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Forever, my heart whispered.

And I kissed her to seal the silent promise.

Our bodies wound together, my arms wrapped around her, her body melding into mine, the impression of every curve set into me where it belonged. Her hands slipped into my jacket, pushed it over my shoulders. I shrugged it off as she did the same, the kiss never breaking.

We were a blur of motion, of fluttering hands and hearts, of sighs and noisy breaths as we moved for the bedroom, shedding clothes all the way.

I broke away when we reached the foot of the bed, spent a long moment appreciating everything before me—her body, her heart, our future. Years later, I’d look back and realize this was the moment I knew without knowing that I’d love her forever. Until the day that I died, I would love Val.

And my greatest wish was that she’d love me in equal measure.

I kissed her sweetly until the kiss turned hot, deep and deliberate. Until it was desperate, delving and dark with desire. And then I laid her down. Kissed down her body. Held her breasts in my hands, kissed the tight tip with eyes closed, mouth warm. Felt her fingers in my hair, heard her sigh, smelled her heat as I kissed lower, lower. And when I reached the place where her thighs met, I cupped her sweetness, tasted her, kissed every ridge, licked every valley.

I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop, not ever, but she called my name, and I had to obey. Because I was hers.

Her pleasure was my pleasure. It always would be.

She pulled me up her body, kissed my lips, tasted the salt of her body on my tongue. I broke away only to reach into my nightstand, returning to her lips again as I tore the packet open, rolled the condom on. Settled between her legs, felt the give of her thighs, felt the slickness between, felt every inch of her from the inside as I slipped into her.

A pause, a breath, my eyes and hers, our hearts thundering and words of love on our lips. And I moved. My hips and hers, my hands buried in her curls and hers holding on, holding me close. Her legs parting wider, her knees drawing up, thighs bracketing my waist.

A thrust, and she gasped. Another, and she came. A third, and I was behind her, filling her up, letting myself go, giving to her and taking of her. Loving her and reveling in her love.

And it was over. But it wasn’t.

Because when I looked at her, all I saw were beginnings.





35





The Red One





Val

“Tell me you don’t have plans today.”

I heard the words muffled through the rumbling of his chest where my ear lay and clear as day from the other.

I smiled. “Before last night, my plans included moping around like a sad panda and missing you.”

“So, no?”

I laughed, shifting to rest my hand on the broad curve of one pectoral, propping my chin on the back. “No plans.”

“Good,” he said with a smirk.

God, he was beautiful. Dark and lovely and naked and wrapped around me like a spider monkey.

“What do you want to do?” I asked.

“I have a list.”

“A list, huh?”

His smirk climbed, his eyes the color of honey. “Yup,” was all he offered.

“Any hints? Clues? A treasure map maybe?”

“You’ll see.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Come on, give me a teeny-tiny hint. Just a little bitty baby hint.”

His arms flexed around me, bringing me a little closer. “Nope. But let me know when you figure it out. Until then, you’re on a need-to-know basis.”

I chuckled. “When does it start?”

With a twist of his body, he rolled us over, hovering over me with his hair mussed and eyes warm. “Right now.”

He kissed me, soft and deep, kissed me until we weren’t just kissing, loved me with his lips, his hips, his hands and his body. He loved me right and thoroughly, and I loved him right back.

#

A few hours later, we were walking through the Village, bundled up against the chill. My eyes scanned every storefront, anticipating where we were going.

“Is it brunch?” I asked when I spotted a new breakfast place. My empty stomach clenched at the prospect.

“Nope.”

I scanned some more. We were heading toward my place, and I cataloged everything between here and there to try to figure out a pattern. “You’re sure we’re not going to my place?”

“I never said we weren’t going to your place.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I kissed you instead of answering.”

A laugh bubbled out of me. “You did, didn’t you.”

“I can’t help it. I love kissing you.”

“And you love not answering me.”

“That too. Ah, here we go.”

My face quirked in confusion as he pulled me into the grocery store. “Groceries?”

“Yup,” he answered as he picked up a red plastic handbasket.

“Are you cooking?”

“Eventually.”

“Eventually,” I echoed. When he guided me away from the food and to the cosmetics, I frowned. “Are you gonna cook me tampons?”

Sam laughed, stopping in front of a display of dental care. “Do you like your toothbrushes soft or hard?”

“Hard. Always hard.”