I was struck by a thought that I chose to keep private for the moment, but that I promised myself I would share with him when the time was right. I thought to myself:
Everything, all of the pain, the misery, and sorrow of New Orleans, was worth it because in the end I’m able to sit here with a man like him.
I traced the metal filigree behind the key plate in the wristband and thought to myself further,
If only the boy knew how right he was.
I watched, grossly fascinated, as Marlin painted my nails a beautiful metallic color that shifted between a blue and sea green, two or three shades darker than the actual waters around here, but no less beautiful. He blew gently on my toes and it made me giggle, but as with everything he did, the paint job was perfect. He did everything with equal care and precision I noticed. From fishing on his boat, to repairing an air conditioning unit, to painting his woman’s toenails. I admired him beyond words for that.
“Sit and let that dry,” he said quietly, voice heavy with an unknown emotion and I marveled at him, nodding.
I caught his hand as he stood to clean up after us and he looked down into my face, “Thank you,” I murmured and he smiled, a self-satisfied smile and nodded gently.
I sat and enjoyed basking in the relaxing aura Marlin had created for me. I smiled and laughed at myself when I likened it to a bubble, my nickname among my sisters being ‘Bubbles’ and all. He came back after he’d put everything away and sat on the steps, reaching one hand back and caressing my calf while he had a cigarette. By the time he was through with it, I was sure to be dry, but I had no real desire to move just yet. Rather, I simply enjoyed looking at him. Letting my eyes wander over his tattoos where he had them, and the freckles caused by the sun, spattered like paint droplets across his shoulders and back.
My daydreaming and admiration of him was dispelled when he stood and held out a hand down to me. I took it and reluctantly got to my feet.
“Come inside with me,” he murmured and I nodded and followed him into the house and up to our room. He’d pulled the wingback chair that sat in the corner to beside the foot of the bed and he gestured for me to sit, so I did. He closed the bedroom door, and turned to look me up and down.
“What is it?” I asked at his grave expression. He shook his head, the energy between us crackling as he reached for the waistband of his jeans. He undid the button and zipper and let them fall to the floor. My breath caught again when it was revealed he was nude underneath and I found myself squeezing my thighs together with want. It was still kind of a foreign concept to me, desiring a man as I desired Marlin, after all was said and done, but the relaxed state I was in, the calm and peace… I wanted him and I was
okay
with wanting him.
He knelt at my feet again, this powerful man, and raised my skirt, reaching up beneath it to hook his fingers into the waistband of my panties. He kept his eyes on mine, the air between us electric. His so blue eyes checking with me and asking permission silently, every step of the way which just served to turn me on even more.
I lifted my hips, and he slid my panties out from beneath the skirt of my dress. I went to stand and he put his hands gently to my hips and settled me back into the chair, tugging me forward so I sat on the very edge of the seat.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Worshipping my personal goddess.”
Marlin lifted my skirt and spread my thighs, he kept eye contact with me the entire time he moved his mouth toward my sex, and I swear it was the most erotic thing I had ever had a man do. He breathed me in with a satisfied sound and my eyes closed, fingers tightening on the arms of the chair as he kissed me first, then played his tongue against my pussy.
I arched, my hips thrusting forward of their own accord to meet that velvet probing touch. I was surprised when he slipped a finger inside of me, at how wet I was, my body getting with the program a little faster than my mind. I groaned softly, and he hummed, pleased, against my flesh which sent my blood scorching through my veins. The deference he showed me nearly brought me to my own knees, but he placed an arm across my hips, effectively pinning me to the chair while he took his time, tasting me, making love to me with his mouth. He twitched his fingers inside of me and I nearly shot off like a rocket when he found that secret spot that drove me wild.
“Oh, god… Marlin,” I gasped, my chest heaved with my panting as he worked me into a tizzy. He had me right on the edge, so very close and I wanted to come so badly. It felt so natural with him, so
right
, and it made my heart glad beyond words that he had been the one to initiate contact this time. It meant so very much to me.
“That’s it, Baby Girl, come for me,” he growled against my body and the vibration from it sent shivers down my spine. He sucked my clit and teased that place inside of me with his fingertip and it was so perfect, so right, that lightning shot through my body, fizzling down every nerve ending and lighting them up with that blue white glow, even as the blood rushed through my ears like thunder, drowning out my own cries of release.
I melted, and when I came back to myself, settled back into my own skin, it was to Marlin’s bright blue eyes gazing up at me with a mixture of love and adoration, my fingers tangled in his shoulder length blond hair, where I’d gripped him to my body as I’d ridden out my orgasm against his face. I quickly, but carefully disengaged my fingers from his hair and he laughed, the grin on his face speaking volumes about his own satisfaction, but we weren’t done. We couldn’t be done. I needed more of him. I needed to show him back just how much I appreciated him, how much I loved him, too… even if I weren’t ready to say it out loud quite yet.
Chapter 37
Marlin
I’d stripped and left her clothed to give her some of the power, make her more comfortable, but I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to love her and after taking care of her downstairs, the energy had just felt right. I didn’t have any condoms on me, but fuckin’ test results be damned. It was my ass on the line and reckless as it was, I was all in. I don’t think she remembered herself. She was so caught up in the moment, and I wasn’t about to douse her in the ice cold water that was reality. If it came up later I’d deal, but for now I kept my fuckin’ mouth shut.
She wasn’t having any more of the dress or of me on my knees; she slipped out of the chair and hoisted her dress over her head. I helped her out of it, amused by the sudden shift in the energy between us, even as her fingers wrapped gently around my cock, stroking it.
I closed my eyes, my head turning as I moaned out, it felt so good. She stopped stroking just long enough to twine her arms around my neck and to press her mouth to mine. She kissed me deeply, pressing her body so tightly to mine, I almost thought she wanted to meld us into one being. Truthfully, I was okay with that, but I had a better way. I let her climb into my lap, legs to either side of my thighs, my dick perilously close to finding her entrance, but instead of going there, of fucking her on the floor, I got my legs under us and basically power lifted her, standing with her in my arms. She squealed and laughed, holding to me tightly as I laid her back onto the bed.
“No floors for you,” I murmured, before kissing down her throat, taking one of her pert nipples into my mouth. I let my cock go on a quest of its own as I captured the tight bud between my teeth, tugging at it gently, and Faith’s eyes slipped shut, her head tipping back as she made a throaty, sexy as fuck, moan escape her. A moan I turned into a gasp by sliding into her hot, wet, grasping, cunt.
God she was perfect, so tight, so wet, and when our bodies met, it was like I was meant to be there; one with this woman. I returned my mouth to hers and we kissed, passionately, as I drew back and gently surged forward. Faith’s legs went around my hips and she held onto me as I moved back and forth inside her, slowly, deliberately. I wasn’t going to rush this for anything. You didn’t rush making love, which is exactly what I was going to do. I was going to make love to this woman, pour every ounce of feeling I had for her into our bodies meeting, and fill her up so she had no way to talk herself into believing she deserved anything less.
Her moans and cries were fucking intoxicating, and I wanted suddenly, so badly, to see her move above me again that I rolled us on the bed. She yelped with surprise and let out a peal of laughter that set every fractured bit of our world to right. I smoothed my hands over her body, ignoring the odd imperfection of scar here and there as she arched above me. She didn’t lift herself and slam back down over my cock, instead, she gave this sultry roll of her hips, grinding herself against me, opening up new dimensions of pleasure I’d never experienced before.
She was something wild in that moment, free, and beautiful, and fuck I wasn’t about to resist her siren’s call. She had me, hook line and sinker and I just wish there was more I could do to let her know…
She looked down meeting my eyes with those amazing aquamarine globes of hers and with a shuddering gasp, gave herself to me completely by saying, “I love you.”
Fuck. Yes.
I reared up, and caged her body with my arms, my hand tangling in her long blonde hair as I drew her mouth to mine. I must have hit the spot or something because she cried out, her sweet pussy convulsing around my dick making my fuckin’ eyes roll into the back of my head. That didn’t stop me from kissing her, though. Our mouths locked, tongues lashing out and tasting one another. She wriggled her hips and I gripped her ass with one hand to still her, just enough so I wouldn’t go off. I wasn’t ready yet. She’d only come twice and that was unacceptable.
I turned her, and laid her down, mouth’s still locked on one another’s mouths before I resumed slowly thrusting into her again. She turned my blood to quicksilver in my veins, her soft, silky, body molding to mine so perfectly, those miraculous eyes of hers shining with perfect love and perfect trust as I brought her two or three more times, until she pushed against me, thrashing to get away from the probative touch of my thumb against her clit. I took my hand away and captured one of her nipples with my teeth, gently, while I stroked a few more times to allow myself to finish. She was so fucking wet, so aroused, that slipping in and out of her was effortless.
When my balls drew tight and I shot inside her, I swear to Christ it felt like it went on forever. Like she took all of me, not just the best parts, but the parts of me that were arrogant, demanding and unfair as well. She took me as I was and I felt so grateful that she would allow me to share her body after everything… I simply couldn’t hold it back. I thanked her.
Faith panted below me, her hands finding my face as she held it between them and drew me down for another one of her soul stealing kisses. I was okay with that, though. I knew she would take good care of it. She was a good woman, underneath all that hurt and the shit that’d been dumped on her. She was a good woman who deserved a man that could and would take care of her, and I was confident that man was me.
“I’d walk through fire for you, Baby Girl,” I breathed against the side of her neck and she wound her arms around my shoulders and held me tight.
“I already did, to get to you… and I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened to me, because it meant that I got to meet you. You make me happy, Marlin, even when I don’t think I entirely deserve it.”
“Hmm, Baby, that’s where you’re wrong. You deserve the world.”
“I don’t want the world, I just want you.”
“You’ve got me, Faith. I’m right here, you’ve got me.”
We had each other and I aimed to fuckin’ keep it that way.
***
We rested, but neither of us were sleepy. We simply lay, tangled in one another until Faith’s stomach growled. I chuckled, and she gave that tinkling laugh that sounded to fuckin’ surreal, like she were some kind of nature goddess or something.
“What was your favorite food growin’ up?” I asked suddenly, and she froze.
“We ate
a lot
of mac and cheese when I was growing up because it was cheap. Hope can’t stand it and I think Char is pretty much indifferent about it, but I always loved it. It reminds me of when things were good and mom was alive.”
“Yeah? What kind?”
“The cheap shit, in the blue box. What other kind is there?”
“Alright, alright, no need to get uppity over mac and cheese,” I teased her and earned myself another one of those infectious giggles. Who knew that joy was some kind of disease? Of course, fuck if I ever wanted to be cured of it.
Faith rested her head against my chest, and I traced idle patterns over her skin with my fingertips.
“What about you? What was your favorite thing to eat when you were a kid?” she asked.
“My mama made one of the best key lime pies in the state. I swear to Christ, I couldn’t get enough of it. It just melts on your tongue, cool and refreshing, the flavor of that thing is outta this world.”
Faith had gone very still and I looked down at her, doubt clouded her beautiful face, those bright and beautiful eyes of hers going distant.
“What’s wrong, Baby Girl?”
“I…” she stopped and let out a breath that carried hopelessness with it.
“Talk to me, Baby Girl,” I said soothingly, “Can’t fix it if I don’t know what it is.”
“That will make for one very awkward meeting, don’t you think?” she asked quietly and her tone was somber and hurt.
“What, when you meet my folks? Nah! I’ll walk you right up, proud as hell to have you on my arm and say ‘Mama, Daddy, this here is Faith, one of the strongest, most beautiful females I have ever had the pleasure to meet.”
Faith laughed but it was slightly bitter, “Oh and what does Faith do for a living, Dear?” I snorted.
“If that was supposed to be my mama, that was pretty awful,” Faith slapped playfully at my chest.
“Hard to imitate someone you’ve never met before!”
“Hey! Alright, alright, no need to tear a page outta your sister-mom’s playbook; damn!”