hands. “Forget I said anything.”
“Well, we…. I mean, we could…” Her voice was soft and tentative. Her presence as she stepped to me was overwhelming. “I mean, we’ve done it before.”
I chuckled. “I know. We have proof in the other bedroom.”
“I meant recently, smart ass. Since you’ve been back.”
She took hold of my hands, her warmth surprisingly infusing my fingers. I raised my head so I could see her as she stood before me. Two years of missing her, of dreaming of her touch… Now that I had it, I didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t want to let her go.
I tugged at her hands, pulling her down toward me. She knelt between my legs, resting her hands on my thighs. I caressed her cheek, reveling in the softness of her skin. Hooking my finger beneath her chin, I met her eyes. I couldn’t decipher what was in them. A storm raged in them, some relief, some sadness, and maybe a little anger. It was too much to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling.
“You’re upset with me.”
“I’m not. Not really.”
“Not really is not a ‘no’ to me.”
“It’s not really you. It’s just me.” She broke eye contact and looked down where my other hand still held hers.
“Talk to me, Dev.”
“You first,” she shot back.
“Why is this weird for us? I mean, we’re married.”
“It’s a little like our first time, right?” Her face flushed.
“You mean, awkward and over really quickly?” My joke seemed to ease her some.
“Except in a bed, instead of the back of your pick up.” She grinned.
“There’s a reason why I don’t want to buy a new truck, Dev.”
She laughed, which lit up her entire face, but it only lasted a second. Something was obviously bothering her, and she didn’t really want to talk about it. Maybe she felt weird talking to someone she hadn’t seen in two years. But I wasn’t just someone. Devyn wasn’t just another person. She was my wife. My best friend.
“I don’t want this to be weird with you,” she whispered, looking back up to my face. “I want it to be like it was the other night, where it was natural.”
“Where you cried in my arms?”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
I rubbed my hands down her arms. “Then maybe we shouldn’t force this. Let it happen on its own time?”
“But what if it doesn’t? What if the other day was an anomaly?”
“Do you think it was?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“We’re not going to die if we don’t have sex right this second, Dev.”
“Speak for yourself, Brody,” she shot back. She slid her hands from my thighs, up to my chest. “I need to know that we haven’t changed. That we still love each other, and that we’re still attracted to each other.”
“Is that what was bothering you today?”
“Somewhat,” she admitted. “There’s something not right between us. I can’t figure it out. It’s like a wall, blocking us from being as close as we were.”
Guilt slithered its way into my consciousness. Secrets. It was was the secrets I was keeping. The things I couldn’t tell her, the things I longed to tell her, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. And if I told her, and she did end up getting hurt… I couldn’t bear it.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, and pulled her close. Part of me needed her near so I could protect her from the world.
“I think you should kiss me,” I said, grinning at her.
She narrowed her eyes at me, a playful sparkle in her eyes. “You’re all kinds of bossy tonight, aren’t you?”
“Nope. Because then I would have said ‘kiss me now’ instead of ‘you should kiss me.’ See what I did there? Ball is in your court.”
“I see.” She said, standing up. “Come here, then.” She grasped my hands and pulled me to my feet. She stepped close, so close the scent of her body lotion enveloped my senses and wrapped around my brain.
“Now who’s being bossy?”
She leaned toward me until she was almost touching me, our noses centimeters
“Well, we…. I mean, we could…” Her voice was soft and tentative. Her presence as she stepped to me was overwhelming. “I mean, we’ve done it before.”
I chuckled. “I know. We have proof in the other bedroom.”
“I meant recently, smart ass. Since you’ve been back.”
She took hold of my hands, her warmth surprisingly infusing my fingers. I raised my head so I could see her as she stood before me. Two years of missing her, of dreaming of her touch… Now that I had it, I didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t want to let her go.
I tugged at her hands, pulling her down toward me. She knelt between my legs, resting her hands on my thighs. I caressed her cheek, reveling in the softness of her skin. Hooking my finger beneath her chin, I met her eyes. I couldn’t decipher what was in them. A storm raged in them, some relief, some sadness, and maybe a little anger. It was too much to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling.
“You’re upset with me.”
“I’m not. Not really.”
“Not really is not a ‘no’ to me.”
“It’s not really you. It’s just me.” She broke eye contact and looked down where my other hand still held hers.
“Talk to me, Dev.”
“You first,” she shot back.
“Why is this weird for us? I mean, we’re married.”
“It’s a little like our first time, right?” Her face flushed.
“You mean, awkward and over really quickly?” My joke seemed to ease her some.
“Except in a bed, instead of the back of your pick up.” She grinned.
“There’s a reason why I don’t want to buy a new truck, Dev.”
She laughed, which lit up her entire face, but it only lasted a second. Something was obviously bothering her, and she didn’t really want to talk about it. Maybe she felt weird talking to someone she hadn’t seen in two years. But I wasn’t just someone. Devyn wasn’t just another person. She was my wife. My best friend.
“I don’t want this to be weird with you,” she whispered, looking back up to my face. “I want it to be like it was the other night, where it was natural.”
“Where you cried in my arms?”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
I rubbed my hands down her arms. “Then maybe we shouldn’t force this. Let it happen on its own time?”
“But what if it doesn’t? What if the other day was an anomaly?”
“Do you think it was?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“We’re not going to die if we don’t have sex right this second, Dev.”
“Speak for yourself, Brody,” she shot back. She slid her hands from my thighs, up to my chest. “I need to know that we haven’t changed. That we still love each other, and that we’re still attracted to each other.”
“Is that what was bothering you today?”
“Somewhat,” she admitted. “There’s something not right between us. I can’t figure it out. It’s like a wall, blocking us from being as close as we were.”
Guilt slithered its way into my consciousness. Secrets. It was was the secrets I was keeping. The things I couldn’t tell her, the things I longed to tell her, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. And if I told her, and she did end up getting hurt… I couldn’t bear it.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, and pulled her close. Part of me needed her near so I could protect her from the world.
“I think you should kiss me,” I said, grinning at her.
She narrowed her eyes at me, a playful sparkle in her eyes. “You’re all kinds of bossy tonight, aren’t you?”
“Nope. Because then I would have said ‘kiss me now’ instead of ‘you should kiss me.’ See what I did there? Ball is in your court.”
“I see.” She said, standing up. “Come here, then.” She grasped my hands and pulled me to my feet. She stepped close, so close the scent of her body lotion enveloped my senses and wrapped around my brain.
“Now who’s being bossy?”
She leaned toward me until she was almost touching me, our noses centimeters
Similar Books
