I held the phone out and waggled it slightly, just to get her attention.
The outraged gasp was more than enough.
“I’m going to murder you in your sleep.” She fumed while scrambling to get up off the ground. “I almost peed myself, you jerk. Why would you do that?”
“Because I could.” I ended the video and set my phone on the counter. “I gotta tell you, Kennedy. Seeing you here, barefoot and just… happy. It does something to me.”
When she stepped into my arms, wrapping herself around my body, I almost forgot my surprise.
“Before anything else, I have a present for you.”
She leaned back, surprise in her eyes at the thought that I might have gotten her something. “What is it?”
“One sec.” I moved back and waved a hand at her. “Close your eyes.”
I did not expect her to close her eyes. No. I expected her to glare at me and cross her arms and demand that I stop playing games. But she didn’t. She closed her beautiful eyes and held out her hands so that I could give her the surprise. And right there, I knew that I was going to do whatever it took to fix myself. To get a handle on the post-traumatic stress that was hanging over my head like a hurricane ready to burst.
When she felt the cold metal of her machete touch her hand, combined with the grip that looked like it’d been handmade for her, Kennedy’s face lit up, even if she didn’t open her eyes.
Laughing, I pressed a kiss to her forehead, careful not to press the massive knife into her body.
She opened her eyes and hit me with the biggest smile I’d ever seen in my entire life. “You found it?”
“Yeah, I did.” I did not tell her where I found it, though, because that wasn’t a conversation that I wanted to have. Ever.
“I figured my dad would have thrown it in the dump instead of telling you where he hid it.” Kennedy cradled the precious thing against her chest and practically danced around the room with it in her clutches. “I’m so happy he gave it to you. What did you have to tell him to get it?”
Dumbstruck, I just let her talk. “You know.” I finally managed to put two thoughts together. “Every single time I think I have a handle on you and what’s going on in your head, you throw me completely for a loop and knock me on my ass without even trying.” She paused her dance and set the machete down on my coffee table, sitting on the edge of the couch once she was done.
“What’s wrong?” Her smile faded, and I joined her on the couch, pulling her into my arms so that I could feel the steady rhythm of her heart against my body.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. I just wasn’t going to tell you about your dad hiding it because I didn’t want you to be mad at him. You do that a lot, cut through the bullshit to get right to the point. It’s the most refreshing thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I didn’t know how much I missed until I got to have you in my arms again.”
Tilting her head back, I kissed her with everything I had. Her chin was held between my thumb and forefinger while I pressed my lips against hers and waited for her to open them. When she did, my tongue met hers in a fiery blaze, hunger devouring every inch of my body.
When her arms wrapped around my neck, we shifted, and Kennedy somehow ended up straddling me on the couch, with my back pressed into the cushions. She took command of the kiss, gyrating in time to the matching thrusts of our tongues.
The friction of my pants rubbing against my dick was almost too much to handle, and her body pressing down only made it worse. I could feel her heat, the desire and need for our bodies to be one, and the intensity of our situation grew with every second that passed.
Kennedy pulled back, gasping for air. Her eyes were wild, full of fire dancing on air. “I’ve waited for so long, Linc. Let’s go.” She scrambled off my lap and pulled me by the hand until I followed her.
“I mean, we could have done it right there on the couch,” I pointed out as she led me up the stairs. “Or right here. I’ll do it anywhere you want, Kennedy. Just as long as I’ve got you.”
“Shut up, Linc.” She smiled over her shoulder, and if I hadn’t been wearing pants, I might have blown right there.
As it was, I barely made it into the bedroom without turning into a fuckin’ caveman and throwing her over my shoulder. But I knew her better than she knew herself. Kennedy needed to be in control. At least at first. So I let her. I let her guide me into the room and push me back on the bed. I sat there while she stripped faster than I could have ripped the clothes from her body, standing in the soft white glow offered by the overhead light, without a single self-conscious bone in her body.
Kennedy was full-figured, with curves everywhere a woman should. Everything on her body was built exactly for my pleasure, and I couldn’t wait to show her every detail of what she meant to me.
“You’re beautiful,” I told her honestly. “It’s like every single fantasy I’ve ever had, brought to life but a hundredfold.”
“My boobs are too big and I have a belly,” she said waspishly. “You don’t have to say that I’m perfect. I know I’m attractive, but don’t lay it on too thick. You’re already getting some.”
“No,” I bit out carefully.
Her eyes turned to saucers and she stepped back hesitantly. That was my cue to move, and I did. I pulled my shirt off by the hem and stepped out my pants as I went, making sure that she saw what she did to me.
“No?” Her voice was almost nonexistent while she stared at my dick.
“No,” I told her again. “I didn’t say you’re perfect. You’re beyond fuckin’ perfect, Kennedy. You’re beautiful the way the world hasn’t seen in millennia. I’m not just getting some. I’m getting everything. You’re everything.”
Then I took her into my arms, lifting her against my body until she wrapped her legs around my waist. And I pressed her against the wall of the bedroom, listening to the way her heart danced in her chest, matching mine.
“I’ll take you against a wall next time. Tonight is for us. For remembering what we’re like together, for creating a new memory.” I kissed her again, clutching her ass as I moved us away from the wall and back to the bed.
I had to break the kiss when it came to setting her down, though, because I didn’t want to drop her. Instead, I let her body slide down, dragging along my cock until she was sitting on the bed. Once I was sure she was there, safe, I followed her down and kissed every inch of her body. Starting at her neck and working my way down to her thighs, I traced every groove with my tongue and savored every moan that escaped from her lips.
“Linc,” she whimpered when I caressed her skin, blowing warm air where my lips had just been. “Linc, I need more.”
“More?” I asked against her stomach a few moments later.
She took a deep breath and waited until I looked up at her through hooded eyes before she said anything. “Everything.” She held her hands out, silently ordering me to get on with it.
“Are you sure?” The question was so much more than a simple confirmation. We both knew, once we took this step, there’d be no going back. Tragedy had torn us apart once. Never again.
She cupped my cheeks, forcing my eyes to meet hers, and I didn’t realize until just that moment how important it was for me to know that she had no doubts.