“Fuck me, you feel so good.” He finds my mouth and kisses me deeply. Our mouths seal together, and salt is on both our tongues as they entwine.
My hands fumble to his cheeks, and I pull his face closer, kissing him harder. Another pulse deep inside me, and I whimper. It’s so good. Our mouths break apart, and he lifts his chin.
“I think I made it to heaven that time,” he laughs, and I can’t resist touching the tip of my tongue to the hollow between his collarbones.
“You brought me with you.” I smile, savoring the feel of his massive body in my arms, between my legs, deep inside me.
This is exactly right. This is how it’s supposed to be. His face drops down, and he kisses my temple, my cheek, the side of my jaw. We roll to the side, and he slips out, pulling me against his chest. Strong arms surround me with love and warmth and safety.
“You’re coming with me now, to my place.” It’s not a question, and I don’t argue. Still, he touches my chin with his thumb. “I want to hear you say it.”
That makes me grin. “I’m going home with you now.”
Both his arms go back around me, and I’m rewarded with another lingering kiss. “I love hearing those words together.”
“Home?” I ask.
“With you.”
I nestle into his embrace. “You’ve always been my home since that first day on the beach. I saw you and something inside me changed.”
His fingers trace down the line of my back making me shiver. “That summer was so perfect it was hard to believe.” He kisses my head. “We were so young, and I’d found you. I never got over you, Sass. I kept looking for you everywhere.”
“When I think of love and happiness, you’re the only face I see.”
He leans back to cup my chin, lifting my lips to his. “It will always be that way, from now until the end of our days.”
Warm lips cover mine, and the world fades away. I’m safe in his loving arms, and I never plan to leave. We lost each other. I made mistakes. I was dirty, and I couldn’t imagine ever being clean enough or good enough for my wonderful man.
Now through a miracle of fate, I’ve been given a second chance, and it’s a gift I won’t take for granted.
His lips move to my cheek, and he speaks directly in my ear. “I love you, Sass.”
Joy expands so rapidly in my chest, my eyes heat. “I love you, Logan Hunt.”
It’s a promise from the depths of my soul. He’s the home I’ve longed for, he’s my euphoric desire, and he’s my enduring future. I see our love as clear as a painting. Not a blurry Monet, but a Renoir—detailed and precise lines.
I fell in love and my eyes were closed, so I stayed there. Now my heart’s eyes have been opened, and I see everything worth seeing. I don’t need unique or extravagant words. What we’ve found is quite simple. It’s forever.
Our happily ever after.
* * *
The end.
Epilogue: After
Logan
Brilliant white light floods my enormous studio apartment. Since Kass moved in six months ago, we’ve done all we can to maximize the amount of natural light filtering into the space. I was resistant at first, until I realized how much it helps her see objects… in particular me. Once I got it, she had to stop me from picking up a can of reflective paint at the store.
The memory makes me laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Her voice is lazy this morning.
It’s ten, and we’ve just spent the last half hour making love. Now she’s sitting up in bed, and I’m lying on my back in her arms. My head rests on a pillow beside her breast, and she still has a leg tossed over my stomach. I reach up to cup the back of her shoulder.
“I was thinking about reflective paint.” Turning on my side, my mouth is right at her growing midsection. “We might decide to rethink all this light once the baby comes.”