“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” He looked at me, a little disbelieving.
“I’d really appreciate it,” I said, my voice sounding very distant.
“I like you,” he said, simply. “That’s all. Better than anyone I’ve ever really dated. I thought it would be all right, at first - lend an air of authenticity to the whole thing. Couldn’t possibly hurt for me to be little bit smitten, could it?”
I pinched myself.
“Ow,” I said.
He stared at me. “Did you just pinch yourself?”
“No,” I said. “Are you being serious right now?”
“Of course I am,” he said, gently. “I’m sorry, I thought it was obvious.”
“It was….not,” I said. “Obvious. Not at all.”
“Well,” he said. “This is awkward.”
I laughed. I had to.
“So, what…you thought I knew, and I was just toying with your emotions to get in your pants?”
“It doesn’t sound very sensible,” he said slowly, “when you put it like that.”
“It doesn’t sound very sensible no matter what,” I said. “Why on earth would you be so paranoid?”
“Wait, wait,” he said. “So if you weren’t toying with me - what, then?”
My throat constricted. “What do you mean?”
“Do you…are you…”
I’d never seen him at such a complete loss for words before. “Relax,” I said, finally, putting him out of his misery. “I…I like you, too.”
Being perfectly honest, the word “like” didn’t even begin to cover it. But I wasn’t going to let myself go there. Not just yet.
“Maddy…” He looked at me with an expression that was some strange mix of hope and trepidation, mixed with relief, mixed with…#p#分页标题#e#
“Hey,” I said. “Let’s not get too carried away. We’ve known each other for what…eight months?”
“And yet, you’re my wife.”
Such simple words, coming out of his mouth - but suddenly, they took on a whole new meaning.
“I know,” I said. “But all the same.”
“All the same,” he agreed, his shoulders relaxing a little.
I leaned back on the sofa and rested against him, letting his arm drape over my shoulders. Just like a real couple. And for once, that thought didn’t come with a side of heartache.
“Oh - Maddy?” he said, after a long silence.
I stirred. “Yeah?”
“Please don’t tell my sister,” he said. “She’ll never shut up about being right.”
The guest room door popped open. “I heard that, you jackass.”
Epilogue
I woke up slowly, to the sun peeking in through the blinds. Stirring in bed, I realized I was wrapped up in a tight embrace.
“Good morning,” Daniel murmured in my ear. I smiled, slowly.
“G’morning,” I managed, as he pressed soft, insistent kisses on the side of my face. I rolled over to face him, not even protesting when he kissed me on the mouth - that was a fight I’d given up long ago, once I was confident that when he said he didn’t care about my morning breath, he really, really meant it.
The scarlet rope was still coiled up on the floor where we’d left it, after last night’s activities. Over time, it had grown more smooth and supple, curling around my body like a second skin. I remembered how it had made me feel, mere hours before - how hehad made me feel - and I shivered against the heat of his skin.
His fingers drifted along my body with a feather-light touch, igniting a slow fire deep inside. I was still sore from last night, but apparently I hadn’t gotten enough. I made a quiet, encouraging hmmm as his hand dipped lower.
I thought he’d known just how to touch me the first time we were together, but he’d only gotten better at reading my body and giving me what I wanted, often before I even knew what it was.
His fingers slipped between my folds, teasing me. Testing me.
I slid my leg up over his hip, spreading myself open. He smiled, and I felt his hardness nudge against me. I was still sleepy, but my body was wide awake and ready. I tilted my head back as he slid into me - agonizingly slow, but so perfectly satisfying.
He filled me up just the same as he’d always done, but the feeling of skin on skin was still new, still intoxicating. I rolled my hips with his movements. He reached down to caress me, his fingers rubbing slow circles just where I needed them. I let out a small noise, my eyelids going heavy. He’d hit the sweet spot, and he knew it. He was watching my expressions carefully, our faces so close that our noses were almost touching.