. A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.