She was standing on a precipice. There was beautiful water below, the color of Nico’s eyes. Rocks, too, though, hidden underneath. “I’m scared.”
“So am I. Let’s be scared together.” He dipped his head to brush his lips over hers, a delicate ghost of a caress.
“You like predictability and order. I’ll mess your world up.”
He smiled. “Order’s overrated. I don’t care if you leave your clothes all over our bedroom or dishes in the sink or you run off somewhere on a whim for a week. Those are superficial things. The most predictable, dependable thing in my life was always you.”
If she wanted to throw up more road blocks, she didn’t have to look far. “Living here could be a challenge. We have so much history.” Good, bad, and in-between, this town held their past.
“We’ll move.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Uh, what?”
“If you didn’t want to live here, we could move. I’m sure I can figure out something for work.”
He’d walk away from his home and this place for her? Just like that?
She was silent for so long his expectant look turned to concern. “I wouldn’t be happy without you, Livvy. Would you?”
She hadn’t expected him to so casually propose moving away. Livvy compressed her lips. “You’ll fight for us?”
He nodded. “I’ll fight for us,” he vowed.
What if he doesn’t? What if he quits?
Then she’d hurt, and weep. She’d lean on the support systems she’d fought so hard to reclaim and she’d get through it, like she’d gotten through so much in her life already. “There will be problems. There’ll be pain.”
“Every relationship has peaks and valleys. We’ll work through them.”
She took a deep breath, and took the leap. “I want a steady supply of cunnilingus. Not because you feel grateful, but because you actually enjoy it.” She reflected. “Actually, you can feel a little grateful.”
His muscles went taut. Stunned hope flitted across his face. She wanted to weep at the sight of it.
Cool and controlled. Or hot. For a decade, those were the only emotions he’d allowed her to see.
This was beautiful. She’d treasure every feeling he trusted her with, collect them with her own in invisible containers.
“I’ll start now,” he said, his voice hoarse.
She twined her arms around his neck. “Okay.”
He cocked his head. “Okay what? Okay you want oral sex, or okay you’ll give us a shot?”
“Yes. To both of those.”
The brilliant smile that spread across his face had her grinning in return.
With a twist of his body, he had her on her back. He lowered himself on top of her, making a place for himself between her legs like he was home. “You can’t just say okay. Not after I poured my heart out.”
“You want a speech or something?”
“You’re not the only one who needs to be wooed.”
Livvy scraped her nails over the back of his neck. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. That grand gesture was silly and expensive, but you’re right, I adored it. There were times that one night with you got me through every other day of the year. You’re under my skin—literally. We’ll get those matching tattoos, but not today, not next week, not when we’re running high on endorphins, but after we’ve actually faced some problems and come out on top, because we’re motherfucking adults now, not dumb kids.” She paused. “Did I miss anything?”
He rubbed his nose against hers. “Instead of theNfor north on my tattoo, can you make it anL?”
She had to clear her throat twice before she could speak. “I think so.”
