AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We continue eating and catching up on things that have happened in our lives since the funeral, although we don’t mention that event. I already know all about her but it makes me happy that she is opening up to me. We laugh and talk long after our meals are finished. I admit, I’ve missed having someone to talk to. It’s quiet when you work alone from your home office. But what’s more, we connect on such an intimate level much more than sex ever could be. Our conversations are as easy as they ever were when we were young. She still holds that fiery temper but has matured into this goddess before me that deserves everything in the world. And I want to make that happen.
We clean up the dishes and Marcy insists on helping with the kitchen. The music turns to “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, so I spin her hips away from the sink and into my arms.
“What are you–” Her question pauses as my lips descend upon hers. I pull her around the kitchen taking her hand in mine as my other grips her waist. Her face beams up at me, sending a jolt straight through my heart. We burst out laughing at my goofy moves but we come back together, closer. I decide to leave the rest of the mess for later as I throw her over my shoulder and march to the theater room.
“Will you let me down, you beast?” Marcy wiggles and laughs until I swat her ass hard eliciting a gasp.
“Didn’t expect that, did you?” I grin when I hear her humphs. Slowly, I pull her down over my body until the laughter has faded and her eyes are burning. “Let’s watch a movie.”
In Marcy’s attempt to escape, she didn’t realize that we stepped into a room that she’s never been in. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of the plush couches facing a huge screen.
“This is…” she breaks off, still admiring the room. I take a seat on the plush couch and she soon follows. My arms wrap around her, pulling her as close to me as possible. I don’t want space between us. It’s primal the way I need her touching me always, it simmers a rage within me that I didn’t know existed until her.
“Here. Pick whatever you want.” I hand her the tablet with every streaming/movie service available.
“Me? I don’t want to pick. You pick,” she says as she presses the tablet back into my hands.
“You haven’t even looked at anything yet. See if there’s something you like.” She mutters something under her breath but I don’t hear. I’m too busy watching her and memorizing every detail that has been too far away for me to notice. My investigator took images of her but they could never compare to the real thing that’s in my arms. A pit forms in my stomach thinking of the files I have on her. Before I can go too far down that road, Marcy pipes up.
“How about this?” It’s some chick flick but if that’s what she wants then that’s what goes.
The lights darken and I pull her on my lap as the movie begins. Her head rests perfectly on my chest allowing me to rub circles across her back.
The movie plays on but I can tell she’s fast asleep. The small soft snores are a melody I want to fall asleep to every night.
Scooping her into my arms, I carry her through the apartment and into my bedroom.
The blankets are already pulled back from this morning's shenanigans.
I lay her down gently, tucking the sheets over her body. As I come around to my side, a wide grin forms on my face. I love seeing her like this. Wrapped in my blankets in my bed where she belongs. I climb in beside her pulling her body flush against mine, needing the warmth to know this is real. That she is real. I’ve dreamt of this too many times and finally she’s right here with me.
The warmth of her head against my chest, the gentle pressure of her arm around my waist—it’s a moment of perfect contentment. The world fades away, leaving only the two of us, cocooned in our own little universe. Her breaths are soft, rhythmic, and I can feel the rise and fall of her chest against mine. It’s as if we’ve found our place, our refuge from the chaos outside.
A knot forms in my stomach, a tangle of unspoken words that twist and tighten. The weight of silence presses down, a burden carried within. I need to bury the evidence that I had her followed, that I was always there just out of reach. She doesn’t need to know that I watched her from the shadows, that I’ve memorized the curve of her lips and the way her laughter dances through the air. I danced on the precipice of desire, teetering between the allure of the forbidden and the safety of restraint.
When our lips touched all those years ago, it sealed our fate. The memory of that moment hangs in the air like a fragile thread, connecting past and present. The taste of uncertainty mingled with desire, a bittersweet cocktail that left its mark on both their souls. She was always going to be mine even if I didn’t believe for a while.
Chapter 15
Marcy
I’ve never woken up in a man’s arms before. Snuggled close in a cocoon with the smell of his cologne wrapping around me. In that fragile moment, vulnerability and trust merged. We were two souls, tangled in sheets, navigating the uncharted waters of intimacy. His heartbeat echoed in my ear, a steady rhythm that promised safety. Is it the closeness, the connection I’ve been starved for? Longing for. I’ve been on my own for so long now it’s hard to remember a time when I’ve had this much care thrust upon me.
My eyes flutter open from the sound of soft snores coming from Sam. A smile crosses my face as I admire this sleeping Adonis lying next to me. One arm rests over his face but his delicious lips are on display. My eyes move further down wanting to discover all of his tattoos. I didn’t get the chance to fully explore his body the way he did mine and now I have the perfect opportunity.
His Army insignia is marked on his bicep along with others skating down his arm that I’ll have to ask the meanings of. His other arm is resting on his chest with his hand covering his heart. That’s the one I wanted to see closer. I only got a glimpse yesterday and it had me intrigued.
Carefully I lift his hand placing it on his stomach. I hold my breath when he begins to stir, but he doesn’t wake. Once I look back down to his chest, I see the tattoo that interested me the most. My heart aches when I see my brother’s name written under what looks like his unit patch. ‘KIA’ stands out to me but only for a moment until I realize what it stands for, killed in action. A knot forms in my stomach seeing Matthew’s name and rank inked over Sam’s heart. Tears begin spilling down my face but I try to contain the sobs that threaten to spill from my lips. I don’t know what I expected but I didn’t think it would be this. Seeing “My brother” etched in below is what breaks the dam of emotions I was trying to conceal.
Sam is startled awake and he shoots up from the bed, looking around the room. His eyes land on mine and I see the muscles in his body relax.
“What is it, sunshine?” He crawls back into the bed pulling me into his arms.
“Y-your tattoo–” I hiccup reaching up to place my hand over his heart. He looks at me solemnly as the realization takes over in his mind.
Sam closes his eyes for a moment then says, “I got it when I was overseas. I wanted something that would stay with me always. Something that was ingrained in my skin like Matthew was.”
I get it. They were best friends, brothers, even if not by blood. They were close and I imagine that bond strengthened when they went overseas together. They depended on the other. I’m glad that Sam was with Matty in his last moments. It still doesn’t mask my shock of seeing his tattoo first thing in the morning. It reminds me that there is an ever present cloud hanging over my head since the day I heard the news of what happened. When I think I’ve finally stepped out from under it, the cloud sucks me back into the place where his death is hanging over my head. Being with Sam, there will always be something that will remind me of Matty. I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that.
