Page 45 of My Only (My First, My Last)
“I should be asking you that.” She giggled. “I’m in my natural habitat. Are you kidding me ? You’re technically trespassing.”
I pinched her and she laughed.
“I knew the only way I’d see you was if I sprouted wings and flew alongside whatever plane you’re always escaping on.”
She hollered a laugh, pulling me back in for another tight hug.
This time, it was longer, warmer.
I squeezed her back. “I missed you so much.”
“And I missed you more .”
Behind me, I heard Hassani chuckle.
“Hey, Aunt Laurie,” he greeted. “Random seeing you here.”
She turned, patted his chest, and pulled him into a hug—one that forced him to bend his knees just to meet her height.
“Random ain’t even the word.” She grinned, her eyes bouncing between us. “You two look phenomenal. Where are you off to?”
“Saint Lucia.” I lit up. “Hassani surprised me with it literally minutes ago.”
Aunt Laurie’s smile stretched even wider. She held up her hand and gave Hassani a high five. “My Favorite Guy .”
I snickered. “And you? Where are you headed?”
She batted her lashes. “France. Cannes.”
Just then, a young man approached.
Instinctively, I stepped aside, assuming he was just passing by…
But to my surprise, he stopped beside Aunt Laurie.
“Oh, perfect!” She turned and pressed a hand to his chest. “This is Kofi,” she introduced. “My boyfriend… and my lover .”
I blinked. Hard.
But I still managed to smile.
I extended my hand. “Hi.”
“Hello.” His deep, rich skin stood out against the crisp white shirt he wore. His face was young. “Kofi.”
I nodded and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Kofi.” Then I turned back to my aunt.
“He doesn’t speak much English,” she explained. “But I’ve been teaching him… and he’s been teaching me his.”
Aunt Laurie looked so happy.
Vibrant.
Whatever Kofi was doing, it was working.
“That’s great.” I smiled, squeezing her hands. “I’m so happy you’re dating again and have a boyfriend… emphasis on boy .”
“Aht!” She smacked my hand.
“How old is he?”
“Thirty.”
I folded my lips into my mouth, struggling to hold back my smile. “Aunt Laurie!”
She giggled.
“Has Mom seen him yet?”
“Not yet. But soon.”
“Make sure when you bring him to New York, I’m there. Because I gotta see her face when she meets him.” I smirked. “I would really hate to miss it.”
She slapped my arm, while Hassani extended his hand to Kofi.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Hassani said.
Kofi just smiled, accepted Hassani’s hand while offering a polite nod.
“Anyway,” Aunt Laurie said, “we have a flight to catch.”
“And so do we,” Hassani added.
I pulled her in for another hug, pressing a big kiss to her cheek. “I love you.”
“And I love you.” She kissed my cheek in return. “I’ll see you very soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
One last squeeze, then I stepped back, focusing on Kofi.
“It was great meeting you.”
He pressed his hands together, bowing softly.
He did the same to Hassani.
“Nice meeting you,” Hassani said to Kofi, then extended an arm to Aunt Laurie who gave him a big hug. “You two have a safe flight.”
Aunt Laurie patted Hassani’s chest again then she winked at me. “And you two do the same.”
“Enjoy, Aunt Laurie,” I teased.
“Oh, Favorite Girl.” She smirked. “I always do.”
I giggled, shifting my gaze to her boyfriend and smiling. “Bye, Kofi.”
I stood there, watching as my aunt and her young, beautiful boyfriend disappeared into the crowd.
A deep chuckle rumbled beside me. Hassani draped an arm over my shoulder.
“One of these days,” he mused, “we’re gonna have to capture her in a mason jar and spin the cap on real tight so she can’t escape this time.”
I laughed, pressing into his side, wrapping my arms around him.
“Nah,” I said in an undertone, watching Aunt Laurie and her boyfriend fade into the distance. “Getting older has taught me Aunt Laurie is a wildflower—you can’t capture her. You just admire her… then let her go, and miss her terribly after.”
I inhaled a deep breath, letting my words settle in my heart, knowing I’d see her soon… just like she said.
Hassani squeezed my hand. “Come on,” he said, guiding us toward our gate.
* * *
My spirits were already soaring after the road trip and Hassani’s surprise flight, but when we deplaned and followed a driver in a crisp black suit holding a sign with our last name, I felt like I was floating.
The entire drive to the villa, I had my head practically out the window, soaking up all the sights I was so happy to see again.
When the villa from our honeymoon came into view, my heart stopped.
As soon as the driver pulled up to the grand entrance, I was hit with a rush of memories.
Everything felt the same.
Stepping out of the black car.
Walking through the arched doorway.
The sprawling living room, the romantic bedroom, the daybed outside by the infinity pool.
I pressed a hand to my chest and sighed, taking it all in.
“I thought the only way I’d see this place again was in my dreams.”
Hassani came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, bending his knees to kiss my neck… lingering there.
The last time we were here, we’d woken up on that daybed by the pool, wrapped up in each other, watching the sunrise. I had no idea what life would hold for us when we left, but I knew one thing—as long as I had Hassani, I would be fine.
We popped a bottle of champagne and sank into the plush seating inside, our laughter filling the space as we recounted all the hilarious moments from the road trip.
“We have to do it again,” I said between sips, my face glowing from the warmth of the champagne.
“Already planning it.” Hassani winked.
As the sun dipped lower, we made our way to the beach, basking in the soft, golden light of our first evening back in Saint Lucia.
According to Hassani’s itinerary, the next few days would be packed—scuba diving, dining on the beach, a sunset cruise.
But tonight, we just wanted good food and an early night.
By the time we returned to the villa, I was ready to collapse into bed.
That was… until Hassani pulled out a small bottle of oil.
“Can I give you a massage?”
I turned, midway through pulling off my sundress, prepared to toss it over a chair for later retrieval.
“A massage?”
Hassani held up a sleek glass bottle of edible massage oil.
I burst into laughter.
“Where did you get that from?”
He smirked. “I had it delivered to the villa before we arrived.”
My lips parted.
It was the oil.
The same chocolate-coconut blend we first received in a honeymoon gift basket from the resort where our villa was.
The one he used to wake me up before sexing me senseless.
The one I used on him before our final sunrise session on our last day.
It tasted like melted chocolate and coconuts.
It felt like sin.
And now, it was back… so were we.
“‘Cause what kind of trip would this be if we didn’t have this on hand?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, shaking my head. “Not one I’d want to be on.”
He licked his lips. “So? Can I give you that massage?”
Of course, I said yes.
After a steamy shower, I lay face down on the villa’s luxurious bed, my bare skin cooling against the crisp sheets.
Hassani warmed the oil between his hands, then rubbed it on my back.
His strong hands smoothed it into my skin, gliding down my spine, his thumbs digging gently into my lower back.
And I couldn’t keep in how good his hands felt on me.
“You sound so good,” he spoke under his breath, his voice husky.
“ You feel good,” I whispered.
His palms swept over my ass, moving lower, massaging my thighs.
Then…
His fingers grazed my slit.
A deep moan spilled from my lips, my face burying into the pillow.
And right then, I knew.
Our two-week rule expired that morning, and I was hoping we would celebrate it when I woke up. Instead, I woke up to a moving RV with Hassani behind the wheel.
One of the key signs Dr. Aldridge had told us to look for before reintroducing intimacy was were we both ready? Which I definitely was.
Lying there, I mentally checked off every single thing she told us to watch for.
Emotional safety? Check.
Open communication? Check.
Feeling like best friends again? Check.
Physical affection that didn’t just lead to sex? Check. Check. Check.
And now?
Even if we hadn’t hit every mark, there was no way I could hold out any longer.
We were in Saint Lucia.
I was horny.
And I was done denying myself.
I turned onto my back.
Hassani’s smirk stretched into a slow, knowing smile.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I held his gaze, my breath catching.
Because this wasn’t just lust.
This wasn’t just hunger.
This was safety.
This was trust.
This was healing.
And we’d earned every bit of it.
I grabbed his hard dick through his linen pants, using my hold to pull him closer.
“Our two weeks are up.”
“Is it?” He smirked. “Wow, I had no idea. It’s not like… I’ve been counting down every minute of every day and conveniently planning this trip just in time for that … or anything.”
I gasped. “What?!”
He licked his lips. “What, what ?”
I giggled. “Aside from that, you big ol’ sneak…”
He laughed.
“We’ve done everything Dr. Aldridge told us to do,” I said, shifting onto my knees and rising until I was eye-level with him on the bed. “Everything… except mutually agreeing we’re ready.”
His hazel-green eyes darkened.
He licked his lips. “Aight?”
I traced my finger along his collarbone, watching the way his chest rose and fell under my touch.
“I feel we’re healing,” I whispered. “Do you?”
“I do.”
No hesitation. No doubt. Just truth.
I lowered my hands to the waistband of his boxers, hooking my fingers there and pushing them down.
“Are you ready to reintroduce?—”
Before I could finish my sentence, his mouth crashed into mine, swallowing my laughter as it melted into a moan when our bodies hit the soft mattress.
His hips angled against mine, the thick weight of him pressing right where I ached the most.
I braced myself, inhaling sharply, my breath catching at the first push inside.
Deep. Full.
A perfect, homecoming stretch.
“I’m more than ready,” he exhaled against my lips as he sank into me. “And for real, A?” He groaned against me. “We’ve earned this, baby.”
“ Mm-hmm ,” I moaned.
We moved slow and sure, his hand finding mine, fingers interlocking, grounding us.
I clung to his shoulders, my bottom lip folding into my mouth, trapping a smile between moans.
God, I’d missed him.
Not just physically, but emotionally.
And damn, that was a good-ass combination.
His lips found my neck, lingering there as he set a rhythm we could get lost in.
A few strokes in, he paused, balancing on his forearms to look down at me.
His gaze searched mine, his fingers tracing my jawline.
“I can’t believe how close I came to losing this,” he admitted, voice thick with emotion. “Losing you.”
I shook my head, pressing my fingertips to his lips, and he kissed them. “You never could.”
His body shuddered.
With a low, gravelly groan, he resumed his deep, steady thrusts, drawing a sigh of pleasure from me with each push forward.
“ God , I love you,” I breathed.
He kissed his way from my neck to my lips, whispering against my mouth, “I love you more, baby.”
Our movements synced, a slow, sensual dance—one we knew by heart.
And just like that, we were back.
Back here in Saint Lucia.
Back home in each other.
Back to us.