Hunger grows as our grip on each other tightens, and soon, my chest is heaving against his, my pulse racing, and my tongue dipping into the deepest parts of his mouth, learning him unlike anyone ever has, or ever will. It’s filthy and passionate and I’m desperate to get him naked.
“Winston,” I whimper into his mouth.
“Yes?” he asks, panting. His fingers are tangled in my hair, and his other hand is on my belly, a loving squeeze that sends a jolt of heat down my spine and directly into my clit.
“I love you,” I say, my eyes filling with tears. “I love you so much.”
His eyes grow wet as he rubs the tip of his nose against mine. “I love you, too, Natalie. My perfect, beautiful miracle.”
We slow dance through another two songs. “Like Real People Do” by Hozier and “Simply the Best” by Billianne.
Winston laces his fingers through mine and presses a kiss to my hand. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Fireflies blink around us, providing enough of a glow to safely make our way through the forest back to Caraway Manor. All is quiet as we cross the yard. He guides me through the side door, and upstairs, a sly grin tugging at his lips as we reach my old room.
“What’s that look for?”
“You’ll see,” he says in a low rumble. He opens the door and puts a hand over my eyes. I feel his hard chest against my back as he walks me deeper into the room. “Okay, I need you to lie down, and keep those eyes closed.”
“Okay,” I say, giggling with excitement.
He keeps his hand over my eyes, but loosely, as I sit on the edge of the bed and lie back.
“Don’t open them yet.” I hear his boots shuffle around the bed, and the mattress dipping under his weight as he lies down beside me. His finger brushes against the back of my hand before our fingers lace together. “Okay,” he whispers, “open your eyes.”
I suck in a breath at the sight of millions of stars filling the sky just above my bed. “A…” I stammer. “A skylight? You installed a skylight?”
His response is proud laughter.
“Why?” I ask. “If you didn’t know I’d ever come back, why bother?”
He sighs heavily, all traces of humor now gone from his voice. “I knew you might not forgive me, or want to be with me after what happened, but once I started clearing the spot where I wanted to install it, I knew it was the right decision whether you came back or not.” He uses his free hand to rub his chest, right where his heart beats. Or used to, that is. “I figured, this way, I’d still get to stare up at the same stars as you. That, if this was all I had left of you,”––he turns, his gaze locking onto mine––“it would be enough.”
I pull him in for a kiss, savoring the coolness of his skin and the safety within his arms. When we untangle ourselves, panting slightly, I lean my head on his bicep as his arm curls around me. We lie silently together, gazing through the glass to the heavens above. It’s as if we’re the last two people in the universe. Who knows. Maybe someday we will be. When that day comes, Imight not even notice. As long as I have Winston, nothing else matters.
Epilogue
Winston
A month later…
“Why does the mayor need to be here, again?” I ask Natalie as she nervously paces across the rug of our bedroom, fuzzy green socks covering her feet. Taylor Swift is playing, but it’s not having the calming effect it usually does on her.
“Do you think we should dust the living room again? She probably won’t want to do it in there. I don’t know how these things work. Do you think we’ll do it outside in the garden? It’s probably too cold for that.”
“Do what?” I step in front of Natalie, blocking her pacing path.
“The seance or whatever. Remember? I put it on the calendar on the fridge. Mayor Crane is coming over to see if she can communicate with Thomas, Ethel’s husband.”
I nod. I do remember seeing this, and dreading it. There’s no need for people to be in my house. Ever. No one but my Natalie. I cross my fingers, hoping the mayor will want to conduct herwitch business outside. “Come, my love.” I place my hand on her shoulders and guide her to our bed. “Now, lie back.”
She follows my command, then lets out a contented sigh as she looks up at the puffy clouds through the skylight.
“Better?” I ask.
“Much. This always does the trick.”
She turns on her side and nuzzles into my neck.
