Chapter 26 #2
“I wish I had proposed properly and given you an engagement ring from the start,” I say thickly, loving how it glints as she moves her hand to look at it from every angle.
“This is so beautiful, Gage,” she whispers, grasping my hand again and pulling me to my feet.
Then she launches herself into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist, her hands clasping my face as I take her mouth in a searing kiss.
We’re laughing as our tears mingle together, euphoria surrounding us like the mist from the nearby waterfalls.
I don’t know how long we kiss, but eventually we break apart when we hear other people on the trail.
It’s not too crowded today, since it’s earlier on a weekday and the clouds are starting to look ominous.
We walk back to the car hand in hand, Celeste looking at her new ring every few minutes, as if she’s afraid it will disappear.
We’re quiet on the drive home, but keep looking at each other with the goofiest smiles on our faces.
At least mine must look goofy, Celeste is absolutely glowing with happiness to the point where my chest pinches.
When we walk in the door, we check on the birds as usual, and then take our sweet time going to my bedroom.
Our clothes come off like we have all of the time in the world, because now we do.
We have forever with each other. Once we’re naked and in bed, the touching and kissing is languid and achingly sweet.
She strokes me gently, holding my gaze. I get her onto her back and slowly crawl my way down her body, leaving a wake of kisses and nips until I reach her hips.
“These are my favorite freckles of yours,” I murmur, kissing the little constellation she has on her left hip. Right above it is an adorable tattoo of a bumblebee that I’ve been wanting to ask her about. I’m idly tracing the bee when she clocks my interest.
“You don’t have to be afraid to ask about it, I know it’s been on your mind since you saw it. Tania and I got tattoos together when she turned eighteen, and aged out of the foster care system. She has stars for Celeste, and I have a bumblebee for Nia Bia,” she explains with a small chuckle.
“If it was about something painful, I didn’t want to bring it up. I figured you’d tell me on your own time. I love it.” I tell her before kissing the bee.
“You can ask me anything. Hard things aren’t so painful for me to talk about anymore, especially with you,” she murmurs as she strokes my hair.
“Good. Same for me. I think Dr. Kirkfield is going to help a lot.”
She makes a sound of agreement as she continues stroking my hair. That’s it for words as we start kissing again, this time with more heat.
“Need you,” I rasp.
“You have me,” she croons, kissing my neck and giving it a bite.
I move back down her body, this time to taste her sweet pussy.
Her hips buck, and her gasps get louder as I lick and suck in just the way she likes.
She’s shamelessly riding my face, and I’m living for it.
Her legs start to shake as she nears her climax, before they clamp around my head the same way her pussy clamps around my tongue.
I will never get tired of hearing her scream my name or the taste of her when she comes.
She smiles at me lazily as I make a show of licking her arousal off of my lips. When I reach for a condom in the bedside drawer, her hand comes to my wrist.
“I’ll do it,” she coos.
Tearing open the wrapper, she gives me a few firm strokes before unrolling the condom down my length. I am painfully hard and can’t wait to sink into her.
“I’m thinking I need to schedule a vasectomy soon.
Feeling you without a barrier would be mind bending,” I groan as I hover over her and line myself up.
We’ve talked about going bare, but birth control is not a hundred percent effective, so we don’t want to take that risk.
She nods her agreement, pulls me closer, and wraps her legs around me.
“Want to feel your weight on me,” she whispers.
That’s been another huge step for her. While there is still her need to be in control of what we’re doing, she trusts me enough to be on top of her, pinning her down.
Her scars will always be there, but witnessing her healing has been the most wonderful, gratifying thing I’ve ever experienced.
We both gasp as I rock into her, sliding home in one easy stroke.
I rest on my forearms, cupping her face and kissing her while I just enjoy the feel of being inside her.
She doesn’t pressure me to start moving, we simply stay connected while we make out and stare at each other.
The intimacy of the moment tugs at my entire center, as if our very souls are joining.
We murmur sweetly to each other, and she gasps when I gently suck on the sensitive spot beneath her ear.
I’ve never felt both so emotionally and physically close to someone.
After a few minutes, she presses her feet onto my ass to silently urge me to move.
It feels different in the best way, now that we’ve both confessed how much we love each other.
With that veil of uncertainty removed, it’s like making love in full technicolor.
Every sensation is heightened by how much I feel for this woman.
The pleasure builds slowly with every dragging thrust, a creeping heat that starts in the bottom of my spine, and radiates all of the way to the tips of my fingers. My movements pick up speed and intensity as she meets me stroke for stroke, until we’re both right there.
“Love you endlessly, mi vida,” I whisper on her lips.
“Love you so much,” she whispers back, before we both fall over the edge into bliss.