Smiling she closes the distance between us, going up on her toes to place a kiss on my cheek. “I appreciate you.”
She steps back and I resist my urge to grab her, to pull her into me, wrap my arms around her. Never let go.
Patting me on the chest, she sighs, then walks to the bed, me watching her, uncertain what I should say. With a sigh of my own, I head for the bathroom, shutting the door so my bustling around won’t disturb her.
By the time I exit the bathroom, the lights are off but for the one on my nightstand. She’s lying on her side, curled up under the blanket.
Shutting off the bathroom light, I move to stand beside her. It’s barely even been a day, yet it feels like it’s been years since I was standing in this same spot. Things are different yet they remain the same. We’re the same yet in some ways we’ve changed.
With a lingering glance I move to my side of the bed, sliding beneath the blanket and then staring up at the ceiling. I’m exhausted, but not at all tired, something I find to be completely ridiculous.
Cassidy shifts beside me, her hand reaching back, so I lift mine, and then she’s using her new grip on me to pull me toward her. I’m happy to oblige, and she scoots back as I roll into her, her back settling against my front, my arms going around her, holding her securely.
She sighs. I sigh. Then we both relax into each other, our shared heat firing a warmth of contentment in my chest. “Cassidy?”
“Ren?” she answers.
“Are you okay with me using the ‘I got you, babe’?”
She says nothing at first, sighs heavily, her hand moving to my forearm where she squeezes and doesn’t let go. Then she replies, “Yeah, I think I am.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods, the back of her head thumping lightly against my chest. “It was a comfort before, and now, it’s an even bigger comfort.”
Smiling, I press my face into her hair, enjoying the feel of her pressed back into me. She shifts, pressing her ass into my front, so I flex my hips, humping her rather theatrically until she giggles. With another sigh I begin to relax again, grateful as the lull of sleep ebbs in around me.
“Ren?” her voice cuts through the silence
“Cassidy?” I respond.
“Areyouokay?”
I still, slightly surprised by her question.
And also, uncertain how to answer.
Before I can respond she mutters, “Of course you’re not okay. How could anyone be okay after learning about all this…ugliness.”
“I just want you to be okay, Cass,” I respond honestly.
“And what if I’m not?”
“Then I’ll be right here being whatever percentage of that sliding scale you need me to be.”
Again, she falls silent, and I wait her out, wanting her to say whatever comes to mind, even if that something is nothing. After a while she whispers, “I don’t deserve you.”
“Oh bullshit,” I retort, squeezing my arms tight around her. “You are the best thing to ever happen to me. The absolute best. I may have to personally thank your dad for his shitty trust writing skills.”
She stiffens slightly and I wince, having forgotten that she still thinks I believe in the whole trust fine print. Wanting to distract her, I press a kiss against her neck, enjoying the shiver that rolls over her in response. I do it again, this time nibbling a path up her pulse point to her ear, earning a squeak from her.
I move back, still holding her, though not as tight because my body is starting to get ideas that it really shouldn’t be getting. But Cassidy scoots back more, rocks her hips just so, rubbing her ass all over my cock. Groaning, I adjust my arms so one hand grips her shoulder, and the other her rib cage, careful not to put pressure on her healing abdominal wound.
Her foot slides along my calf, urging my knees to come up, but then her entire body writhes, her breath coming out in a low moan as my cock pressed between her legs, only stopped by the thin fabric of her sleep shorts.
“You’re gonna have to tell me what you want, Cass,” I whisper, holding her slightly away from me. “You can use your safe word at any time, but I need your guidance here.”
She says nothing at first, and the silence drags on so long I wonder if she’s fallen asleep. Easing my arms around her, I settle back in, fully intent on going to sleep. But then she presses her ass back against me, her arm coming up, her fingers delving into the hair at the back of my head. Pulling my head forward, she twists around so she’s looking into my eyes as she says, “I need you. I need to be close to you.”
