“New beginnings. We don’t need to do anything we used to do.” Gently taking her elbows, I try to urge her higher so I can kiss her, but she resists. Her grip on my waist is so tight, she might actually leave a bruise. After she squeezes her eyes shut for a long blink, she opens them, gaze fixed on my dick, and leans forward to suck just my crown into her mouth. After one swirl of her tongue, she draws back and lets me pull her into my arms.
As I claim her mouth, I taste myself on her tongue, but under that, it’s all Joey. The woman who agreed to marry me—twice.
“Thank you,” she manages when we come up for air. “I didn’t know if I could ever do that again. And…I still don’t know if I can give you more—”
“I don’t need more. I just need you.” Scooping her up against my chest, I carry her back to the other side of the bed where the blankets are already pulled back, then climb in with her still in my arms. “I’ll be here for you forever, Joey. Whatever you need. Whatever you want to try. Whatever you don’t.”
“Undress me.” Her half-hooded eyes churn the deepest of blues, and she wriggles off my lap to stand in front of me, just like I did with her.
“Baby?” Wrapping an arm around her lower back as I swing my legs over the side of the bed, I wait for her to meet my gaze. “Promise me something.”
“What?”
“If anything makes you uncomfortable or nervous or scared, say ‘stop,’ okay?”
Her lips twitch into what might be a weak smile. “Ford? Are you trying to give me a safe word?”
Chuckling, I slip my fingers under her shirt so my palm rests against the warmth of her skin. “Maybe.”
Her eyes shine as she dips her head and kisses me. Feather light, almost chaste, it still makes me want to bury myself balls-deep inside her. But I start with her shirt. Lifting the hem a few inches, I kiss along her stomach. Her curves, mostly hidden under her clothes, have haunted my dreams. She’s still too thin, and I’ll get her favorite foods every single day once we’re home, but for now, I ease the shirt higher, exposing the red satin bra.
“More?” I ask, and she nods, so I strip the shirt off completely and drop it to the floor. A flush starts between her breasts, slowly spreading up her neck as I skate my thumbs over her nipples. Under the satin, hard nubs rise to meet me, and she shudders, tipping her head back and closing her eyes.
Whatever happens, she’s going to know who’s touching her, who’s loving her. “Joey, look at me. Always at me.”
Her little gasp makes my cock twitch, and seeing her respond to me, the fine hairs on her arms standing as goosebumps cover her skin, is a gift I’ll never take for granted again.
Keeping my eyes on hers, I pinch first one nipple, then the other, rolling them between my fingers until her breath is coming in short pants and a light dew breaks out over her skin.
The muscles of her stomach quiver when I reach for the waistband of her pants, and I hold her gaze. “We can stop…”
“No. I…want…this.”
Careful to leave the red panties in place, I ease the pants down her hips, and the scent of her arousal wraps around me, so sweet and uniquely Joey that it’s like we’re still in our twenties and about to have sex for the very first time.
“You’re beautiful, Joey. All my memories…they can’t compare to what’s right in front of me.” With my index finger, I trace the edge of the satin, all the way from her hip to the apex of her thighs, and she whimpers quietly, her hands clutching my shoulders.
Her eyes darken. “Please…”
“Please what, baby?” I ache for her, but if she’s not ready, I’ll wait forever.
“T-touch me.”
Slick heat welcomes me as I ease the material to the side. So wet. So soft. Her sensitive nub hardens under my touch, and after a single pass over her clit, I suck her arousal from my finger.
“More?” I ask as I wrap my arms around her.
Reaching behind her, she releases the catch on her bra, and I slide the straps off her shoulders. When her panties hit the floor, she steps back, clenching and unclenching her hands, her arms straight at her sides, her gaze on me. “You…make me feel…like I’m not completely broken.”
“We’re all broken, Joey.” Holding out my hand, I wait for her to place her fingers in mine. In the light from the bedside lamp, the ring on her finger sparkles. “But broken isn’t worthless. It’s beautiful.”
When she crushes her lips to mine, I sweep her into my arms, lay her down on the bed, and show her just how beautiful she is.
20
Joey
I’m naked. With Ford curled around me, his chest to my back. He’s behind me. And I’m okay. He left the light on. All night. Like he has every night since he rescued me. I didn’t even need to ask.
