"What do you mean?"
It takes me a moment. The words feel like stones in my throat.
"I know what the experiments gave me. All my gifts. But nothing’s free in this world. I'm not sure what it took from me. I'm not sure how long I'll live. And I don't know if I can give you children."
"Oh," Naomi says quietly.
I nod, unable to meet her gaze. Her hand touches my face, gently forcing me to look at her.
"My mother was right. I wouldn't have survived this without you." I start to shake my head, but she stops me. "It'strue. But she's also right that this is all too fast." My stomach drops, and my heart breaks its rhythm. "But," she continues, her eyes never leaving mine, "just as I'm sure that you saved me, and that this is way too fast, I'm just as sure that whatever comes our way, we'll figure it out. Look what we already did together."
"We do make a hell of a team," I say, smiling.
"We do. So kids, no kids, a few years... forever. I know I want to take this ride with you."
I pull her closer, my forehead resting against hers. "I didn't think life could feel this way."
"Me neither," she whispers.
I kiss her. And she kisses me back. And it’s staggering just how enough of an answer her lips on mine can be to what comes next.
Epilogue Two
I wake to the soft morning light, making the tent's thin walls glow. I open my eyes like I always do, next to Naomi. Peacefully.
She's still asleep, her face relaxed in a way that makes my chest ache with just how beautiful she is. I study her features as if I’m committing each detail to memory. Though of course I don't need to. I'm no artist, but I could draw her face with my eyes closed, every soft, perfect line etched into my mind. Yet she still steals my breath every time I look at her.
Her face is serene, her once again golden hair splayed across the pillow we share. I can't help myself. I kiss her arm. Because I have to. I kiss her collarbone because I have to. She murmurs, stirring slightly. I kiss her shoulder. No choice in the matter. She smiles, eyes still closed. I kiss her cheek. Powerless to keep from doing it.
Working my way down her body, I gently pull back our sleeping bag. The morning air is crisp, but the tent holds our shared warmth. She's wearing only a tank top and panties—simple cotton ones I bought her that day I rescued her. She, ofcourse, has her clothes at the cabin. But she still wears these when we go out camping or when she’s relaxing.
And it drives me wild.
I slide her panties down her legs slowly, carefully, not wanting to wake her just yet. I inhale her delicious scent as I lower my head between her thighs, my hands carefully spreading her legs. I gently lap at her pussy. The first taste of her is like heaven.
Her breathing changes, quickening. A small gasp escapes her lips as she wakes to the sensation. Her fingers find my hair, gripping gently at first, then tighter as I increase my pace and pressure. I look up to see her watching me with eyes still half lidded, heavy with sleep and desire. I don't stop until she's arching against me, her climax washing over her with a shudder and a cry that echoes in our small tent.
"Good morning," I murmur against her inner thigh, placing a kiss there.
She pulls me up to her, her eyes dark with want. "I'm in the woods," she says, her voice husky. "I want the animal."
I know what she means. Over these last few months, we've learned each other's bodies as thoroughly as we've learned each other's hearts. And while I never thought Naomi was a wilting flower—not after everything she's survived—I feared hurting her when making love. My strength, my size... I held back.
Naomi was having none of it. She wanted my power. She wanted to be taken.
And she kept handing me “instruction manuals" she’d jokingly call them.
Romance books.
I’ve been a very good student.
I kiss her hard, letting the restraint slip away. She’s made me a man again. But if it’s the animal she wants, it’s the animal she’ll get.
I grip her hips roughly, turning her over so I have her backagainst my chest. My teeth find her neck, not biting hard, just resting there. Not a threat. A claim. She moans, fisting her hands in the sleeping bag underneath us.
"You sure, baby?" I growl in her ear, giving her one last chance to change her mind.
"Take me," she breathes back, pushing against me.
