Chapter 12 #2
"I guess you'll have to spend your whole life making it up to me then," she blankets her words over my shoulder.
A sudden laugh breaks from my throat, only to be cut off by a sharp, lingering cough from the flu.
"I'll gladly do that, darling," I say against her skin.
Lily pulls back just an inch, her eyes dark and heavy with a year of pent-up longing, and slams her lips against mine.
An electric shock runs straight to my gut, and my head goes entirely blank as I return the kiss.
My breath mingles with hers, hot and desperate, the taste of her completely consuming my senses.
I stand up, lifting her effortlessly from the floor.
Her knit dress is already short enough that my palms slide directly onto the bare, soft curves of her bottom, anchoring her weight against my hips.
"Oh, I've missed this," I groan against her mouth, my heart beating so fast I can hear it in my ears.
Suddenly, Lily pauses.
Her lips break away from mine. She places her hands firmly against my shoulders and pushes down, her feet sliding back until they touch the rug. She completely detaches herself from my hold and steps back a full foot.
A cold wave of panic hits my chest, instantly replacing the warmth of the touch.
My stomach drops. I look at her standing there, her expression unreadable, and the terrifying thought flashes through my head that she has changed her mind.
I think she’s decided not to forgive me after all.
I stand frozen, the silence of the room turning entirely suffocating, my hands trembling slightly at my sides as I brace for the worst.
Lily watches the sheer terror clear on my face, and a slow, knowing smile hooks the corner of her lips. She tilts her head toward the hallway.
"Come upstairs," she whispers.
The relief almost drops me to my knees. Before I can even draw air into my lungs, she turns on her heel and heads for the steps.
I follow on her heels, my pulse racing. The second we clear the threshold of our bedroom, she wheels around and jumps straight on me, her legs wrapping securely around my waist.
I catch her easily, the momentum throwing us toward the center of the space as our mouths find each other again.
The kiss is fierce, continuous, erasing the sixteen months of isolation in a single beat.
My hands slide down her lower back, my fingers digging into the rich fabric of her dress.
Unable to hold back, I squeeze the soft curve of her bottom tightly, then bring my palm down in a sudden, sharp spank.
Lily lets out a breathless gasp against my lips, followed instantly by a quiet, genuine giggle. She pulls her head back just an inch, her eyes sparkling through the dark strands of her hair as she looks down at me.
"Bad, bad man," she mutters.
I let out a low laugh, my fingers tightening on her skin.
She runs her thumb gently over my upper lip, tracing the line of my mouth, her eyes already swimming with a fresh film of tears.
The sight breaks the last of my control.
I kiss her again, years of abstinence and frustration boiling straight to the top as I pour every ounce of my love into the touch.
She holds me with a suffocating tightness, as if the remaining space between our chests is still too much of a barrier.
With a low grunt, I back toward the bed and lower her onto the mattress. She lies back against the pillows, a panting, heaving mess, her dark hair scattered across the linen. I reach down, pulling my black t-shirt over my head and tossing it onto the floor.
A slow, hazy smirk spreads across her lips as her eyes give my bare chest a slow appreciation.
She sits up on the mattress, her fingers reaching for the hem of her knit dress, and pulls the fabric over her head in one smooth movement.
The full, beautiful breasts I have spent sixteen months dreaming about fall free in the morning light.
"Oh, baby," I breathe, moving toward her as if enchanted by the sheer sight of her.
I cup one heavy breast in my palm, the skin incredibly soft, and lean down to suckle on her nipple. I look up through my eyelashes, my voice thick. "Do you remember what I wrote in that letter?"
Lily lets out a soft chuckle, her back arching slightly against my hand. "You left me moaning to myself in my room, darling," she whispers back.
I pull her into my arms, hugging her tightly until we both tumble backward into the center of the bed.
She laughs, the sound light and clear, and I follow her down, dropping slow, lingering kisses across the line of her lips, her jaw, her throat.
"This is cheers to forever, baby," I murmur against her collarbone.
My mouth moves down to her neck, and a low, involuntary moan escapes her lips.
Her hands fly back up to my hair, her fingers gripping the locks as she arches her hips against mine.
Her senses are clearly elsewhere, her palms moving down to my shoulders to push my head back down toward the bare warmth of her breasts.
I let out a low, husky laugh against her skin, but as I wrap my arms around her waist to pull her closer, a sudden wave of reality hits me.
The memory of the empty bedroom flashes behind my eyes.
The nights I lay awake staring at the ceiling, breathing in the faint remnants of her shampoo on an empty pillow, hearing the echo of her voice in the quiet corners of the house.
The tears reach my eyes before I can stop them. My throat catches, my breath hitching in my chest, and I wrap my arms around her with a fierce, desperate tightness that catches her completely by surprise.
"Oh, Lily... please forgive me, baby," I choke out into her neck, my voice trembling violently. "I don't know what I'll be without you."
The image of that vast, empty house sits in my mind, a terrifying reminder of how close I came to losing everything. "I love you so much."
I pull away from her just enough to look at her face, my hands moving frantically over both sides of her jaw, her mouth, smoothing the dark strands of her hair away from her temples as if I need to touch every part of her to know she's real.
She let out a soft chuckle, her eyes warm and wet as she watches my panic.
Before she can speak, I catch her by surprise again, sliding my arms under her knees and lifting her entirely off the mattress. She lets out a sharp gasp, her frame shaking with a sudden, beautiful laugh as I hold her against my chest.
"You're my wife, baby," I say, my voice thick with emotion.
"I love you, Noah," Lily tells me softly.
The words make something jump wildly behind my ribs. Looking down at her face, I know with absolute certainty that this girl is every single thing I want for the rest of my life.
I kiss her again before she can say another word.
My chest presses flush against hers, and the warmth of her body... soft and familiar and entirely beautiful... undoes something in me that has been wound tight for months. I hold her waist with both hands, kissing her deeply. Slowly. Like she might disappear if I move too fast.
She makes a small sound against my mouth.
I pull back just enough to look at her face... her eyes closed, her lips parted... and something about the sight of her like this, completely unguarded, cracks me open entirely.
I press my lips to her jaw. Her neck. The soft skin below her ear. I feel her fingers slide into my hair, and then her hand is pressing gently at the back of my head, guiding me down.
I find her and I take my time.
A sharp, breathless sound escapes her throat... the one I know better than any sound in the world. I look up. Her back is arched, her head tipped back against the pillow, her face open in a way she never lets anyone see. I smile against her skin.
There she is.
I take my time with her. I have months of absence to make up for and I intend to spend every minute of tonight doing exactly that.
When I finally pull back she is looking at me... her chest rising and falling, her eyes dark and warm. I reach down and pull off my sweatpants slowly, holding her gaze the entire time. Her eyes move over me and a small smile touches her lips.
I lower myself over her, my body finding hers... like there was never any distance between us at all.
"Let's make memories, baby," I say quietly.
Her arms come around my back and she pulls me close. I close my eyes, and for the first time in a while, the house does not feel empty.
***
Later, in the stillness of the night. Her fingers are laced tightly through mine, our palms pressed together between our chests in the dark.
"I missed you," she whispers, the sound barely more than a breath.
"I missed you too," I murmur, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple. The steady rise and fall of her chest is the only rhythm that matters now. "I thought I’d lost this. I thought I’d failed you so completely that you’d never look at me again. But you’re here."
I shift slightly, pulling the quilt higher over her shoulders to keep out the night chill. "Thank you for staying. For loving me through all of it."
"It’s not hard to love you," she murmurs, her voice trailing off as sleep finally begins to pull at her.
"I love you," I say, watching as her eyes drift shut.
I lie there for a long time, staring at the shadows on the wall, shaking my head at the impossibility of it all. Twenty-four hours ago, I was alone in the dark. Now, under this roof, I have everything. I promise the silence that I will never let this go again.
***