Page 83 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
I nod. “Never better.”
“Did it hurt?”
“A little in the beginning. The good kind.”
“You’ll always tell me if it’s too much, right?” he says, staring at his feet.
I turn his chin towards me. “Elias. You’ll never be too much for me to handle because I trust you. I trust you to listen to what I need and respect what I say and ask for. I’m fine and that was … that was … Tinz won’t even believe me.”
One of his eyebrows quirks. “You’re going to brag about me to your friend?”
“Definitely. I should call her now, actually.”
He pokes my side in a tickle. “No way, little Sunflower. You’re mine tonight. I’m going to ask you a thousand questions until you fall asleep on my chest. And do I have permission to slip into you at two am? Because I have every intention of doing so.”
“You do, as long as you kiss me the whole time.”
He nods with a grin. “Hey, I got that water for both of us and you’re hogging it.”
“Am not!”
“It’s almost gone!”
“Well, it’s not my fault! You made me thirsty with all that godly loving!”
“Godly? Do go on …”
I kiss his nose. “Spectacular. Dazzling. Magnificent.”
“I’ll add that to my resume.”
I try to slap him playfully but can’t reach behind me. So, I grab a pillow and swat it over my head. He blocks it and chucks it off the bed.
“Feisty. I must’ve not worn you out too much.”
“Oh, believe me. I won’t be walking straight for days.”
“Maybe I won’t let you out of this bed for days,” he says, tugging me impossibly closer.
It’s refreshing and new that I don’t mind his slick sweat against my back. After a few minutes of cuddling, regulating our bodies, and basking in the moment, he takes a deep breath.
“I think Noah left town for good. I have a gut feeling I’ll never see him again.”
I roll over to face him, our noses almost touching. “What happened?”
“Well, he signed your petition, shockingly. I told him how I felt for once, that I was changing my last name, and then punched him. Yup, that sums it up.”
“You punched him?”
“Yeah, not my most mature moment. But he had it coming.”
“True. So, are you relieved or upset he didn’t stay?”
Elias sighs. “I think if I didn’t find you, I’d still be upset. But you healed the hole in my heart. I’m glad he’s gone. If in the future he wants to make amends, I may give him a chance, but for now, I need this space.”
“That’s fair. I’m proud of you. My courageous lion finding his bravery when I was rotting in jail.”
“You did not rot. You smell so good,” he says, nuzzling his nose into my neck.
