I'm kicking myself for teasing her. Now I'm going to have balls as blue as the Atlantic ocean.
“Enough teasing,” I rumble, rolling her so she's the small spoon, tugging her snugly against me. “You good with me holding you like this?”
“I like it.”
Finding her hip, I squeeze. “Sweet dreams, angel. Enjoy the anticipation.”
She growls but wiggles closer and I grin at the ceiling.
“You're part devil aren't you?” she asks.
“My middle name might be Saint, but when it comes to you, I'm definitely not thinking pure thoughts.”
“Neither am I. And I almost can't believe this is me.”
There's gravel in my throat when I speak this time. “Thank you for being here. For giving me this.”
She tips her head back to look at me, and in the low light, her eyes are luminous. “Thank you for making me believe I could have it.”
Wrapping my fingers around her jaw, I kiss her, taking my time. It's about cherishing her. Memorizing the way she meets me with little teases and twists of her tongue.
I'm falling harder by the second.
Waiting to feel all over pressed against me also getting harder.
When we break apart, she's smiling and I'm so happy I could start purring any second.
“Tomorrow's Christmas eve,” she whispers.
The thought of spending the next two days alone with Liberty definitely ramps up my adrenaline. “How do you want to usher in Christmas?”
“With you.”
There is no other answer I could love more than that.
I nod because speaking is a losing battle right now.
For a beat, she goes serious too. “Is it really this easy?”
Stroking her hair back, I focus on the way the strands slip through my fingers.
Fine like silk. The color is magic in the low light.
“It can be. If we communicate when we need to. If we respect each other. If we...” I swallow roughly, unfamiliar emotions pressing against the cords of my neck. “If we treat the relationship like a seedling that needs our attention, tend to it like a plant that needs water and sunshine, and space to grow.”
When I finish, her eyes are misted.
She whispers, “I've never heard anything so beautiful.”
It's her.
Liberty's beyond beautiful, but it's the soul that grabs me. The strength wrapped in a tender, sweet package.
“You inspire me,” I say tracing my thumb along her neck, letting it rest in the hollow between her collarbones.
It's as if spending these hours with Liberty has sharpened my awareness. Brought my friendship with Justice into clear focus. Shown me the thirty-thousand-foot-view of the things I did wrong and right with Lena.
All of it is there, laid out in front of me. A lesson. A gift.
