I walk her backward toward the house, the porch boards warm beneath our feet, the door closing behind us with a soft click that feels like punctuation instead of an ending.
Inside, the light spills across the floor, dust motes floating like they’ve got nowhere better to be.
I take my time with her.
Because now—I can.
Clothes fall where they may. Her laughter is quiet, breathless. My hands learn her again, slower this time. No edge. No cliff.
When I ease her down onto the couch, she pulls me with her, fingers tracing the circle on my chest like it’s a map she’s memorized.
“This still us?” she whispers, warm and lazy.
“Always was.”
Her legs wrap around me, strong and sure, guiding me home.
Lost in her, I nearly come undone. I turn my head to the side. Squeeze my eyes shut.
Then, I move sensually, savoring everything. The hitch of her breath. The beat of her heart. The tiny tremors that tell me she’s close.
“Yes,” she whimpers, gripping my back.
I gasp, sinking into her again. Happily drowning.
Time dissolves.
Meaning.
The World.
Nothing matters but her and me and this moment.
Warm breath. Hot kisses. Possessive fingers.
Until she shatters around me, and I give her everything. Every piece of me there is to give.
Later, she rests her head on my chest, palm splayed over my heart, listening like she’s counting something that finally adds up.
Outside, the wind moves through the hop lines. The fence holds. The land waits.
And for the first time in my life, so do I.
When her yawns still, her body melts into mine, I rouse her.
“You’ll sleep better in our bed, Princess.”
“Mm hmm,” she agrees drowsily, eyes heavy-lidded as I carry her down the hallway, laying her down gently.
“Where are you going?” she murmurs as I shrug into my robe, padding toward the door.
“Be back in a minute.”
Outside, I search the rust-colored earth, still warm from the day, until I find the perfect pebble. River-washed smooth and thin.
I place it on the windowsill…
