Page 115 of Them Bones

He collapsed onto her, exhausted, and even though he knew he was crushing her they just lay there like that for a minute, catching their breath, as Laney’s hands found their way into his damp hair, stroking his head softly, tenderly. He kissed the inside of her elbow, the only place he could reach without moving.

“Hi,” she said sweetly, her face glowing, staring at him like she’d never seen him before.

“Hi,” he said back, easing himself out of her, both of them wincing but smiling. He rolled off her body, collapsing onto his back and staring at the ceiling, his breath still a little uneven.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, sounding startled. His head whipped around, and she withdrew her hand from between her legs where she’d clearly been taking a feel of the soreness, and the wetness. Her fingers were covered in blood. “There’s so much…” she said, sounding embarrassed. “God, I’m so sorry… I…”

He rolled onto his side and slid his hand between her legs, watching her face carefully as her nose crinkled. She was obviouslyreallysore, and he was gentle and careful as he softly and sweetly ran his first and middle fingers over her pussy, careful not to sink inside her, and then held it up for her, his fingers covered in her blood, too.

“It doesn’t bother me, Laney,” he said. “Nothing your body does will ever bother me. Okay?”

She blushed and tucked her head into his chest, but he could feel her smiling, and they stayed like that for a long time.

“I think I need a shower,” she said eventually.

“Mm…” he agreed, kissing the top of her head.

She stretched, grimacing in pain. As she stood, he saw a little bit of blood on her thighs and the dark stain on the black duvet where she’d soaked the bed from his mouth, and then bled on it…

“I’ll be there in a minute, baby,” he said. She padded off to the bathroom and he watched her naked back and ass disappear around the corner, feeling like the luckiest sonofabitch on planet earth.

He stood, pulling off the condom with his bloodied fingers and tossing it in the garbage, and reached for the phone with his other hand. He dialed the lobby.

“Hotel Moss,” came a female voice.

“Yeah, hi, this is Shane Mathers in room 1428?”

“What can I do for you Mr. Mathers?”

“Um… we need a new duvet.”

“Oh! Um, there are temperature controls in the room under the window if you’re cold…”

“We aren’t cold,” he said, amusement colouring his voice.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, of course, um, I’ll have that sent right up for you.”

“Thanks,” he said, and hung up with a chuckle.

Laney was stepping into the large glass steam shower as he entered the bathroom. He leaned against the doorframe, watching the hot water pour down her face, her hair, her naked body. The water around her feet was slightly pink as it rinsed away her blood.

He stepped in with her, greedy for the feel of her skin in his hands, and she turned around and looked up at him with those huge, shining green eyes, her mascara running, water streaming down her neck…

I’m going to marry you…he thought.

Her eyes widened and he froze with a combination of panic and mortification. Sometimes, the strange psychic connection between them was useful, like when he was learning about her body, about what made her feel good… but times like this made him want to stick a paper bag over his head until he died.

“Yes,” she said out loud.

He blushed, his whole body turning red.

“That wasn’t a proposal, Laney,” he said wryly.

“Don’t be stupid,” she said, “of course it was.”

He pushed her wet hair back off her shoulders, his thumbs tracing her collarbones, a smile playing at his lips.

“When I propose to you, I promise I’ll be on one knee.”

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