Page 37 of His Forever

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Paulie and Gray regaled him with the lunchtime happenings and while he could see she meant what she said, it hurt his heart that her mother didn’t seem to recognize the sheer beauty that was Marleigh. She had a warm, generous heart and a desire to help people. Her dad seemed to “get it” but not her mother. Once dinner was done and he had helped her take care of the animals, he took her out to the swing for a bit.

Curled up with him and admiring the flowers that were blooming, as well as how the cats were enjoying the perches he had built into the screens when he screened in the porch, she let out a contented sigh. “What was that for, mi siempre hermosa?” he asked, his breath a mere whisper against her skin.

“I’m happy, Zeus. Genuinely, down to the bottom of the soles on my feet, happy.”

He leaned down and captured her lips in his for a sweet but scorching kiss and said, “I am as well, mi siempre hermosa. I am as well.” Continuing, he said, “I know you don’t feel one hundred percent, but I want to hold my girl and make out with her for a while if she’s game.”

Tilting her head up, she looked at him and grinned and said, “I’ve heard that the endorphins the body puts off during pleasurable things helps with pain.”

“Then by all means, let’s help with the pain, si?” he asked as he gathered her closer. “I think I’d prefer to be more comfortable, wouldn’t you?”

“Absolutely. Let me get the cats in while you take care of Duke.”

***

When they got back inside with the cats, Paulie and Gray were watching a movie on Netflix. He looked at her and nodded toward the TV and she smiled back. Going into the kitchen, she made some popcorn and then headed out with two bowls, handing one to the couple on the one side of the sectional. “What are we watching?” she asked.

“Well, since you’re here, we’ve turned off the good stuff,” Paulie said jokingly. “What are you in the mood to watch?”

“Um, how about an action movie? Maybe we should seeJohn Wicksince the second one is coming out soon?”

“Sounds good to me,” Zeus said, settling in and pulling her close. While he wanted nothing more than to cuddle and nuzzle her, he could wait until they were alone. Maybe.

She woke up with him carrying her into her bedroom. “Sorry I fell asleep,” she mumbled.

“You were in my arms, Marleigh, I’m not complaining,” he said as he gently sat her down on her side of the bed. “Do you need anything to get ready for bed?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right out,” she responded as she grabbed a pair of pajamas and headed into the bathroom to do her nightly routine. Coming back out, she saw him already laying in her bed, Duke curled up on one of the cat beds in the corner. “Do you see him?” she asked, motioning to Duke.

He started laughing, especially when he saw that Nabisco was curled up next to him and they were both sound asleep. “He has made himself at home, mi siempre hermosa. Now, about that pain, are you awake enough now?”

At the tone in his voice, her senses came alive and she smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m awake enough now.”

Facing one another, her heart melted at the look in his eyes. He reached out and cupped her face in one hand as the other pulled her close before his lips lowered to hers. It didn’t matter how many times he kissed her or what the emotion behind it was – passion, desire, adoration – it always felt like the first time. As his tongue swept over her lips, they parted and before she knew it, the sweet kiss turned into a roaring inferno of need raging in her body, regardless that she couldn’t right now. Her fingers ran through his hair as she pulled him closer. “Zeus,” she breathed out. “You…you make me feel…hell, I can’t describe how you make me feel,” she finally said.

His hands moved underneath her shirt and massaged her low back gently. “Mi siempre hermosa, can you tell how much I want you?”

“Mmhmm,” she said. “Probably as much as I want you.”

Continuing his massage, he pulled her closer so she could feel what she was doing to him, causing a low moan to come from her throat. “Is it too forward of me to say I can’t wait until the day there’s nothing between us?” she asked.

“Not at all. If the circumstances were different, we would be skin to skin right now,” he told her as he nuzzled and kissed her neck. Her full-body shiver told him he was on the right path and he continued his gentle assault on her neck and ears before he captured her lips once again.

Ah, kissing him is enough to rev my engines. As a giggle escaped her lips, he looked at her with a question in his eyes. “You okay?” he asked.

“I honestly never knew that making out with someone could be so much fun,” she replied. “I love being able to touch you and if I’m being honest, the pain is so far removed from my mind that I almost forgot why I was in pain to begin with!”

“Then we’ve succeeded at kicking the endorphins in,” he said as his hands stroked her sides.So responsive. “Marleigh? Can I ask you something, mi siempre hermosa?”

“Mmhmm,” she responded as she nipped at the place where his neck and shoulder met before her tongue darted out and laved the area.

“I don’t care, obviously, about any past you have, but wanted to ask how much experience you have? You know I’ve not been a monk and of course, I was married.”

She pulled back slightly and looked at him as a blush heated her face. “Um, well, not as much as you probably. I mean, I’ve had one partner and it was my senior prom. I don’t think the back of a car lends itself to a lot of things, does it?”

His heart soared. There was so much he wanted to do to her.Soon. Tonight was about building that physical intimacy without sex. As difficult as it was not to strip her bare and show her some things, he would be patient. “Well, mi siempre hermosa, like I said, we both have pasts and I’m more concerned about our future. I love being with you, spending time talking or just hanging out. Even going and running errands means more with you by my side. Promise me one thing?”

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