Page 98 of Until You Came Along
“Hermes!”
My contractions catapulted Hermes’s orgasm, which made him begin to pant uncontrollably and end up shouting my name with a rough, guttural sound that made me shudder again.
“Delfina, my love, aaaahhhhhh.”
We both remained languid with our heads resting on each other’s shoulders. In the silence of the night, only the sound of water falling from the waterfall and our agitated breathing could be heard. When I managed to breathe a bit more normally, I raised my head and looked at him. He was looking at me with such adoration that my heart began to beat forcefully again.
“I love you, Hermes.”
“I love you too, darling.”
And our mouths sought each other to surrender in a sweet kiss, a kiss in which love was the protagonist.
???
We were in bed, Hermes resting his head on my chest while I sat against the headboard reading a report for a meeting I had the next day.
“When will you be able to analyze the issues with my company?” he asked.
“We can organize a time to look at them. Tomorrow I’m going to go home because I want to...”
“You’re not going to sleep at your place, you’re sleeping with me,” he stated, interrupting me.
“That’s not what we agreed on.”
“And what’s the difference if you come live with me now? I don’t want to sleep without you.”
“I need to get organized, Hermes. Moving houses involves considering a lot of things, and I want to do it calmly. I need to go to my apartment to see what I’m bringing and what I’m leaving behind.”
“Fine, while you’re there, I’ll move to your apartment.”
I lowered the report and looked at him.
“Why can’t I stay alone?”
“I see where your question is going, but let me tell you it’s not about that. I don’t distrust you; it’s because I want you by my side. You still haven’t realized what you mean to me. I not only love you, I desperately need you by my side. You’re good for me.” He raised his face and looked at me with a need that pierced my heart. “I know that if I come home and you’re not there, I’ll feel empty. If I don’t have you by my side at night, I won’t be able to sleep a wink. Don’t do that to me,” he pleaded.
I slid down the sheet to lie down and look at him at his level. I took his face in my hands and kissed him sweetly. His plea had completely disarmed me. This man who had been deeply wounded was healing, but without realizing it, he was showing me the aftermath of that betrayal. He had spent too much time alone, had become friends with solitude, the solitude of the soul, without showing love or allowing it to be shown to him, and now that he had opened his heart, he was afraid of returning to that hell of loneliness.
“All right. Let’s do this—let’s go to my apartment for a couple of days so I can pack and bring what’s necessary. Considering that we’ll be working and I’ll only be able to do it when I get back from the office, I suppose I’ll need two or three days to get organized. Does that sound good?”
“If I’m with you, it sounds good.”
I caressed his face and he closed his eyes, enjoying that innocent touch.
“Let’s go to sleep, we’re exhausted and it’s very late. I’ll finish reading the report at the office,” I suggested, as I put the papers on the nightstand and turned off the light.
“Come into my arms, my love.”
I curled up against his chest, wrapped in his strong arms. Hermes sighed and immediately I felt his breathing become steady as he fell asleep. He was at peace. I had to admit that his arms were my refuge and that after sleeping with him, there was no way I could sleep alone. Feeling this way was wonderful. I closed my eyes and fell asleep blissfully.
Chapter 9
“Happiness is a gift that we must enjoy when it arrives”
—Charles Dickens
Since we had reconciled, we were spending most of our time together, only separating to go to our respective jobs, and even on many of those days we would meet for lunch. Living with Hermes was turning out to be wonderful, and we already understood each other very well. I knew that the first days or weeks were a trial by fire that we had to overcome, and so far we were passing with flying colors. Little by little, we were getting to know each other better, learning about each other’s habits and even some quirks, but I was also surprised to discover that we had many things and tastes in common. On the other hand, I also noticed big changes in him; he was developing empathy, something I hadn’t noticed before, but since we started living together, he tried to understand my emotions and respected them. He was also opening up more and more, telling me things about his life, his fears, his desires, his tastes—in short, we were trying to learn everything about each other.
