Page 116 of Delirium
“I won’t run,” I breathed out, cupping his face in my hands. “I love you, Storm.” I smiled softly, hoping he would be able to see everything I felt. I made so many mistakes and seeing the shadows in his eyes while talking about me running made my heart clench. He slowed down his pace, leisurely pushing in and out of me, savoring the moment. “I’m yours,” I said, convincing him that this was it. He was it.
My everything.
As the brightest smile took over his face, his eyes twinkling as he dragged his thumb over my bottom lip, the disbelief evident in every line on his features, he pressed his lips to mine, inhaling me, sealing our fates together, as they were meant to be.
“I love you, Sunshine,” he grunted, slamming into me once again. “I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you,” he whispered over my lips, and I knew what those words meant. He wasn’t professing his undying love or forever… This was so much more than that.
This was two soulmates finally finding their way back to each other. This was me letting go of past insecurities and grudges that never should have meant anything—at least not in the long run.
His hands knotted in my hair, keeping me close to him as he slammed and fucking slammed, awakening my body in ways no one else ever could.
“You’re mine,” he gritted out, biting, owning, and I let him. A weight lifted off of my chest as I surrendered myself to him, letting him love me, letting myself love him. I felt lighter, happier, and as he kept slamming in, beckoning another rush of lust, of need and yearning through my body, I let it all go.
All my doubts evaporated with the screams erupting from my lungs. All my worries suffocated from the force of his kisses, from the way he held me—safe and secure, but free to do whatever I wanted to.
As he roared, his neck straining, his hips pistoning inside of me, pushing me over the edge of insanity, I joined—our voices echoing around the small room.
He dropped on top of me, careful not to press over my stomach, and within seconds, he rolled us over with me draped over him, his half-hard dick still inside me. I looked up, pushing away the hair that fell over my face, and let myself hope for a better tomorrow as I smiled at the man I loved with my whole heart.
The emotions glaring back at me as he observed me were almost too much to bear, but I kept on looking, drinking him in, tracing the lines over his tattoos, leading all the way to the column at his throat and then to his face. The tempest swirled through his irises, beckoning me, pulling me closer to him.
I rested my chin on his chest, soaking in the silence that enveloped us.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I said first, breaking the tranquility, getting comfortable on top of him. “You seem worried.”
The frown he always carried slowly disappeared, his arms wrapping around my body, keeping me as close as possible to him.
“I don’t know what this feeling is,” he murmured. “I don’t… I’ve never felt this way.”
I knew exactly what he was talking about—the fluttering in your stomach, the weightlessness, this feeling as if we were floating in the air.
“It’s called happiness, Stormy.” I chuckled, recognizing it for what it was.
“Then why,” he started, clearing his throat. “Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen to you? Why do I have this need to lock you up, and never let you go anywhere without me?”
I chuckled, because he was seriously perplexed by the powerful emotions coursing through both of us. I let my finger trail over his lower lip, over his cheek, landing on his temple, slowly tapping.
“Because you’re afraid,” I said. “I am too. I’m afraid that something is going to happen to you while I’m not looking. While I know that terrible things happen every day, regardless of what you’re doing in life, I can’t shake it off. But that’s okay,” I murmured, lying down on him, pressing my cheek to his chest, listening to the strong thumping of his heart. “We’re afraid because we care, Storm. Because we love each other.”
And this was it, wasn’t it? The moment I stopped running, trying to change things I couldn’t change. This was the beginning—the true beginning. Letting go was one of the hardest things for me, but with him by my side, with our kids, I knew I could do it all.
“I have a question, though,” I blurted out, keeping my head down as he dragged his fingers through my hair in slow motion. “Are we, you know…” I stumbled over my words. “Are we together?” I asked, closing my eyes immediately.
His fingers stilled, his breathing evened out, and I hated the insecurities rearing their ugly head at me as seconds passed without him saying a word.
“Sunshine,” he croaked. “I don’t know how to show it to you anymore. I don’t know what else to do.” He chuckled softly, lifting my chin to look at him. “Baby girl.” His eyes shone as he looked down at me, filled with love and everything I didn’t know I needed. “You’re my girl, Sunshine. Only mine.” My breath hitched at his words, every nerve ending in my body attuned to the words so softly spoken by him.
“It took us a while, getting here, but you were always mine. Do you feel this?” he asked, putting my hand over his heart. “This belongs to you, darling. Always did and always will. I never had a girlfriend. I was never in a serious relationship, so I don’t really know what the labels are, but you’re mine, Ophelia. Mine to hold, mine to love, mine to cherish, mine to have for the rest of our lives. And one day, when we’re old, cranky and gray, I want to sit on the front porch of our house, holding your hand, as we watch the sunset, ignoring the rest of the world.”
His features blurred in front of me as tears pushed forward, filling my eyes, but there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted the same thing. With a wobbly voice, I pushed out, “I want that, too.” I smiled, relaxed, mirroring his emotions.
“Forever, Sunshine.” He grinned.
“And always,” I added, pressing my lips to his.
* * *
The smellof cinnamon and ginger wafted around the kitchen, but the cookies sitting on top of the table weren’t what had my attention right now. It was the man skillfully moving around the kitchen, obviously knowing what he was doing.
