Chapter 37 Dexter
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
dexter
We take the simplest things for granted.
A warm bed to sleep in. Food on the table. Clean running water. We don’t notice them until they’re gone.
With Florence in my arms, mouths fused together, hands exploring, the reality that I almost lost her hits me.
Foolishly, I took her loyalty and stubbornness for granted.
Of course, she would obliterate my worries to ashes.
They’re not completely gone, perhaps never will be, but a dramatic weightlessness came over me when she accepted every confession, twisting the fear into hope.
It flows through me as I lay her on my bed—no, our bed. Because after tonight, we’re never sleeping apart again. A life, a future, a family I’ve denied myself all sit within reach. She did that. She showed me true strength.
I crawl over her, arms braced either side of her head. “Tell me again.”
Her chest rises and falls, delicate fingers tiptoeing up my jaw. “I love you.”
“Again.” I plant a kiss between her breasts, inhaling her delicious scent.
“I love you,” she repeats.
Slipping off the thin strap of her dress, my kisses trail down her arm as she says those three precious words over and over. My journey ends at the inside of her wrist, lips brushing the delicate lines of the axe. My mark.
She watches me, skin flushed the prettiest pink.
“I love you, Florence. Down to my core. Laced in my veins. We’re made for each other, and I’m sorry for fighting it.”
Her head tilts. “No more apologies. Just love me, Dex.”
My lips are back on hers in a flash. Our clothes disappear under hurried hands. Skin on skin, heartbeat to heartbeat. She guides my cock to her center, already soaked, and after a few thrusts, I fill her to the hilt.
It’s slow, the need to savor it like it’s the first time crucial. In some ways, it is. My eyes are wide open, mind free, heart ready to accept the love I’ve feared for so long.
“Dex,” she whimpers when I draw a tight nipple into my mouth. “I need more. Please.”
“Anything, baby. I’ll give you anything,” I murmur into her silky flesh.
She grips my ass, nails biting, directing my movements. “Deeper.”
I hitch her legs higher around my waist, rolling my hips until her eyes roll back.
Her walls flutter around me, body tensing as pleasure ripples from head to toe. I’m close behind, roaring through my release, clinging to her as if she might float into the ether.
She almost did. I almost gave up, afraid of the trek, when at the summit, my wildest dreams were waiting.
It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.
This is my peak.
Etched into my soul, my love for Florence is more permanent than any tattoo.
Florence is a restless sleeper, and once she’s awake, she’s awake.
Right now, the comforter is being dragged over my stomach, stopping just above my waist as she traces the words along my ribs.
“Morning,” I grunt.
“Good morning.” She smiles, eyes on her task.
God, she’s beautiful like this—hair messy from my hands, eyes hazy with sleep, in my shirt.
I blink.
“Is that…” I pinch the edge of the black and yellow flannel.
“It might be.”
She squeaks when I drag her on top of me.
“When did you even change into this?”
“There were a pair of Blue Jays singing outside the window, so I went to check on the boys and got changed. I think it looks better on me anyway.”
I stroke a hand down the length of her spine, enjoying the feel of the soft material as I cup her ass. “You won’t hear me arguing.”
We stare at each other, her chin on my chest. As much as last night was a huge step, there are questions I can tell she wants to ask. It’s something I’ll have to get used to. Already, less than twelve hours later, the void between us has closed.
She’s proud to be with me. The shame was all mine, my feelings tainted by the uncertainty surrounding my condition. She didn’t coddle me or sugar coat it. Deafness is a possibility, but at the knowledge I don’t have to face it alone, the fear dims.
That’s what she does. Brightens. Shines. Glows. My personal ray of light.
“I owe you a better explanation than the one I gave last night,” I start. “My intent was never to keep things from you because I didn’t trust you. It was to protect you, and I guess myself.”
Her lips corkscrew. “I understand your fears, but anyone who walks away from a person they claim to love because of something they can’t control… Well, that isn’t love.”
“I don’t regret those years alone.” I palm the back of her head. “Not if it led me here.”
She draws shapes on my pecs. “I’m guilty of not sharing certain details myself, but if this is real, Dex, we both need to start fresh. No more secrets.”
“No more secrets,” I agree.
There’s a hesitancy to her next words. “You need to take better care of yourself. Less coffee. Low sodium. When was the last time you saw your doctor?”
My skin prickles when I tell her about my last appointment with Doctor Accetta and the follow-up I’m yet to arrange, about my worst attacks and how my hearing aid is helpful but also a hindrance.
Not once does she waver. And when I recount the silent vow I made almost twenty years ago, her love embraces me.
A sob rips from Florence’s lips as she buries her face in my chest.
“Baby, please don’t cry.” I rub circles between her shoulder blades. “C’mon, look at me.”
Her eyes shine bright with tears. “Dex, you break that vow right now. You’re not doing this alone. I promise, I’m here for the long haul.”
I press a gentle kiss to her lips, swiping at her wet cheeks. Her empathy and compassion are some of my favorite things. “Trouble, the vow broke when you stole this flannel. I just didn’t know it.”
Blinking up at me, she asks, “What’s next?”
Her body rises with my deep exhale. “We’re telling Patrick.”