“Well, finish this and I’ll show you how much I love you.”
With a wink, she made quick work of the rest of my beard, only cutting me once or twice in her haste to get done, and in just minutes I was back to looking like myself again. I rinsed what remained of the shaving cream from my face and stared into the mirror to see the man I hadn’t been since the night I left Nina.
“I missed this face,” she said sweetly as she wrapped her arms around me from behind.
“This face missed you.” Turning toward her, I kissed her deeply for the first time in what felt like forever. Her soft lips yielded to my eager mouth, desperate to taste her after being away for so long.
Fisting my hand in her hair, I tugged her head back, unable to wait any longer. I wanted her, right there in that tiny apartment bathroom. It wasn’t lavish and it wasn’t the type of reunion I’d dreamed of all those months, but it didn’t matter. Nina was back in my arms.
That’s all that mattered.
My hands slid over her petal soft shoulders and down her back to unclasp her bra. I threw it off to the side and lowered my head to take one deep pink nipple between my lips. Sucking it gently into my mouth, I reveled in the feel of its pebbled softness against my tongue. Nina moaned gently, and I bit down gently at the base of her nipple, remembering how excited it made her.
My gesture was rewarded with a gentle tug of my hair, and my cock throbbed at the sound of her sexy moan. Pulling away, I wrapped by arms around her hips and looked up at her to see her biting her lower lip. She was ready.
“Nina, I want you so fucking bad. Every night I was gone, I thought about this. I wanted this to be everything for us, but I don’t think I can wait until we return to the house or one of the hotels.”
Shaking her head, she smiled that sweet smile that never failed to do me in. “Tristan, it wouldn’t matter where we were. Tiny apartment, grand hotel, our room at home—it doesn’t matter as long as you’re back with me.”
She held out her hand, and I stood up and placed my hand in hers. “Tell me we can be what we used to be, Nina. It’s the only fear I have—that I can’t make up for the mistakes I made. Nothing else in this world terrifies me more than not being able to have you back. Truly back in every way.”
Without a word, she walked out of the bathroom to the bedroom. When she finally turned around, I saw the answer in her eyes. She wasn’t sure about us anymore.
“Tristan, I love you. I think I have since the first moment I saw you. It’s just been so hard between us. And your leaving me alone for so long hurt more than you can ever understand. I want so much to trust that you won’t go again. You say you want me back in your life, really back, but what does that mean?”
I pulled her close and held her to me as I opened my heart. “It means I want all of you. I want you to still walk down that aisle and be my wife. I want you by my side, no matter what. I want to be the man who makes the world a better place for you. I want to be the man who protects you.” I stopped and looked deep into those blue eyes so full of uncertainty. “I want us to finally be happy in that house that meant nothing to me until the night you stepped foot in it.”
“I can handle the not talking thing you do, Tristan. I get that you don’t share what’s inside you a lot. That’s not what makes me doubt you love me. It’s the hidden things, though. Not emotions or how you feel about me, but the secrets. I can’t handle those.”
“Nina, you know everything about me. That I don’t like to talk a lot. The drugs. What my father and brother were. It’s all out there—the bad and the ugly. I swear there’s nothing else to know.”
Frowning, she slowly shook her head. “That’s not true, Tristan. There’s more to you than that.”
“I promise. There’s nothing more, Nina.”
Cupping my face, she looked up at me and shook her head again. “There’s so much more to you than those things, and I’m not talking about the beautiful outside. You’re good and kind, no matter what you want to think, and I love you. That’s why it breaks my heart to even think of you leaving again.”
I covered her hands with mine. “No more leaving. I can’t promise it’s always going to be perfect, but no more leaving.”
None of what I said was a lie. I didn’t want to leave her side ever again. Months away had made me realize I was nothing without her. I didn’t want to hide anything from her anymore either. All the bad inside that had convinced me I’d never find anyone was exposed now, and she’d accepted me, even after she found out about what my family had done. Now I wanted to deserve her.
Nina pulled my face toward hers and kissed me softly. “Together, no matter what. That’s all I needed to hear.”
Pressing my forehead to hers, I whispered, “Together.”
Her acceptance of who I was made me need her more than I’d ever believed I could need another person. Moaning her name, I lifted her onto the bed and gazed down at the perfect creature who’d agreed to be mine. Her legs opened slightly to allow me to slide her panties off her, leaving that beautiful cunt for my eyes to feast upon. I wanted to taste her, to slide my tongue over the tender skin between her legs and savor her juices as she came for me.
I nipped at her inner thigh, aching to be inside her but wanting to prolong our reunion. My cock pressed full against my belly, but now wasn’t the time to plunge into her but to take my time and show her how much I adored her.
She moaned softly as with every kiss I inched closer to my goal. Her hands entwined in my hair, and she urged me to give her what she wanted. I softly placed a kiss where her leg met her body and whispered, “We have forever. No need to rush.”
“But you’re driving me crazy. Please don’t make me wait,” she begged in such a sexy voice that I nearly gave in.
I ran my tongue over the spot I’d just kissed. Looking up at her, my gaze met hers. “I never want this to end. I know it has to, so I’m going to make this last as long as possible. I want you to never forget this night.”
She tilted her hips off the bed, tempting me to move faster, and I was lost. I covered her with my mouth, my tongue lapping against her clit as her hands pulled me into her. Her pussy, wet and needy, tasted so good on my tongue. Sliding one finger inside her, I reveled in how slick her cunt already was, ready and waiting for me to fill her.
Easing another finger into her, I pressed my fingertips against her tender walls, knowing the effect this caused in her. I wanted her to explode from my touch, drenching my fingers until my tongue replaced them to lick her tender folds until her body shook in ecstasy.