During the time the song plays, I remove the artfully placed ropes from her upper body.
I should have brought extra blankets, silently scolding myself for not bringing enough to make her comfortable.
Scooping up her tired body, I carry her over to the solo blanket, positioning the heater to give her a warm space to clean and dress.
Her sedated assessment has braids beginning to form in my lower belly, again.
Now the lustful thoughts have subsided, is she second guessing herself? Is it me she actually sees? Why would anyone want damaged goods? Does she only see the jagged scar across my neck?
Without my mask, I feel exposed… shameful. She may know my name, but she still doesn’t know who I truly am to her.
Despite my internal struggle to understand, her hands reach for me. Her light touch rests on either side of my face. Such a contrast to my flawed character; she’s too pure.
“Can I keep you?” she whisper-shouts.
I… what? The question catches me off guard and I can’t help but turn my head, still baffled.
Her eyes look more, blue-gray at this moment, and I’m unsure how someone so flawless would agree to have me.I’m overwhelmed. Awestruck by how she has thrown me a metaphorical ring buoy; unknowingly rescuing me from a sea of doubt I’ve been drowning in my whole life. She’s my salvation, in a world that has never seemed to have space for me. Of course she can keep me.
I fervently incline forward, taking her mouth in mine. The kiss is all consuming. A mix of tongues and teeth, battling to find purchase in each other. I could kick myself for waiting so long to kiss her like this, but maybe it was necessary. To make sure we belonged to one another.
My cock engages too, unabated regardless of the emotional turmoil I just battled.
Her teeth rake my bottom lip as she pulls back, looking over me with such tender resolve.
Wait… all at once I remember why the question sounds so familiar. Where I originally heard it from… a movie I watched on cable TV, one Halloween.
Did she just pull a quote from Casper? The part where Christina Ricci sees her ghost friend as a real boy for the first time?
As if she can read the realization across my face, a devious smile blooms on hers. Her once flushed skin seems to be diminishing… although the marks will soon leave her body, I’m confident what we shared tonight in the boathouse will stick with us.
I would willingly be stuck in purgatory… giving Cindel my only soul if she requested.
I pull back just enough to sign,Time to go home.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
MARY
Over Twenty Years Ago
The driver has me back home by three in the afternoon, on a beautiful Sunday. I’m jet-lagged, exhausted from traveling, but my mood immediately boosts when I open the door and see my boy running toward me with open arms.
I drop my bag right there in the entrance and embrace my little Eamon with a spin. Twirling around he gives me an award-winning laugh, while his little fingers stretch out to enjoy the ride.
My husband strolls in, carrying my gorgeous baby girl, who just turned one this past summer.
“How was your flight, Mo Shearc?”
I gather the gummy-smiled girl in my arms while the boys muscle my luggage into the house.
I’ve only been gone for a week and my precious girl has her first reddened curl coming in, just like her mama.
“Long,” I replied. “Didn’t get much rest.”
Patrick tells Eamon to take his sister and go play in the den.
