“Really?”

“Really.”

“I really did think I was ready for this.” She laughed. “I was going to get on here and be all sexy.”

“You are sexy,” I countered. She shook her head. “Seriously. The way you blush when I compliment you only adds to it.”

“You’re sweet.”

“I wish I could kiss those lips right now. I’d kiss them until they were numb.”

“I would let you,” she said. Her lips parted slightly. I could almost feel her mouth against mine. “What else would you do?”

“I’d lick down that perfect neck of yours until I could feel your pulse racing under my tongue.”

“Right here?” She tilted her head and gently ran her fingertips down her neck, teasing the same path I would have taken. My mouth was watering as I watched—jealous that I wasn’t there to deliver, but more than turned on that she was willing to do this with me.

“Exactly.”

“And then what?” she asked her voice breathy. Her hand lingered at the opening of her robe.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked. This wasn’t just about me. I wanted her to feel comfortable. Judging from the pink in her cheeks, I could tell that she was enjoying herself so far.

“I’d want you to put your hands on me.”

“Show me how.” I watched her take my instruction. Her eyes falling shut as she slipped her hand under her robe, caressing her breast. “Show me,” I said again, hearing my words sound more like a plea than a command. I needed to see her. My hand had found its way under the waistband of the sweats I’d thrown on after practice. My fingers curled around my cock as I watched her shrug out of her robe. The soft fabric pooled around her shoulders to reveal her perfect, perky tits. Her hand caressed her flesh. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” I said through gritted teeth as I stroked myself—imagining it was her hand instead of mine. “What would you want me to do next?”

“I’d want your mouth on me,” she said, her gaze hooded as she continued touching herself. “Here,” she said, circling her finger around her nipple. Her skin was glistening. Skin I knew was warm to the touch and tasted sweet under my tongue.

“Yeah?” I said, urging her to continue. My grip was tightening as my stomach clenched. “Where else?”

“Here.” She trailed her fingertips between her breasts. “And here,” she said, her tone raspy as she continued down her body.

“I would, baby.”

“Put your mouth on me. Like you did before,” she said, her head falling back as her hand went below where I could see. I didn’t need to. I could practically feel her body. I could taste her on my lips as I watched her bring herself to the edge.

“So good.” I said between the sounds of little moans escaping her lips. If I had planned a little better, I wouldn’t have been dry rubbing my cock at that moment. I couldn’t full out join her at the moment, but I was enjoying the view nonetheless. I wanted her to be pleased, I could finish myself off later with visions of her touching herself in my head.

“Look at me,” I told her. I wanted to see her eyes. I wanted to be there with her. Her eyes opened and settled on mine. She stilled. “Keep going, baby. You’re almost there.” So was I. Each pull of my fingertips had me so close, the biting pain of the skin on skin was worth it. Seconds passed as I was transfixed on her. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she pleasured herself—her movements quickening along with her breath as she came and then slowing down to drag out the sensation. It was exactly as I would have done. I would have stretched out her orgasm for as long as possible and then tried for another.

“I can’t believe I just did that,” she said as she settled from the high. I felt wetness between my legs.

“I can’t believe it either,” I said under my breath, grabbing a towel and cleaning up my own mess. I was so focused on watching her that I hadn’t even realized I’d came all over my own hand.

Rookie move.

“Did you?” she asked.

“Sure did,” I admitted. “How could I not? That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” She smiled shyly as she pulled her robe closed. “I taught you too well,” I teased. “You don’t even need me anymore.”

“That’s not true,” she countered. “I need you more than you know.”

“I miss the hell out of you.”

“I miss you more.”

We held each other’s gaze momentarily. “I should probably go take a shower,” I said.

“Yeah, I need to get some sleep. I have to be back at the hospital in the morning.”

“Three more weeks,” I said before ending our call.

“Three more weeks,” she echoed, blowing me a kiss. The satisfied glow on her face stayed with me as I showered and as I climbed into bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about how she’d said she needed me more. I knew it wasn’t true. She might have thought I saved her, that I brought her back to life after years of living with the dead, but I’d never felt more alive than when I was with her. Which was saying a lot, considering my career choice.

The thrill of flying through the air didn’t even come close to the thrill of knowing Georgia Bennett loved me.

A few days after my little FaceTime performance, I was feeling pretty confident about my ability to make my relationship with Brett work. Each day we spent apart meant we were one day closer to seeing each other. Nora would be home the week after next to start her wedding plans and then the two of us would be driving Brett’s vehicle back to Texas.

Between studying and sleeping, I decided that I’d spend the weekend pulling all of my old wedding planning ideas from the folder in my closet.

“You know where I’m talking about,” I told Nora over the phone. I called her to see if she wanted me to set up some appointments with vendors for when she came back to town. “Hawthorne Winery,” I said again. “It’s that big farm halfway between here and St. Louis. “We’ve driven by it a thousand times.”

“I think I remember,” she said. “Let me pull it up on the Internet.” I gave her a second, as I thumbed through the brochure I’d found in my stash.

“It’s so pretty,” I told her. It was on the shortlist of venues I wanted to use, but Jamie and I had settled on getting married at our family church in Halstead. Iris had thought the winery was a bit too nontraditional, which meant it was perfect for Nora and Reid. “And there are quite a few hotels nearby.”

“Oh, yeah,” she agreed, confirming that she’d found their website. “It’s gorgeous. Look at the little chapel.”

“Right?” The winery was set on twenty acres and came complete with a chapel and small hall for a reception. As pretty as it was in the photographs of it during summer, I couldn’t wait to see the ground covered in snow. The rolling hills that surrounded it, all glistening and white. It would make for great photographs of my sister’s wedding. “Should I call and set up a tour?”

“Yep,” she said. “I think it’s perfect. You’re really taking this wedding thing seriously. I guess I’ll have to make you maid of honor.”

“Who else were you going to ask?” I joked.

“True.” She laughed. “You are my favorite sister after all.”

“I’m your only sister,” I deadpanned.

As we chatted about wedding colors and whether or not Nora should hire a band for the big day, I kept pulling items out of my closet that I’d forgotten about. Iris had suggested that I donate some of Jamie’s things, so I might as well add my own clutter to the mix. My senior prom dress had somehow ended up in a ball in the back corner, along with a few mismatched shoes and a handful of lip glosses that had fallen out of old purses I’d tossed in there.

I decided that now was as good a time as any to purge the mess that was surrounding me. I tossed the prom dress into a pile that I’d be donating to Goodwill along with three pairs of jeans I was never going to wear again, and enough leopard print to choke Snooki.