Page 119 of Up in Smoke

My thumb moves up to trace soft lines over the natural curve at her waist.

“You didn’t have to stick around pretending to enjoy putting up Christmas decorations,” she continues. “I talk you into doing all sorts of things you might not like. But you always show up, and you make things so bright when you do.”

“It’s more selfish than you think,” I chuckle. “What we’re doing doesn’t make a difference to me. If I’m not working, and you’re not out of town, I’m always going to want to be with you, honey. I fucking long for it.”

She nods because she already knows this about me. I tell her often enough to make her head spin, I’m sure.

If it sounds clingy, that’s because it is. And I really don’t give a shit. I’m not going to waste any more of my time here on earth away from her if I can help it.

“Dare you to do it forever,” she says.

She’s well aware that I’m madly in love with her, and I’ve told her as much. But we’ve also managed to bask in the blissful ignorance of the present without turning thoughts of the distant future into a real conversation until now.

I look her right in the eye and waste no time responding. “I plan on it.”

“You plan on forever with me?”

“Absolutely, I do.”

“Good,” she whispers. “Thank you for making my life happy. I feel so lucky.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Just love me back.”

I roll to my back when she loops her arms around my neck and seals our lips together. It’s my second favorite feeling in the world, when she lies on me like this and I can hold up her entire weight.

My mouth opens as her tongue slides over mine. She moans and threads her fingers through the hair right behind my ear.

The best feeling in the world comes after she pulls away, and my palms slide up her back beneath her shirt.

“Love you.”

That’s the one. My chest explodes every time I hear her say it. I smirk, pulling her closer so that I can kiss my way from her jaw to her ear.

“I love you,” I say. “I love you.” She squirms on top of me as I bite the side of her neck before repeating myself a third time. “I love you so damn much.”

“Okay.” She laughs playfully. “I heard you the first time.”

I flip us again until I’m hovering above her. Just before I bend to kiss her neck again, she lifts an eyebrow to stop me.

“You’re just going to keep saying it, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

Her legs wrap around my waist, and she pulls my hips against hers with force. The tips of her fingers slide beneath the waistband of my briefs on either side, and I drop my forehead to hers.

“If you must,” she jokes.

I kiss her, long and slow, then whisper against her mouth, “I must.”

The End

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