I kiss my way back up to her lips, savoring each inch of her like a man who's been dying of thirst. The way her body responds to mine, it's as if we were never apart. My body remembers exactly how to move with hers.
"I thought about this," I whisper against her collarbone. "Every night in the desert, and in that hospital bed. Every minute of PT. Getting back to you."
"Show me," she breathes, her hands sliding down my chest to the waistband of my jeans.
I hesitate.
"Don't," Lucy whispers, sensing my hesitation. "Don't overthink this."
I meet her eyes in the dim light as I remove my jeans. "I'm different now. My body's…"
"Still yours," she finishes, sitting up to press her lips against the scar tissue where my thigh meets the prosthetic. "Still perfect to me."
Her touch sends electricity through me, even where I shouldn't be able to feel it. I close my eyes, overwhelmed by the tenderness of her gesture.
"Let me," she says, and slowly begins removing the rest of my clothes.
Then I let her undress me, watching her face as she reveals the place where flesh meets metal. Her expression doesn't change—no pity, no discomfort, just Lucy, loving all of me.
She leans down and presses her lips to the scarred skin above my prosthetic. The tenderness of it cracks my heart wide open. When she looks up, I can barely breathe.
"You're beautiful," she whispers, her hands mapping the changed landscape of my body. "Every part of you."
I pull her back up to me, needing her mouth on mine. The kiss is desperate, hungry, months of separation and fear and longing poured into the connection of our lips. She tastes like home and promises, like everything I fought to get back to.
Carefully, I roll us so she's on top, her belly rounding between us as she leans down to kiss me. The position lets me see all of her in the moonlight streaming through the windows, golden hair spilling over her shoulders, skin luminous, eyes dark with want.
"I need you," I tell her, my voice rough with emotion. "I need all of you."
She reaches between us, guiding me to her entrance. The first touch of her heat against me makes my head fall back against the pillow. When she sinks slowly, I let myself be completely vulnerable as Lucy moves above me, her body taking me in inch by inch. The feeling is overwhelming, better than I remembered, more intense after so much time apart. When she's fullyseated, she pauses, her hands splayed across my chest, her eyes anchored with mine.
"I dreamed of this," she whispers, rocking against me. "Every night."
My hands find her hips, guiding her movements. The way her body has changed, fuller breasts, the swell of her belly, makes my throat tight with emotion. This is mine. My family. My future taking shape right before my eyes.
"You're so beautiful, Sunshine," I breathe, watching her move in the moonlight. Her head falls back, blonde hair cascading down her spine as she finds her rhythm.
I watch her face in the moonlight, a look of pure pleasure washing over her features as she rides me. The way her body moves above mine is hypnotic, poetry in motion, and everything I've been missing. I memorize every detail: the flush spreading across her chest, the soft sounds she makes when I hit the right spot, the way her hands grip my shoulders for balance.
The changes in her body make me ache with love and pride. She's carrying our daughter, our future, and still giving herself to me completely.
"God, Lucy," I groan, my hands sliding up her sides to cup her breasts, thumbs brushing over sensitive peaks. She gasps, her rhythm faltering.
I feel whole here with her, all my broken pieces finding their place. The prosthetic that replaced my leg doesn't matter, not when Lucy looks at me like this, not when she takes all of me without hesitation.
"I missed you," she breathes, leaning forward to press her forehead against mine. "I missed us."
"I missed you too," I whisper back, my voice breaking on the words. "Every damn second."
She kisses me then, deep and desperate, her body moving faster above me. I can feel her getting close, the way her breath hitches, the way she tightens around me. I shift my hips, changing the angle, and she cries out against my mouth.
"That's it, Sunshine," I murmur, one hand sliding between us to where we're joined. "Let go for me."
When she comes apart, it's with my name on her lips and her body clenching around me like she never wants to let me go. The sight of her, head thrown back, and body arching in bliss, unravels me. I follow her with a groan torn straight from my soul.
She collapses against my chest, both of us breathing hard. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close, feeling the rapid beat of her heart against my chest. Our daughter kicks between us, and I can't help the smile that crosses my face.
"She's awake," Lucy murmurs against my neck.
