Page 97 of Little Fury

“Oh, Jacob is my middle name.”I nod at his answer.“Why was that something you needed to know right now?”he asks, amused.

“Because I can’t seem to call you one name in my head. I'm pretty sure when we were in the middle of fucking, I called you both.”

“You did. But I’ll respond to either. So, feel free to call me Jake or Declan. I understand that I will probably always be Jake for you. I'm good with that.”

We lay wrapped up in each other. I fall asleep with his scent on my skin and all around me. He is intoxicating to me—he always has been. From the moment I met him on the side of the road, I was enthralled.

I’m unsure how long I sleep, but Declan is staring at me when I wake up.“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,”he says, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling.“Just needed a second to remind myself this was real, not a dream. When you left me, I dreamt about you every night. When I couldn't find you, I thought I'd lost you for good.”

“You’re here. You found me.” I sit up and move over to kiss him gently, putting everything I feel into that kiss, hoping he can feel what I can’t say: that I’m so happy he found me, that I feel complete again, that I love him. I want totell him, but I have never uttered those words before, and the thought of them scares me.

I bring my mouth to his, no rush to my intention. His eyes close as my lips brush against his. Declan’s hand cups my cheek, and I nuzzle into it, placing a kiss on his palm as he runs a thumb along my bottom lip.

He slides his arm around my waist hugging me close, as he rolls us and lowers me onto my back. His care of me in that simple movement is heart-stoppingly gentle. I open my legs for him, and he settles between them. We both let a breath loose, our eyes locked on each other as he slowly pushes inside me. Our movements are intentional, full of purpose and reverence.

Declan entwines our fingers, pressing our hands into the mattress, his other hand grips my hip. My legs wrap around his, and I trail my fingers up and down his spine, feeling his muscles moving under his skin as he makes love to me.

That’s what this is. My heart and body feel it, but the words still elude me.

“I love you, Ava.”He breathes the words out against my lips.

“Declan,”I gasp against his.

Our kiss goes from tender to urgent and raw in the space of a single breath. Our bodies move against each other. Both of us driving the other closer to their peak. He reaches between us, rubbing my clit slowly, pressing down on it just enough. He knows my body, knows how to make it do what he wants.

“You're going to come with me,”he tells me.

“Yes.”I gasp, not being able to do anything different even if I wanted to. It may be my body, but he owns it just the same. He slams into me hard and presses down on my clit at the same time. The most exquisite fire floods my body when my orgasm hits. I feel him thicken as he cums and my bodytenses as we tumble over that sweet edge together. Still inside me, he places his forehead on mine.

“Mianach.”he says and then he kisses me lightly on my lips before he slides out of me, rolling beside me and pulling me onto his chest. His arms surround me as his fingers run up and down my spine.

“What does that mean?”I ask him. He looks at me, confused for a moment.

“Mianach?”

“Yes.” I answer.

“It’s Gaelic for ‘Mine’.”

I can’t help but smile at that. The thought of him claiming me as his makes me feel warm inside.

“Good morning,”he says against my mouth.

“Morning, Declan.

“I like hearing my name on your lips. Ava?”

“Hmmm?”

“I love you.”He says to me. A tear slips down my cheek.“Why are you crying?”

“Not sure,”my voice breaks,“but I promise they are happy tears. I was sure I would never see you again when I left you in LA. And it broke my heart. I broke my own heart when I left you. I could see a whole other life with you, but I had to leave you instead. And now here you are, telling me you love me, and I don’t know how. I don’t understand how I got you back. I don't deserve you. I’m a bad person. I do bad things. I enjoy the bad things I do.”

“Ava, I love you. You. The good and the bad, all of it, all of you. So, it doesn’t matter if you think you don’t deserve it because it's mine to give you, and I give you my love freely. No restrictions, no strings, no rules, no demands. Bad deeds and all.”

I nod at him. “Bad deeds and all.” He smiles at me.

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