Salvation (Surrender 3)

“It’ll do for now.” He pulls me down into him. “But hopefully, in the near future, I can choose dessert and it won’t be fucking chocolate flowers.”

Chapter 11

Say Yes

Ember

I look at my phone for the tenth time in an hour and sigh. Still nothing from Robbie. This week has been nothing like last week. He’s been busy with work. We talk every night, but I haven’t seen him since he dropped me off at my house on Sunday morning.

Last Saturday night replays in my mind and I smile at the memory. Robbie was right; chocolate kisses have a certain appeal. We never really watched the movie he picked. Instead, we talked quietly about nothing important, staying on safe and non- emotional topics. I never moved out of his arms, lying partially on his body with my head on his chest. His fingertips brushed across the skin of my lower back where my sweater had risen, leaving tingling sensations in their path.

He yawned a few times, explaining he had been up early for a workout with Finn, so I suggested bed. When we got to his bedroom, he handed me some clothes to sleep in and an extra toothbrush, then left to lock up. I crawled into his massive bed and tried to figure out which side to lie on. When he walked back in a few minutes later, already changed into sleep pants, I started to get shy. He was shirtless, and I was able to truly appreciate his sculpted physique. Literally every muscle was defined and firm. My fingers twitched to touch each ridge. I mentally chastised myself for missing this last week when he spent the night with me.

“Which side of the bed do you like?” I asked.

“You mean I have a choice?”

“What does that mean?”

“The last time I slept with you, I had a sliver of the bed while you spread out. You’re a tiny thing, but when you fall asleep hard, you take up a lot of room.”

“Fine, I’ll take this side.” I huffed and used two of his pillows to put a barrier down the middle of the mattress. “I’ll try not to roll into you.”

He looked at the lumps and started laughing. “Babe, move that shit now. I want you lying on top of me. Once I get my leg situated, you can have all the room you want.”

His tone was playful and I liked the way it made me feel. He turned on the enormous TV and propped his left leg on a firm cushion.

“Robbie,” I whispered. “Can I see your leg?”

He squirmed uncomfortably and then knifed up and swung his leg around.

I gently eased the flannel fabric up and noticed the scarring start right above his ankle. It covered mostly the back of his lower leg, but there was also a surgical scar that rounded his shin. My fingers skimmed the pitted flesh up on his calf until the skin turned soft and normal. Even after all this time, the wound was evident and the hair hadn’t grown all the way back.

I stared at it as if it was the eighth wonder of the world. Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed along the outer edges.

“Jesus Christ, what are you doing?” His muscles tightened and he clutched the back of my neck.

“I know you may think I’m crazy, and possibly morbid, but this scar has a beauty to it. Now that I know the story behind it, I’m attached to it. To you, it brings bad memories and terrible images, but to me, it’s a symbol of bravery, nobility, and endurance. I may not have been in a war zone, but I know about survival. My marks are inside, Robbie, but they are still ugly. To me, this isn’t ugly. This is a sign of true survival.”

He exhaled loudly, holding my stare, and then surprised me by yanking me to him. His kiss started out soft, but turned deeper, hotter, and intense. We fed off each other for a while, until I pulled away panting. The look on his face was hungry, almost primal.

“Ember, thank you for making something so horrendous into something special. My skin still prickles from your lips touching my broken flesh.”

I blushed and curled into him while he adjusted his body back into a laying position. “Now, how about you fall asleep on me, and then you can spread out like an eagle on the rest of the bed later?”

“I’ll try to stay to myself.”

“What’s the fun in that?” he joked.

True to form, I fell asleep and woke up the next morning spread across his entire bed. He had already gotten up and made coffee, so when I joined him in the kitchen, he smirked at me. We talked a bit before I got dressed and he took me home. When I kissed him goodbye on my doorstep, I felt like our whole relationship had changed.

“Earth to Ember!” Cruz shakes his finger in my face, bringing me out of my daze.

“What?” I snap.

“Are you in another Robbie dream?”

“Maybe. Just wondering why I haven’t heard from him today.”