Page 92 of Sweet Nothings

My ribs expand with every breath, and my spine tingles when a hand slides across my side.

Two small arms slink under mine, wrapping around me. I feel Laurel press the side of her face to my back. I can’t see her, but I feel her naked breasts press against my spine. I remove one of my hands from the wall and slide it across her arm wrapped around me.

I don’t move, feeling her body contract against mine. Her breaths are labored, as if she’s playing every single moment of tonight out.

I’m relieved she’s finally home, but I know she hasn’t stopped thinking about tonight.

“Fred and Kellan showed up to the hospital,” she says over the sound of rushing water. Her lips move against my skin, sending shivers down my spine. “I told Fred I’m sending him my resignation letter on Monday. I quit the firm.”

I drop my other hand and spin around. Laurel’s arms unravel, falling at her sides. She stands under the stream of water. Her long dark hair clings to her face. Streaks of mascara still cover her cheeks. Dark sparkling eyeshadow that once covered the lids of her eyes has now faded and spread out past her eyebrows. Her bottom lip quivers as her shoulders slump with defeat. I know how much her job meant to her. How important being a lawyer is to her. She wrote it in her terms and conditions in fear I would ask her to leave or control her like her first husband.

I quickly place both my hands around her face.

“Oh, sweet nothings.” I run my thumbs under her eyes, wiping the dried mascara clean. “I’m sorry.”

“I…” She hiccups, nervously biting down on her bottom lip. “I know it was the right thing to do.”

I don’t speak. I let my hands roam her face, mentally taking note of every lash and every flicker in her eyes. She looks into mine, creating a dance between them. “Thank you for what you did tonight. I know I said it at the hospital, but I want to say it to you again. Now.”

“You’re my wife, Laurel,” I tell her. “I would do anything for you.”

Slowly, she lifts her hand, and with the tip of her index finger, she traces the letters under my feather tattoo. I follow her finger before looking back up. Her eyes meet mine.

“I love you, Lennon.”

My heart plummets to my stomach. The sensation is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I feel weightless, like I’m somehow floating outside of my own body. No one has ever told me they loved me, and I’ve never done the same in return.

“I’ve always loved you,” she says, pressing her palm against my ribs, covering the tattoo. “Ever since I saw you looking down at me in the backseat of your car, with your black heart, I loved you.”

My chest feels like it’s been ripped open, and Laurel has wrapped her fingers around my heart. I told her I didn’t want her to say it until there were no longer any secrets between us. I didn’t so much as care Laurel was keeping secrets. Everyone has them, including me. But if Laurel and I were going to be able to move past our contractual marriage, we needed to be able to face our feelings head on. Admitting your love for someone when all you’ve been raised to be is unfeeling, doesn’t exactly come naturally. But somehow, Laurel made it as easy as breathing. Loving her is as easy as the oxygen pumping into my lungs.

I inhale a sharp breath before slamming her mouth against mine. She presses both her hands at my sides, digging her fingernails into my tattoo. She moans before I break our kiss long enough for me to answer her.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say those words.” I kiss her again. “You own me, Laurel Eleanor Harding. Mind, body, and soul. You’re not only mine, but I am yours.” I grip the back of her neck, pulling her in for another kiss. I’m thirsty for more, never quite feeling satisfied with one kiss. “Utterly, completely, and wholly yours.”

“I love you,” she whispers against my mouth.

I wrap my arm around her and spin her until her back lands against the cool tile. My hand quickly trails up her bare leg, slipping between her warm thighs. I slide my fingers between her warm, wet folds, plunging three fingers inside her. She grips my shoulders and tilts her head back, gasping. I hook my fingers, pressing into the spot I know will quickly send her over the edge if I keep going.

“Tell me I’m yours,” I say, my cock springing to life. My thumb finds her clit, pressing down.

She licks her lips as water streams down her face. Seeing her this way, reacting against my touch, spurs something inside me. Water streams down her face to her neck. I stick my tongue out and lick it before pulling away from her. She lowers her chin, staring into my eyes as I work my fingers in and out of her.

“You’re mine.” She growls.

“And you’re mine,” I agree. I quickly pull my fingers out of her. My patience has worn thin.

I shut the water off and wrap my arms around her waist. She wraps her legs around me as I carry her out of the shower and toward our bedroom.

She’s frantic as she drapes her arms around my neck, burying her face into the hollow of mine. She kisses and licks and bites.She’s all over me, and when she sinks her teeth delicately into my collarbone, my cock twitches with need.

I drop her onto the bed and climb over her, greedy for more.

Her wet hair soaks into the sheets. It’s dark in our bedroom aside from the lamp on my nightstand and the city lights behind me. Laurel’s naked body is covered in highlights and shadows. Her arms are lifted above her head, and her breasts are on full display for me. She’s damp with drops of water, so I lean down and lick them from her nipples. She arches her back as she fists my hair. She grips my strands and tugs on them, pulling me up to her. With a fiery stare, I look up at her, watching her writhe with need.

There’s still a sadness in her eyes, considering the night she’s had with her sister, but every kiss and every touch I offer are like a balm to her wounds. Wounds I can only see behind her indigo eyes.

I’m between her legs. She grinds her sweet pussy against me.

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