Chapter 37
Rune gingerly pulled back, slowly disengaging from him.
They both gasped at the sensation as she slowly stood back up while trying to catch the escaping wetness sliding down her thighs.
Dorian followed her up but his eyes were on their combined essence seeping down her thigh.
Dorian still had his shirt on while she was completely naked, but it didn't feel uncomfortable.
.. until she realized the kitchen curtains were open.
"Think we might have given the neighbours a show with dinner", she giggled, though she fervently hoped not, because there was a teenager next door, and she had no plans of becoming a YouTube sensation for all the wrong reasons.
Dorian just muttered something about privacy and lawsuits before moving to firmly pull the curtains closed.
Then he bent slightly, arms poised to lift her again, but Rune caught his wrists.
"Don't you dare," she said, half laughing. "I can walk just fine."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're carrying precious cargo."
"This coming from the man who had a vasectomy to avoid having children," she shot back, eyes gleaming with challenge." And I have perfectly capable legs, thank you very much, sir, so don't even think about it."
His dark eyes fixed intently on her for a few long seconds before he gathered her close. "I'd like to insert an addendum to that statement," he murmured. "I never wanted to have kids unless it was with you."
Rune blinked up at him, the corners of her mouth curving into a slow smile. "Oh, I don't know, Mr Albury... that's a U-turn at the speed of light. Are you admitting you were wrong?"
"Possibly," he said, his tone turning softer.
"All I'm saying is there isn't much I wouldn't do to have you back.
" His thumb traced lazy circles at the small of her back before smoothing a large palm over the curve of her butt.
"When you're not around, my focus goes to hell.
I make careless mistakes, I don't sleep, and every reminder of you, every scent, every sound, throws me off balance. "
She looked up at him through her lashes, her voice smooth as silk. "So, you're saying I'm good for your mental health?"
He gave a low, rumbling laugh. "Essential," he said. "And besides, with your looks and my superior brain, the twins will probably run the world."
Rune tilted her head, half-teasing, half-touched. "That's quite a recovery, Dorian. And are you calling me stupid?"
Dorian replied, "You did stick with me for six years while I had my head stuck in my arse."
Rune considered it and nodded. He did have a point.
"At least let me put some clothes on", she grumbled as she headed for the stairs. He stayed close behind, hands ready as though she might topple over at any second.
When she glanced back, she caught the grin tugging at his mouth. "You're going to be of no use if you are staring at my butt all the time."
"Observing," he said innocently. "Purely for safety reasons."
Rune rolled her eyes as she slowly took the stairs with his hands loosely on her waist from behind. But the corner of her mouth curved. "It's unfair, you know. You get to walk around almost fully dressed while I..."
He cut her off with a laugh. "Easily remedied. Let's get you into the shower first."
"Dorian..."
He only smiled wider, an unfamiliar boyish gleam in his eyes that softened the sharpness of him. "Fine. Truce. No double standards."
She shook her head, half exasperated, half endeared. "You're impossible."
"And yet you're still here, lusting after my body," he murmured, following her the rest of the way upstairs.
There was something light in the air now, playful and easy. It wasn't the tense, desperate need of before but the quiet warmth of two people rediscovering each other.
***
Steam filled the bathroom, blurring the edges of everything, the tiles, their shadows, even the distance that divided them.
Dorian joined her wordlessly, his hands gentle as he helped rinse the shampoo from her hair.
He worked with slow, deliberate care, massaging her scalp until she melted beneath his touch.
He reached for the conditioner next, running his fingers through her hair with the same precision he used on a problem he was trying to fix.
The slow strokes of his strong fingers almost pulled her into a stupor.
Rune closed her eyes, letting him take care of her in a way she sensed he needed to.
It was not the hurried kind of closeness she had once known with him, but a kind that felt more intimate.
When he asked if he could touch her belly, his voice still carrying a thread of uncertainty.
She nodded, too choked to answer. His hand hesitantly rested there, warm and reverent, and she was grateful for the curtain of steam that hid her teary eyes.
Afterwards, he wrapped her in a towel, fussing over her until she looked like she'd been swaddled in clouds.
He had said nothing about the water being hot enough to scald, just smiled faintly and turned it down before taking a quick shower of his own.
Rune stood at the mirror, watching him through the haze.
When he bent to turn off the tap, she reached out and brushed her fingers down his back, a light, fleeting touch that made him look over his shoulder and smile.
It wasn't about the desire just beneath the surface still.
It was about the quiet relief of letting go of the anger and being able to reach for what she had wanted in her heart of hearts.
When he finished, he walked her to her room, turned down the quilt, and nodded toward the bed.
"In you go," he said gently. She slipped under the covers, eyes heavy, expecting him to sleep in the guest bedroom.
Her bed was a small double bed, and Dorian liked his space.
But after a few minutes, she heard the soft creak of the stairs, the click of doors being locked, and then the mattress dipped beside her.
He settled behind her, one arm under her head, the other around her waist, his hand brushing lightly across the curve of her stomach. She pressed back against his hardness pressing against her bare buttocks while smiling drowsily, but he only murmured against her neck, "Go to sleep…love."
The world outside faded to rain and quiet breaths. Everything didn't feel difficult anymore.