Instead of undressing her as she thought he would, however, he climbed onto the bed, sitting back against the headboard, crooking a finger at her to join him. She followed, and he took her in his arms, tucking her in so that she was sitting with her back against his chest, his legs stretched out on either side of her.
Minnie was careful as she leaned against him, but he didn’t seem to mind as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, his chin resting on her shoulder, both an underlying tension as well as an ease of understanding flowing between them.
Tommy was the first to break the silence.
“Tonight was horrible in nearly every way except that we found you, but we’ll get through this, Minnie. We have to.”
“I know,” she said, running her fingers over his hands. “I feel better when I’m with you, Tommy. I hope you know that.”
“I don’t just know it,” he said. “I feel it myself.”
His lips nuzzled her cheek. “It scares me how much I need you,” he whispered. “I married you because you wereirresistibly beautiful. I married you because I didn’t like the thought of you with another man, especially one forced on you. I married you to protect you, to keep you safe. In that, I failed, although from what I saw today, you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. But now I know that those weren’t the only reasons I married you.”
“No?” she said, barely breathing, so focused on what he was going to say next. No one had ever spoken to her like this before, had seen her for who she truly was.
“No,” he said. “I married you because you were my other half. Because I was missing a piece of myself, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. What was missing was you.”
Minnie tried not to cry again, but his words were so beautiful, meant so much to her, that it was nearly impossible. She tilted her head to meet his mouth, opening it to him when his tongue slid along her lips. When his dove in to find hers, she met his every stroke with all of the desperation she had felt when they had been separated.
It wasn’t practiced, wasn’t polished, but they became lost in one another, in the feeling of their arms around each other. Minnie couldn’t help the moan that slipped out as the practiced strokes he was making with his tongue caused heat to begin deep in her core, and he groaned in return.
Finally, she turned around, facing him, her hands on his shoulders as his fingers dug into her hips. He lifted one hand to push stray tendrils of hair away from her face and behind her ear.
“I love you,” he said, his eyes widening as he said it, as though he was as surprised as Minnie was that he was admitting it.
But it only caused her heart to grow and warm to the extent that Minnie thought it was about to burst.
“I love you too,” she said, blinking in disbelief that this was happening. She realized that the man she thought hadonly been doing her a favor actually felt something much deeper.
“Do you really?” he said, his own incredulity evident. “You don’t have to say it because I did. I?—”
“Tommy,” she said firmly, her hands wrapping around his cheeks as she stared deeply into his eyes. “I love you too. More than I thought could ever be possible.”
Before she could overthink it, she leaned forward, bringing her mouth to his. He immediately fell into the kiss, slowly at first, his lips gentle as he kissed her with just his lips moving over hers, again and again.
Then his fingers were dancing up her back, unfastening her dress, before he pushed it off her shoulders. His hands fell to her breasts over the mountains of fabric that lay overtop, and she couldn’t help but take the opportunity to touch him in turn, her fingers moving over the rigid muscles of his torso, which flexed when she touched them. She ran her hands over his short chest hair, loving the hiss that emerged from his mouth when she brushed her thumb across his nipple as he grew hard beneath her lap. His breathing became as short as hers, his hands moving with even more urgency.
He took a moment to concentrate as he removed the rest of her garments until she was bare before him, and she shivered when the cool air around her hit her bare skin.
Tommy brought her closer, his body providing the warmth she sought, matching the heat growing within her and combating the coolness that touched her.
Finally, bare to one another, his mouth retook hers, their tongues dancing, colliding as they tangled in anticipation of the inevitable to come.
Minnie leaned into Tommy, her breasts against his chest, sinking her weight down so that she was pressing against his erection, hard against her. She rocked over him, the friction causing her to lean back and moan in elation. Tommy’sanswering groan told her that he found it just as tempting, and soon enough, he was rolling her backward, laying her down on the bed, hovering above her.
He held her like she was the most precious object in the world, his eyes raking over her, his one hand trailing up the side of her body to her breast, which he palmed in his hand, massaging, squeezing, flicking, stroking, and pinching her nipples, nearly causing her to come apart right there.
“Tommy,” she called out as a throb began between her legs, her need growing so strong that she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take it.
“I need you,” she said desperately, and he didn’t argue, especially when she arched up toward him desperately, her hand wrapping around his thick length.
He let out a loud groan, his head falling back as she moved her hand over him a few times. Finally, he looked down at her with a nearly feral expression.
“Minnie, this isn’t going to last long, and the more you do that, the closer I am to coming. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said with a smile.
“I might need you to do the work tonight,” he said, pushing her hair back behind her ears, and she nodded, uncertain but willing, especially if it meant it would help him.
