Page 144 of Paper Hearts

For so long Ender has held so much of himself back, afraid of letting anyone, including me, see the real him. But the thing he never realized is that’s who I always saw. And now he’s giving me the I love you, the words I’ve always wanted to hear.

“Look at me, Hads,” he whispers. He enters me the second we make eye contact. Never breaking his steely gaze from mine, my lips move from his to kiss his shoulders, memorizing how the muscles feel against the sensitive skin of my lips. His warm breath washes over me, overriding any coherent thought have.

It doesn’t take long before our desires give way, and our movements are driven. Ender’s hands are fisted in the pillow beside my head, and I can tell slow isn’t for him.

That’s when Eddie starts knocking on the door.

Ender stops, light laughter shaking his chest.

“Mommy, I scared,” she cries, knocking on the door.

“Just a minute, honey,” I pant, squeezing my eyes shut and arching my back. I’m so close. Fuck. Why did she have to wake up? Probably because I said she was a good sleeper. My words bit me in the ass, didn’t they?

“Don’t stop,” I tell him, just as I’m starting to come and am locking my legs around him so tight it drives him in deeper.

“Fuck,” Ender sighs, his hand moving to my hip as his movements speed. “I’m so close.”

“It’s okay.” I loosen my legs, barely able to catch my breath. “Come,” I whisper in his ear. I know it’s wrong to keep going with my daughter outside the door but hello, you can’t stop once you’re almost there.

His hips jerk forward, his breathing trembling. “Where do you want me to come?”

I smile, thinking of that time in his room. “On my stomach.”

He pulls out in the next second, reaches between us and shifts his weight to his left. I look down and catch sight of his hand stroking himself. He closes his eyes, buries his head in my neck and then moans softly as the liquid warmth fills my belly button and lower stomach.

Our foreheads rest against each other, and I listen to his heartbeat slowing.

“Mommy!” Eddie cries, hitting the door. “I need you.”

Reality slams into me and I push on Ender’s shoulders.

He draws back immediately, reaching for the shirt he’d been wearing. “Here, use that.”

I clean my stomach off and he does the same, having got some on his chest. I giggle, shaking my head.

“I told you I missed you.”

“I’ll say.” Scooting off the edge of the bed, I put the shirt I had back on and a pair of Ender’s shorts he hands me. When we’re both dressed, Ender sneaks into the bathroom that’s attached to his room, and I let Eddie in. “You’re okay,” I tell her.

“No, I not. There’s noises.”

“Like what?”

“Growling.”

I pick her up and hold her against my chest. “It’s just the sky. The storm’s passed but there’s still some lightning in the area.”

“I don’t like it. Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s in the bathroom.”

Her eyes land on the bed. My heart jumps in my throat as she stares at it. Please don’t know what we’ve done in here. She points to the bed. “Can I sleep with you?”

Ender comes into the room, thankfully with shorts and a shirt on, and smiles. “What’s the matter, kid?”

She reaches for him. “I want to sleep in here with you.”

“You do?” He moves closer to the bed and looks at it. “It’s not that comfortable.”

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