Chapter 22 #3
It felt nothing like the first one outside Charlie’s bedroom. That kiss had been surprise, brief and uncertain, gone before either of us could understand it.
This one carried every conversation afterward.
Every cup of coffee.
Every morning she had held Charlie.
Every night she had remained beside frightened survivors.
Every time she had noticed my exhaustion and quietly refused to let me hide inside usefulness.
Her mouth moved against mine slowly, without urgency. My hand settled at the side of her neck while hers rested against my chest, directly over the heart she had already changed without ever asking permission.
When we separated, we remained close enough for our foreheads to touch.
Sunshine’s breath trembled.
“Still nervous?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She smiled.
“Why good?”
“Means I’m not the only one.”
I kissed her again. Longer this time and she leaned into me, one hand sliding from my chest to the back of my neck. The contact sent heat through me, but desire was not the strongest thing I felt.
Trust was.
She trusted me enough to move closer.
I trusted her enough to want more than a single night.
That mattered.
I drew back before the kiss became something neither of us had named.
“Sunshine.”
“I know.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I know.”
“I need you to be certain.”
She opened her eyes.
“I am not certain about everything.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I’m certain about tonight.”
I searched her face.
No fear.
Nerves, yes.
Emotion.
Want.
Choice.
She turned her hand inside mine and stood.
The porch swing shifted behind her.
For one moment, she simply waited.
Then she held out her hand.
I took it.
We crossed the porch together.
At the doorway, Sunshine paused and looked back toward the yard where fireflies continued glowing above the grass.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m trying to remember this.”
“The bugs?”
She laughed softly.
“All of it.”
I touched her cheek.
“You don’t have to memorize it like it’s ending.”
Her eyes returned to mine.
The meaning reached her slowly. This wasn’t the ending. It was the beginning. She nodded and then stepped inside.
I followed, closing the door behind us without locking out the world so much as choosing, for one quiet night, not to let it interrupt.
Upstairs, Charlie’s room waited empty except for scattered toys and the small lamp shaped like a moon. Mr. Pickles was gone. The house lacked her sleepy breathing, her questions from across the hall, and the patter of feet that usually arrived before dawn.
But it did not feel lonely.
Sunshine stood at the foot of my bed, her fingers still woven through mine.
I kissed her once more.
Slowly.
Carefully.
She reached for me with no hesitation.
And when the light clicked off, there were no promises neither of us could guarantee, no attempt to replace the past, and no need to decide every part of the future before allowing ourselves one night inside it.
There was only choice.
Her hand in mine.
My name whispered in the dark.
And two people who had spent years holding everyone else together finally trusting each other enough to be held.
My hands shook as they wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.
“Are you sure? We don’t have to do anything Sunshine. You being here is enough.”
Her smile radiated warmth as she looked at me. “I have never been more sure of anything in my life Remedy. I want you. I want you to be my first.”
I smiled down at her. “If I become your first then I will be your only and your last. You understand that right? This isn’t a one time thing. This is for good. Once we take this step I am never letting you go.”
“Good. I don’t want you to.”
I felt the rush fill me as I looked at her once more.
My head bent and I took her lips in mine once more.
It was soft and sweet at first, but it quickly became something more.
It become hungry and hot and I couldn’t seem to get her close enough.
I needed to feel her against my body. I needed to feel her skin.
Then she stepped back from me and I watched as her hands made quick work of removing her clothes one piece at a time.
It wasn’t until she stood in just her cotton bra and panties that I realized I was still fully dressed.
One of her eyebrows shot up as she stared at me.
I couldn’t help the grin that swept across my face.
I made quick work of my own clothes until I stood in just my boxers and then held out both hands toward her. She took both, and I looked down at her tiny smooth hand in my own.
I pulled her against me once more and then took her lips again.
I felt her soft lips as my tongue swept across then and slipped into her hot mouth.
The moan she let vibrated against my lips and I couldn’t help but respond with one of my own.
Closing my eyes I did nothing but feel. I felt the warmth of her breath against my cheek as I slowly kissed my way across her cheek and buried my head into her hair.
My teeth grazed against her neck as I inhaled deeply.
The scent hit me. All Sunshine. It was filled with warmth and honey with a hint of lavender.
It was a scent that only she carried and I wanted more of it.
I let that scent continue to fill me until we were both sated and in each other’s arms.