Page 93 of Sweet Nothings

“Tell me something sweet,” she requests, her sad eyes widening. She’s begging to feel. Begging to know the world isn’t as ugly as it appears. She wants me to remind her of all the love and of all the good that tends to get overshadowed.

My face is peeking below her still-damp breasts. I blow a gentle breath over her nipple before moving onto the other.

The corner of my mouth tilts into a smirk. “I fell in love with your eyes first.”

Her mouth falls open as I give her my first sweet. She inhales a shaky, fevered breath, followed by a moan.

I lower myself even farther, bringing my mouth to her belly button. I press my lips to her hip and flick my gaze up again. “The way your cheeks blushed red with embarrassment after telling me that removing the feather from your hair was sweet made me fall even harder.”

Laurel bucks her hips. I love seeing her this way. Her feet slide up and down along the mattress as she tries to cling to anything that will keep her sane. She’s begging for more, and I plan on giving it to her.

“Are you telling me every sweet from that night?” She gasps, struggling to catch her breath.

“Yes,” I growl, crawling back up along her body. I plant a kiss on her hip bone again before making my way up her side, then along the full curve of her breast. I kiss her collarbone and then her neck. Bringing my face in line with hers, I bare my deepest darkest secret. “I’ve cataloged every sweet from every moment I’ve been with you.”

“I doubt there’s very many,” she says, a smile playing on her lips.

“I have enough to tell you for the rest of our lives.”

With my right hand, I reach down and grab her left. I hold it between us as I turn her hand over and press my lips to the diamond. I rub my thumb over its sharp edges before looking into Laurel’s eyes. “This was my mother’s ring.”

Her eyes immediately soften, and for a moment, I worry I’ve scared her. I’ve never seen her face as shocked as it is now. Her eyes dart to her hand before she swings them back. “It was?” Her words get caught in her throat, full of emotion.

“Yes.” I nod, swallowing. “She gave it to me after she found out about her cancer diagnosis. She said to give it to the one I couldn’t live without. The one I would be able to tell all my sweets to, who would be able to do the same in return.”

“I don’t even know what to say.” She’s admiring the ring with tears lining her eyes. “I loved it when you gave it to me, but knowing the meaning behind it...” Her voice wanes.

“It was meant to be yours,” I tell her. “Always.”

“I love you.” She gasps, her eyes dancing between mine.

I pull my hips back and slide my cock along her folds. Her wetness coats my length as I let out a deep groan.

“And I love you.” I reach down and plunge myself into her. This time I take it slow. “Feel every inch,” I tell her. She lifts her legs and presses her bent knees into my sides. “I want you to feel every inch as I fill you. I want you to know I’ve always been yours.”

“And me...” she moans. “Yours.”

I slide myself out of her slowly before plunging back in. My cock swells, and heat expands across my body.

I watch Laurel’s face as I move above her, and I allow her love to fill me up, making sure I return as much as I can to her.

The future is uncertain, and if I think on it too long, my stomach grows uneasy. But ever since I’ve known what it feels to lose the ones you love the most, I plan on savoring every moment and every sweet.

Because loving Laurel is more than I and my little black heart deserve.

And even if I despised my father to my very core, in the end, he’s given me the greatest gift.

A life with Laurel and all her sweet nothings.

EPILOGUE

Laurel

Eight Months Later

The void I feel in my heart hasn’t faded with time. At least not yet.

I’ve been told grief never fully disappears, instead only getting easier to manage in time. It’s been six months since the cancer selfishly took Roe, and the pain hasn’t felt any less visceral than the day she died.

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