When the Heart Falls(57)

As we eat, a family nearby enjoys their own picnic. The little boy and girl play together, kicking a ball back and forth.

"You like kids?" I ask.

Winter shrugs. "They're cute."

"You want any?"

"In a few years," she says, watching as the boy kicks the ball too far, sending the girl running for it.

"How many?"

"Years or kids?”

I chuckle. “Kids.”

The sun shines on her hair, bringing out the blue undertones of the black. “Well, my kindergarten self decided I'd have two. A boy and a girl."

An ant scuttles over my hand and I shake it off. "What about your present self?"

She crosses her arms over her knees, eyes focused on something far away. "I don't know. I worry about having a baby. How could I protect her when the world's so cruel?"

"She'll have the Savage blood in her. She'll protect herself."

Winter raises an eyebrow. "So we're talking about our baby?"

I look away, shocked at the turn of this conversation, at my own thoughts. "Just thinking about the future. I always imagined having a big family."

She shakes her head. "Not me. Not anymore."

"Because you grew up in one?"

Winter turns away, staring at the horizon. "Because I'm afraid. One child is the chance to make a million mistakes. I'm not sure I could handle more mistakes."

"Because you'd care about your baby."

"More than myself."

I nod. "Me too. But babies are still a far way off."

"They are, and one day, I won't be afraid anymore," she says. "I may not even notice it, but one day, I'll be ready."

I smile. "She's back."

"Who?"

"The optimist."

Winter chuckles. "She's always in here, fighting for survival."



This is our last stop before heading back to Mont Saint-Michel, and I'm reluctant to leave. A shadow of despair settles over me, but I shrug it off. We still have several days left of our vacation, then several weeks left of our summer in Paris. I refuse to let the future steal these present joys from me.

Winter falls asleep in the car on the long drive back to our hotel at Mont Saint-Michel, and I nudge her awake when I return the rental. We're both exhausted when the bus drops us down the road from our hotel. All the walking and driving and sightseeing has worn us out, but I have one more thing left on our agenda that I don't intend to postpone for morning. So as Winter showers, I grab a condom and slip in with her, startling her enough that she drops the soap.

I pick it up and slide it over her body, using my hands to rub the suds into her, massaging her as I go.

She sighs and leans against the shower wall. "You're evil, Mr. Savage."

"If by evil you mean desperate to be with the woman I love, then I'm guilty as charged." As soon as the words slip out, I freeze. We haven't used the 'L' word yet, though I've thought it. I wait to see how she responds.

"You… love me?"

Part of me wants to take it back, knowing I'm sinking deeper into something that will be hard to recover from, but I can't do it. I know it's true, and she needs to know it too. "Yes, Winter Deveaux. I love you. Utterly and completely. Why else would I agree to our crazy cross-continental long distance plan?"

I think a tear slides down her cheek, but it's hard to tell with the shower water pouring over us.

My hands are on her waist, and she lets hers fall on my chest. "I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone," she says. "Never thought I could. But Cade, you understand me better than anyone I've ever known. When I'm with you, I'm the best possible version of myself, and I feel like I can accomplish anything."

"Oh sweetheart, you don't need me for that. You are amazing all on your own."

This time I know it's a tear that slides out of her blue eyes. "See? This is what I'm talking about. I love you, too, Cade Savage. Forever."

We kiss, melting into each other, and we don't stop kissing as I slide on the condom, lift her leg around me and guide myself into her. Our movements are slow, gentle, slight, at first, but as the passion builds, so too does our speed and frenzy. I'm undone by the soap and water, the warmth, the feel of her curves pressed against me. I never want to forget how it feels as we climax together, soaring off a cliff far more beautiful than anything we saw today. "I love you, Winter. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Once we're in bed and dried off, I assume we're both too exhausted to do anything but sleep, but my little minx has other plans as she peppers my body with soft kisses, starting at my neck and moving down.

When her tongue flicks the most sensitive spot on my body, I growl and grab the sheets so that I don't force her into a pace she's not ready for. Her lips are so soft, tongue so warm, mouth so inviting, and when she looks up at me with her big blue eyes, a twinkle of naughty in them, I can't resist anymore.

I flip us around, making sure she is well-satisfied with my tongue before guiding her to her knees and slamming into her. Her cry is one of pleasure as her hips buck against mine.

With more force than we've used before, we dance a new dance, one where the fire burns too hot to touch and the pleasure is almost unbearable.