—Never, never, never—
“When you were hurt,” I tell him, “it was as though a piece of my soul had been ripped away. I knew I’d never be whole again if I couldn’t get you back.”
He squeezes me.
—I would have battled back from Hades to be by your side, nothing will keep me from you—
Picking me up, Ludo cradles me like a baby, but I just can’t stop crying.
—Nymph, oh, Nymph—
“Luuu…oh, Gods. Gods…” A low groan comes out of my throat, filled with anguish and pain.
“N-n-n…”
Within my misery, a sound pierces my consciousness. What is it?
“Phf-phhf…n-n-n…”
“Lu!” I sit up in his arms and clamp my hands either side of his face. “You…said my name. I love that you did, but you never have to force your voice out for me. I love you with or without, you know, verbal sounds. I just love you.”
His hand splays over the small of my back, pressing me further into the absolute safety of his embrace.
—It will take years to speak aloud all the things I need you to hear. I want to tell you there is nothing in this world without you. You are everything—
Now I mostly stop crying, Ludo carries me to his room and gently places me on the mattress. —You remember our Boggle games, Nymph?—
“Of course.”
—You once told me that Ludo was a word that could not be boggled, not be broken into pieces—
“I remember.”
—But there is one word that LUDO makes…—
“There is?” I ask, as this thumb wipes away my tears tracks.
—There is…LOUD—
His lips crash down on mine and the kiss is not quiet. It’s hot and wild. Ludo slips his hands under my shirt, where he begins to stroke my belly. Heat instantly builds in my core.
—May I…continue?—
—Please…please don’t stop—
The calloused palm shifts under my school skirt, then skims higher. It’s an agonizingly slow journey for his fingers to reach the lace edge of my panties.
—I dream of tasting you again—
Before I can get my scrambled brain to think of a response, he heaves me up, so his face is level with my now soaked underwear. He kisses his way up my quivering thighs and I let out a sigh when Ludo pulls the silk down my legs.
When his tongue dips into the crease between the top of my inner thigh, and the mound of my pussy, I push myself towards his mouth. His breath is hot against my skin.
“Please…”
Finally, he leans in, swirling his tongue around my clit, then changing to suck on it slightly. My thighs grip his head in a vice as two fingers press inside me, gold and lilac sparks flashing in my vision.
I’m literally seeing stars.
