She's Got Dibs

by AJ Nuest

  She jabbed her finger across the desk. “You need to get your skinny little ass in that Jaguar of his and drive to the airport.”

  Tessa whimpered and stomped the floor.

  Tiffany pitched forward, shoulders high and tight, forearms braced on her blotter. “You do realize the two of us sitting here, arguing the finer points behind your next move is completely moot, right? Whether you’re ready to admit it not, Dibs is already your boyfriend.”

  “Pffft…” Tessa fluttered a hand in the air. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Oh, really? Let’s take a moment to review, shall we?” Tiffany counted off on her fingers. “Dinner every night for a week. A constant stream of flowers. He’s loaned you his car. He bought you a very expensive gift.” She tossed her hands in the air. “For crying out loud, he kissed you!”

  Tessa stared across the desk at her best friend, jaw unhinged and thoughts racing. Oh shit… She groaned, scrubbing a hand over her face.

  “And now I want you to tell me something.” Tiffany sat back and crossed her arms. “And I want the truth, Tessa. How do you feel, knowing he’s going to be gone for an entire week?”

  She dropped her gaze to her hands. “Like someone has cut my heart out.”

  “That’s because you really like him. Hello! I realize you haven’t dealt with that emotion in a long time, but I’m here to tell ya, the decision’s already been made. You and Dibs have been dating since that first night he took you to dinner.” Tiffany glanced at her clock. “Now you need to get in that Jag of his and drive to the airport. And you need to tell him how you feel.”

  “Okay, but what if he doesn’t…I mean, what if he isn’t—”

  Laughter pealed from Tiffany’s throat as she tossed her head back, repeatedly slapping her desk. She abruptly stopped. “Please tell me you are not that stupid.”

  Misery wrenched her chest and Tessa threaded her fingers through her bangs to her scalp, the tip of her elbow balanced on the edge of the desk. “I’m just scared, Tiff. I’m completely freaking-out scared over here.”

  “Taking the chance to love someone can be a scary business.” She nodded. “Love isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. But it’s worth the investment, Tessa. And if you don’t grab this chance, if you don’t hold onto this wonderful opportunity with both hands, then I’m afraid you’re going to end up one very lonely old woman. Just think about it. You can either seize this incredible moment to love someone…someone who can give you an amazing life, or you can spend your time wandering from one meaningless encounter to another. Is that really what you want?”

  Tessa closed her eyes, images of life before Dibs streaming past the backdrop of her eyelids. How she’d struggled like hell to be an island in a storm—meeting all her challenges alone, celebrating her victories with no one. Until she would finally submit to the desires of her body and seek out some stranger with whom she could fulfill those needs. Regret inevitably followed, a profound emptiness over another meaningless tryst, a self-loathing she couldn’t escape. And then tears, crying in her condo, and the bleak realization of what her existence had become.

  Since she’d let Dibs into her life, she’d not relived that experience once.

  “No,” she finally said, shaking her head.

  “Get in the car, Tessa.”

  Her heart tripped a beat. Tiffany was right. She truly cared for Dibs. More than she’d cared for anyone in a very long time. As she envisioned facing him, confessing what was in her heart, exhilaration crescendoed and doused her in a wave of hope. Her declaration would no doubt be a grave risk, but if she went to him, at least she could say she’d done the right thing. For the one person who never failed to do right by her.

  For herself and for Dibs, she was willing to take that chance.

  She stood, her hands hovering over the paperwork on Tiffany’s desk. “You can handle this while I’m gone?”

  Tiffany smiled. “As long as you share every single juicy detail when you get back.” She pointed at the door. “Now go, before he boards that plane and you miss him.”

  ****

  What symptoms accompanied a nervous breakdown, anyway?

  The drive to the airport lasted an eternity, and yet the exit signs passed in a blur. Tiffany’s voice rebounded in her ears. She couldn’t catch her breath. The kiss she and Dibs had shared flashed like a strobe before her eyes. Her foot jittered against the gas pedal. A very real possibility existed she was making the biggest mistake of her life…huge…a colossal mistake. But she owed Dibs the truth. Of course, of course, she owed him the truth.

  Tessa clamped a trembling hand to her forehead and gunned the engine. And if worse came to worst, she could always make up some lame excuse for appearing out of thin air.

  Nearing the airport, she followed the signs for chartered departures and soon pulled up to a small manned booth with a gate. She pushed the button to roll down the window.

  “Can I help you, miss?” A uniformed attendant exited the booth.

  “I need to get in.” She pointed to the gate.

  “I’m sorry, but only authorized passengers are allowed beyond this point.”

  “It’s an emergency.”

  The attendant glanced at the Jag’s license plate, checked his clipboard. “Sorry. No can do.”

  Tessa dumped her purse on the passenger seat, speed-dialed Dibs, and slapped the phone to her ear.

  Three rings and he answered. “What’s going on, Rex?”

  “I need you to tell this number five at the gate to let me in.”

  “Why are you at the gate?”

  “Just do it, Dibs.”

  She passed her phone to the attendant. He frowned disapprovingly into the mouthpiece, returned the phone, and went inside the booth. The gate slowly lifted.

  Tessa stomped on the gas, replacing the phone to her ear. “Where are you?”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “I need to talk to you. Where are you?”

  “Drive over to your right. I’m at the second airstrip.”

  She clapped her phone shut and threw it into the backseat. What was she doing…what was she doing…Oh God, what was she doing?

  Before the large open bay of the second hangar, a steady stream of men loaded supplies into a large white plane. But one person in particular stood out among the rest. Those same khaki cargo pants from the People Magazine spread rode low on his hips, his fitted white T-shirt taut over the planes of his chest. A light blue button-down shirt hung open on either side of his torso, the sleeves rolled and shoved to his bulging biceps.

  She filled her lungs, exhaling past a cascade of adrenaline in her chest. Her knee bounced uncontrollably when she applied pressure to the brake.

  She turned off the car and stepped out.

  “What’s the matter?” Dibs came up fast in front of her.

  “I just need you to let me talk for a second and not say anything.” She braced a hand against the side of the car. Sweet Jesus, her legs were never going to hold out.

  He crossed his arms. “Okay.”

  “Okay.” She shook her hands in front of her chest. “Okay. Here’s the thing. Over the past week, I’ve been feeling…I don’t know…and it’s been sort of a…a strange thing for me. I mean, really, I never expected to—well, you know—and then Thursday, when that woman gave you her business card? I have to tell you, it really bothered me. I mean it really, really bothered me, Dibs, and then, I…I got sort of confused about what happened. And then yesterday, when you…you know…kissed me…I got completely mixed up, because—well, who could blame me? I mean, just look at you. And then I thought, come on, what are we doing? I mean it’s too much—and now you’re leaving and well, I’m really upset…which only makes me wonder what the hell? I mean, it’s not like I expected anything to happen or anything, it’s just…and you!”

  His eyebrows shot up when she wagged a finger at him.

  “You’re good. Because you said we could be friends. That’s what y
ou said, and so I thought okay, it’s okay—but now, I’m not so sure about that anymore, because, to tell you the truth…you flew in under the radar, Dibs. Even though you told me that wouldn’t happen, it did. And so here I am, I mean, here we are, and I don’t know what I’m doing anymore…”

  She grimaced and rubbed at a spot between her eyebrows. “You know, I’m usually very articulate, but now, I don’t know, I can’t seem to find the right—”

  “Well, it’s about time,” he whispered.

  She shook her head. “Sorry, I—”

  “I’m not sorry in the least.” He reached up and gently removed her sunglasses, his eyes shining down on her, heightening the timid anticipation in her heart. One step forward and he cupped her cheeks in his hands. “Just so you know? I’m going to come at you like a freight train.”

  She smiled, though tears dampened the lashes beneath her eyes.

  He swept his thumb across her cheek. Happiness flooded his gaze. And the world inched to a stop as he slowly leaned down and brought his lips to within a breath of hers.

  “I’ve been waiting a very long time to kiss you again.” He held her face, keeping his lips near.

  A ripple of electricity coursed down her back. She closed her eyes. He swept his mouth over hers. The tip of his tongue slid in…and a long-awaited desire stirred within her soul.

  She closed what little space remained between them, grasping his upper arms when he nipped and sucked her bottom lip, wanting him to know she had waited just as long, hoping he could tell by her kiss what he meant to her. She released his arms and encircled his waist, bringing her breasts to the hard wall of his chest.

  He combed his fingers in under her hair, dotted kisses at the corners of her mouth. His bottom lip brushed up, captured her kiss, and he tangled his tongue with hers.

  Sheer joy rushed her heart at being in his arms. Why…why had she wasted so much time? Two weeks she’d robbed herself of this complete and utter happiness as their lips met again and again.

  “I can’t believe you’re telling me this now.” He ran his hands through her hair to the small of her back, tugged her into his hips, and kissed her. “I’m flying halfway across the world and you’re telling me now.” His low chuckle vibrated inside her chest.

  “The timing is bad. I know, it’s really, really bad. I just couldn’t let you leave.” She clasped the back of his neck, pulling him down to her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, showering his cheeks with kisses, his chin, and the sweet, gentle slope beneath his ear.

  “I want you to be mine, Tessa.” At his heated request, a burst of glittering sparks showered through her limbs. “No one else’s, just mine.” He crushed his mouth to hers, one hand cupping the back of her head, a strong arm cinching her waist.

  In that moment, she knew. They were connected somehow, ever since their first meeting in the airport. Her fear no longer mattered. Because standing in his arms, eagerly awaiting his kisses, she wanted to be his—just his—for as long as they could make it last.

  “I’ve been yours since the moment we met, Dibs.” A tear escaped and tumbled onto her cheek.

  “Yo, Romeo! We gotta go!”

  He held the side of her throat and stepped forward, his lips dancing against hers, trapping her between the firm tower of his body and the car. Tessa gasped and a shudder racked her shoulders when desire surged and bolted down the inside of her thighs. She let her hands roam freely over him, trying to memorize the muscles in his chest and arms, the tension in his back, so she would remember every inch of him while he was gone.

  “Come on, Dibs! We’re loaded!”

  He smiled into her eyes, cleared the tear from her cheek, and kissed the damp spot it had made.

  She caught his lips again, savoring the moment that would have to last until they had returned to one another’s arms.

  A shrill whistle pierced the air, and then a few seconds later several raucous shouts and some clapping. She broke away from Dibs, her shy smile breaking into a quiet laugh. He looked over his shoulder at the team. “Yeah, yeah, get on the plane!”

  He spun back to her and his velvet lips tended hers again, and then again before he cradled her head against his chest.

  “When?” she asked, breathing him into her lungs. “How long?”

  “Next Sunday.” His parted mouth grazed and lingered along the side of her throat.

  Her knees trembled. She wound her fingers through his hair, closing her eyes when sizzling tendrils of arousal sparked through her belly.

  “You realize this is going to kill me.” He rested his forehead against hers, searching her eyes. “You know that, right?”

  “I’ll be here. I’ll be right here waiting for you to get off that plane.”

  “Come on, Dibs!”

  “You know, they are very annoying.” She bit her lip, and then laughed when Dibs picked her up and snuggled her close.

  “Okay.” He set her down and slowly withdrew. “I gotta go.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, leaning forward to hold his hand until the very last moment. “I’ll be here.”

  One long stride and he gathered her back into his arms, kissed her one last time. He walked away backward, grinning, his arms outstretched wide to the sides. Elation bubbled up her throat and she laughed, crossing her arms over her chest, hands on her shoulders, needing to hold herself in his absence. He turned and jogged the rest of the way to the plane, then stopped to smile and wave before climbing the small staircase and disappearing through the door.

  She stood near the car, already missing him, as the plane taxied down the runway and lifted into the air.

  Chapter Eleven

  Never before had Tessa been so grateful for her hectic schedule. A longing ache remained lodged in her chest, an empty place that could only be filled by Dibs. Work was her one relief, when she had no choice but to focus on the tasks at hand, thankful at least the rigorous days made time pass by a bit faster.

  The nights, however, were a different story. During those long, dark hours, visions of Dibs overshadowed her every thought. Time stopped at night, and she grew miserable for his return.

  Fortunately, only a few days passed before she discovered his plan to show her that she remained in his thoughts, as well.

  After arriving at her condo Tuesday evening, she was stopped by the doorman while collecting her mail from the lobby.

  “A package arrived for you today, Miss Adams.”

  She glanced up from flipping through the envelopes. “Okay, I’ll take it with me.”

  “I’ll need to bring it up. It’s rather large.”

  “Oh?” She approached the doorman station.

  On a rolling cart behind the counter, the bronze sculpture winked at her from under a sheet of bubble wrap, secured to the high black pedestal with clear plastic sheeting.

  Her heart warmed and she swallowed back a giddy schoolgirl giggle. “Bring it up whenever you have a moment, Henry. I’ll be upstairs making a spot for it.”

  Inside her condo, she went straight to her bedroom and pushed the padded bench under the window to the end of the bed. A few moments later, the doorbell rang.

  She spent the next half hour carefully unwrapping, flinging plastic sheets over her shoulder to the floor. When she was done, soft light from the window danced against the burnished bronze. The metal glided under her palm like a cool, sleek sheet of glass. Excitement sparked and flickered in her stomach. Just five more days and she could extend Dibs a proper thank you.

  Enjoying a cup of coffee the next morning, she caught a glint of gold from the coffee table. She frowned and picked up her old engagement ring. How bizarre. She’d completely forgotten to return it to her jewelry box.

  She spun the band on her index finger. Dibs had suggested she get rid of the ring, maybe buy herself something nice—like a prize from a bubble gum machine. A sly smile stretched her lips and she slipped the ring into her pocket.

  At noon on the dot, she left the office and shuffled through the p
edestrian traffic to Jeweler’s Row. She entered a small jewelry store and approached the glass-topped case.

  A smiling gentleman strolled over from the other side of the counter. “See something you like?”

  “No, not yet.” She clattered the ring to top of the glass. “I was actually wondering if I could get anything for this ring.”

  “Let’s see.” He lifted a jeweler’s eyepiece and squinted around one end. “We don’t normally buy used jewelry.” He turned the ring back and forth before the lens. “But we may be willing to do an exchange.”

  She nodded and moved a few paces away, paused before a case of multicolored stones. Pretty bracelets in both platinum and gold lay displayed inside, some with diamond accents and some without.

  Near the end of the case, a box of rings rested on a small raised tier. Nestled inside the black velvet, a platinum band held several marquise-cut rubies, mounted in an overlapping circle to resemble the petals of a flower. Three marquise peridots had been set at a slight angle to represent the leaves. Several brilliant cut diamonds adorned the center, inlaid slightly lower than the rest of the stones. The ring was a perfect little rose.

  “Excuse me.” She pointed into the case. “May I see this ring?”

  “Sure thing.” The man jingled a set of keys and retrieved the box.

  Tessa slid the glittering jewels onto her right pinky finger. “How much for this piece?”

  “Seventeen hundred. Which, strangely enough, is exactly what I can offer you for this piece.” He waggled the engagement ring on the end of his index finger.

  She lifted a shrewd eyebrow. “Funny how that worked out, isn’t it?”

  After signing the paperwork, she ended up paying for the tax, but she didn’t care. To her, the new ring symbolized a final farewell to an old chapter in her life. She was finally ready to begin anew, to begin again with Dibs.

  She practically floated back to the office, and once there couldn’t help but show off her new purchase.