Chapter 14

The sun was barely out when Cain woke up the next morning. Since she’d left all the curtains open during her point-proving rant, the sun was shining right on his face, plus he had soft curly blond hair tickling his nose. He was living his fantasy.

There was more of her body on him than on the bed. She was soft, warm, and smelled delicious. He was exhausted after the in-depth lesson the previous night, which mostly included her sitting on his face while he enjoyed pleasuring her repeatedly. Every time she tried to return the favor, his tongue seemed to distract her and she’d bite or squeeze his dick too hard. Eventually he’d had to physically remove his cock from her hand and flip her over so she couldn’t try to suck him off. It was either that or he’d have a broken dick. Finally, once she was so sated she could barely keep her eyes open, he’d tucked her close to him, where they’d fallen asleep together. He’d still had a huge hard-on and it took a lot of self-control not to push balls deep into her, but it had been about her. She’d proved she wasn’t self-conscious. She’d proved she could seduce any man and with absolutely no awkwardness. He had never slept better in his whole life. With the woman he loved in his arms.

He carefully unwrapped her from his body, kissed her forehead, closed the curtains, and dressed quietly for a run.

An hour later he was back, showered, and naked. She was still sound asleep in his bed. He gently removed the covers, slid between her legs, and parted her thighs. The sight of her slick and bare still short-circuited his brain.

“Cain?” she said sleepily.

He wanted to take a closer look at her tattoo. How had conservative, shy, conformist Violet ended up with a tattoo? “Can’t believe you have a tattoo.”

She got up on her elbows. “Yes.”

“You have a tattoo,” he repeated.

“A tiny little one. How didn’t you notice before?”

“The first time it was very dark in the room, and the second time you still had on your panties.”

“Oh, well, it’s not a big deal. People get tattoos all the time. It’s not like I have it on my forehead. But even if I did, people do those sorts of things—”

“It’s a sun,” he said, cutting her off. It was small, maybe a little bigger than a quarter, with yellow rays that looked like they were being blown away by the wind. The face in the center of the sun had its eyes closed and looked sad. It was a somber tattoo. Violet was sweet and chirpy, and this didn’t look right on her body. He instantly hated it.

“Why a sun?” She was his sunshine. Always had been.

“It’s pretty.”

“Not this one. This one’s sad.”

“I got it about a year after Jer died.”

He sat back on his haunches. He didn’t want to talk about Jeremy when his lips were inches from his dead friend’s fiancée’s pussy. Certainly not when his girl had come on his face three times last night. He didn’t want to think about what the tattoo meant, either. Last night he’d made a decision to put the past behind him and live in the present. Whatever happened upon their return to Tarpon Springs he couldn’t control. He didn’t want to regret not spending this time with Violet. He’d take her any way he could get her.

“Cain?” she asked, alarmed. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it just…caught me off guard. Didn’t think you had it in you to get inked, is all.”

She shrugged and fell back on her bed. “You hate it.”

“I just don’t think it suits you. Looks sad.”

“I was sad when I got it. It was my one moment of rebellion in my entire life. Jer was dead, you were gone, Dad was being a jerk about something or other, JL wasn’t around, and it was my birthday and I was all alone and feeling sad for myself. I thought this would be my big eff-you to the world. The next day, I decided to enroll in nursing school. It was the first thing I had ever done for myself.”

“Passive-aggressive, don’t you think?”

“Completely.” She laughed.

After that, they spent the rest of the day mostly in bed. At some point in the early evening, they made their way out of bed and had dinner, and then she convinced Cain to go to the movies. It was the first time he’d been to a movie in ages. She picked a horror movie, and they sat all the way in the back. He had completely forgotten her fascination with horror movies, which was odd because of how petrified she got while watching them. She spent most of the movie with her eyes covered and her nails digging into his arm. At one point she was huddled so close to him, he was able to slip his hand under her dress and into her panties.

“I’m starting to think you’re into having sex in public,” she whispered breathlessly as his lips moved to her neck.

“No. I just can’t seem to keep my hands away from you,” he said into her ear as he nibbled her neck and continued to play with her in the darkened theater. “Plus, I’m trying to keep you from being scared.”

“Aren’t you a regular Prince Charming?”

He continued to pet her, making her achingly needy with desire. “I do try.”

Her hand moved over his jeans and she rubbed his hard erection through the fabric as he circled her clit with his thumb. Then, just as she was about to come, someone in the theater screamed, startling both of them out of their lustful haze. “Jesus,” he hissed.

Violet fell into a fit of laughter so uncontrollable that they ended up leaving before the movie finished. They ended the day with a swim in the pool before he carried off to her bed for another round of lovemaking. It was the most perfect day he’d ever had. All thoughts of anything else had disappeared. His sunshine was back, and she was shining right at him.

It was the next morning and Cain was in bed, the sheets wrapped around one leg and halfway on the floor. His fingers were clasped behind his neck as he watched Violet running around frantically. “I can’t believe we overslept.”

“I didn’t oversleep. I already went for a run this morning, took a shower, had breakfast…”

She was bent over trying to find her other shoe under the bed. She straightened, grabbed a pillow, and threw it at him. “I know! And you didn’t wake me.”

He laughed—something he’d done more of in the last twenty-four hours than he had in the last ten years combined, she thought. “You looked so peaceful with that drool running down your cheek.”

She stood upright again and blew a stray curl off her face. “Cain! I can’t believe you just said that. I don’t drool.” She got back on all fours in search of the evasive shoe. She popped her head up and looked at him. “Do I?”

He laughed again but didn’t respond.

“Aha!” She slipped the shoe on and stood, smoothing her shirt and trying to control her hair somewhat. “I’m going to be so late. And I still have to pack up my stuff for our trip back home tonight.”

“Pack when you get back.”

He sat up and crawled to where she stood by the foot of the bed. He pulled her toward him by the loops of her belt. “We don’t have time….”

“I don’t like those pants.”

She looked down at her adorable navy blue pants before giving him a quizzical glance. “Why?”

“ ’Cause they’re in the way.”

“In the way of what?”

“Of my dick. Take ’em off.”

“Oh.” She quickly unbuttoned, unzipped, took them off, and threw them aside. She didn’t need to be asked twice. “We really don’t have time.”

“Shirt,” he added, ignoring her concern, and she complied—also ignoring her own concern.

She had been so comfortable being naked with Jeremy, and she’d never thought she’d feel that sense of comfort again. Thus her apprehension at dating. Now she was standing in front of her Viking, bare, her pudgy tummy seeming so insignificant. The man seemed to love her body. During the last few days he’d spent hours worshiping every inch of her, and she’d never felt more beautiful. She wanted to be confident for him.

As if he could read her mind, he looked at her, taking one nipple into his mouth and cupping the other breast with his free hand. “I love every inch of your body. Always have.”

She moaned something incoherently as he flicked his tongue.

Then his hands snaked around her and he squeezed her ass roughly. “This is my favorite part, though. I love your fucking ass.” He groaned.

“It’s so big!” she yelled playfully, startled by the force of his grip.

“I know!” he yelled back. “I love it.” He jumped off the bed and walked behind her. “I want to bite it. Grab it. Squeeze it. Lick it. Bend over.” He gently pushed her body down on the bed, gripped her waist and pulled her ass up in the air. She could feel his hard erection pressed against her ass cheeks as he gripped it and moved it up and down her fold. “There’s just the right amount of ass to grab and hold on to. Oh God, and your thighs…let’s not even talk about those.”

“That’s the most I’ve ever heard you talk.”

“When it comes to your body, I have a lot to say.”

He continued to use his dick to tease her wet slit. She was about ready to protest when he pushed inside her in one fast move that left her breathless. He stilled for a moment before he began to move in and out of her, hard and unrelenting. “Hold on, baby,” he demanded, and she fisted the sheets as hard as she could as she felt the tension begin to build. When he moved his hand to her front and down around her clit she erupted. Her thighs shook and her body gave way. Pressed against the bed, he continued to push into her a few more times until he stiffened and fell on top of her.

“Jesus,” he said before rolling onto his back.

“I think I died. Seriously, I’m dead.”

“Fuck, sunshine, you may have broken my dick. I can’t imagine it ever being the same again.” He pulled her over to him.

“I really have to go now. I was late a few minutes ago. Now I’m really really late.”

He stood up and tugged her up. He turned her around and playfully slapped her ass before shuffling her into the bathroom. “If you don’t move your ass, I may be tempted to fuck it. So, I suggest you get dressed and leave soon.”

“Cain!” she said, stunned, making him chuckle before closing the door.

“Mrs. Edwards, it’s so good to see you.” Violet walked into Jeremy’s parents’ home and straight into a tight hug from Jeremy’s mother.

“Oh, sweetie, look at you.” She stepped away, still holding Violet’s hands, and looked Violet up and down. “You look wonderful. So beautiful! Marshall, come here. Violet’s here,” she yelled into the house.

“Mrs. Edwards, look who I brought with me.” Violet turned around and gestured to Cain, who was standing awkwardly to the side. He’d agreed to drop her off; once they parked, she’d all but begged him to come in and say hello. She was shocked he’d agreed. But he’d been so complacent and jovial these last few days that it wasn’t a complete surprise.

“Cain? Is that you?” Mrs. Edwards asked, and Cain hesitantly took a step forward.

“Mrs. Edwards…”

Mrs. Edwards’s eyes watered, and she took a step forward to pull Cain into a hug. “Honey, where have you been? We’ve missed you.” She held on tightly, and Cain took all the hugs she had to give. Finally she stepped back and cupped his face in her hands. “My lovely boy, we’ve missed you!” She kissed his cheek and pulled him inside. “Marshall!” she yelled again as she led them to the living room.

“Is that my sweet Violet?” Marshall asked as he rounded the corner.

“Mr. Edwards, it’s so nice to see you,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her cheek against his chest.

“Not as nice as seeing your sweet face.” He’d always been the nicest man she’d ever known. He was just like Jeremy.

“Look who I brought with me.” She took a step back and urged a hesitant Cain forward.

“What a surprise!” the older man said with a hearty laugh that seemed to reassure Cain, because he extended his hand to Mr. Edwards, who swiped it away and brought the younger man into a big strong hug. Not an awkward man-hug, but a full-on, arms-wrapped-around-each-other hug. When he released Cain, Violet noticed that Cain’s eyes were as shiny with tears as Mr. and Mrs. Edwards’s were. “My boy, we’ve missed you. Where the hell have you been?”

“Uh…”

“I don’t mean literally. I know where you live—Violet keeps us up to date. I mean, why haven’t you visited or called?”

Cain rocked back and forth on his heels, looking nervous and tortured. “God bless his heart, but my Marshall can be dense sometimes.” Mrs. Edwards shooed her husband away. “Leave the boy alone or he won’t come back for another visit.” She looped her arm through Cain’s and led him into the living room.

Mr. Edwards brought some cheese and crackers into the living room with a pitcher of sweet tea as Mrs. Edwards sat down between Cain and Violet and patted Violet’s leg. “Oh my, look at you. You look so wonderful. I just wish my Jeremy could’ve seen you looking this beautiful. You are absolutely glowing, Violet honey. Isn’t she, Marshall?”

“She certainly is, Maggie.”

Then she turned to Cain. “And you, Cain. What brings you back to town? After your folks’ funeral, we never heard from you again. I have to say, our feelings were hurt.” Mrs. Edwards had always been the sweetest woman, but she was also a tell-it-like-it-is kind of lady. “You were like a son to us. It felt like we lost both our boys that day.”

“Honey! You just told me to shut my mouth and here you are scolding him.”

“Oh, hush. It’s different,” she said pointedly to her husband before turning her gaze back to Cain.

“I…I…uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I just…it was too hard.” His voice came out like a croak.

“I know that. But you have people that love you. You need to make this a habit, Cain. I want to see and hear from you more often, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, looking down at his lap.

“I’m serious. You need to call me more often. Okay?”

“He already agreed. Leave the boy alone,” Marshall said.

“Fine.” She handed Cain a cracker smothered in cheese, and Violet had to stifle a laugh, knowing that he would be breaking his strict diet by eating it but that he was too well-mannered to say anything. Instead, he stuffed his mouth with the whole thing in one bite and smiled at Mrs. Edwards, who seemed pleased.

“So, tell me what’s new,” Mrs. Edwards said as she handed Violet a cracker. For the next half hour they just chatted, catching up.

When all the cheese and crackers were gone, Mrs. Edwards got up and took the empty plate. “Let’s go have lunch.”

Cain stood, then reached for Violet’s hand to help her up. He laced his fingers with hers as they walked the few feet to the table. That was something that surprised her about him, something she’d never imagined: that he’d be so touchy-feely. Tucking a stray curl behind her ear, his hand on her knee as he drove his bike, his body enveloping hers while she slept, and always—always—holding her hand.

Being in Jeremy’s parents’ house was disconcerting, to say the least. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever been so nervous about anything. He was glad he’d gone with Violet. She grounded him. Made everything better. And seeing her sitting there, with her rosy cheeks sprinkled with freckles, made him want to reach over and tuck her into his side and never let her go. And judging by her smile, it seemed as if she craved his touch as much as he craved hers.

When he pulled the chair out for her to sit, he suddenly felt eyes on him, and it instantly hit him where he was. He looked up to see Marshall studying them with a curious look on his face. Cain backed away slightly and with shaky hands pulled his own chair out and sat down, moving slightly away from Violet, who didn’t seem to notice any of it. All the reasons he could never have Violet came rushing back to him in that moment.

A few minutes into the meal, Mrs. Edwards looked first at Violet and then at Cain and said, “We found some journals after Jeremy died, when we cleaned out his room. We never had the courage to read them. But Marshall finally read them.”

“Journals?”

“Yeah, letters and journals. He used to send us letters every week when he was able to mail them out. He had some that I suppose he wasn’t able to mail, and he kept them with his personal belongings. Other notes and such were in there too. I’d like you to have them, Cain.”

“Me?” Cain asked, surprised. “I don’t—”

“Yes, you,” she said, and she reached over and retrieved them from a nearby table. She handed Cain a small bundle tied together with a big thick rubber band.

“Shouldn’t Violet be the—” Cain began.

“No, son. We’d like you to have them,” Marshall said with finality.

Cain pushed his food around on his plate for the next hour, wanting to get the hell out of that house as soon as possible. When Violet placed her hand on his leg, he startled and almost jumped. She looked over to him and widened her eyes, silently asking what was wrong. He quickly glanced around the table, but it didn’t seem as if the Edwardses noticed the exchange. He took her hand and placed it back on her own lap.

The homemade apple pie was served back in the living room. His knee bobbed up and down with nervous energy as he ate, and more than once Violet placed her hand on it to stop the movement. And in the middle of a funny story Maggie was telling about her neighbor, Violet turned to Cain and smiled in an obvious attempt to loosen him up.

“You have a little crumb right…” Violet reached for his face instinctively, swiped the crumb away with her finger, and popped it into her mouth. Mrs. Edwards stopped talking, and her and her husband’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

When Violet realizing what she’d done, her cheeks immediately reddened, and she looked as if she was about to cry. “Oh, uh…I don’t know why I did that. You know me…always eating.” She giggled nervously. “It’s not what it looked like. Not at all. We’re just friends. Best friends. There’s nothing…We’re just friends. He’s Jeremy’s friend, for goodness’ sake.”

“Honey,” Mrs. Edwards said soothingly, “it’s okay. You don’t need to—”

Blood pounded in Cain’s ears, and he felt sick in his stomach. God! What had he been thinking? What was going on with him that he’d sleep with Violet? And Violet, poor Violet…At the moment his concern for Violet trumped his overall self-loathing.

Cain stood. “Mrs. Edwards, Mr. Edwards, thank you so much for lunch. I’m so glad I came back. I’ve missed you both. Unfortunately, we have to go. I have to be back in Tarpon Springs.” This time he didn’t touch Violet as he walked behind her toward the door.

Maggie began to protest that they should stay longer, but he was firm. “We really don’t have time—we’ve got to go. Violet will call you, I’m sure. And I’ll call you too. I’ll stay in touch.” Now who was rambling? He extended his hand to Marshall and hugged Maggie tightly, lifting her slightly off the floor in the process. Violet, who looked completely mortified, gave Maggie an apologetic look and kissed her and Marshall goodbye with a promise to call them.

Since the two were still standing by the door, Cain and Violet got on the bike and took off without talking.

She wasn’t sure what to think except that she’d messed up. It wasn’t appropriate to bring your new boyfriend to your dead fiancé’s house for lunch, right? Wait—boyfriend? That wasn’t even right. More like lover. Temporary lover. Very temporary. And in the space of an hour Cain had gone from touchy-feely to treating her like a leper. What was that about? She just prayed that he wasn’t reverting to his old ways.

As soon as they got to his house, Cain turned the engine off and got off the bike.

“Cain. Talk to me,” she said as he opened the door. She wasn’t sure what exactly was bothering him.

“Nothing to say,” he bit out as he marched to his room and began to undress.

“Cain, please.” She followed him as he strode into the closet and picked out clothes. “I talk too much. I’m an idiot. It’s no big deal. They know nothing’s going on with us. If anything, our running off like that may have made it worse.”

“Made what worse? Like you said, we’re just friends. You’re Jeremy’s fiancée. It’s nothing. Don’t worry.” He finished tying his running shorts. “Going for a run, and as soon as I get back we head out. Pack up.” He left before she had a chance to say anything else.

What the hell had just happened?

She walked into her room and began shoving all her belongings into her bag. She hadn’t brought much, so it really only took her a few minutes. When she was all done, she made the beds and then sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

What exactly had caused his abrupt mood change? Was he really that upset that the Edwardses would know about their relationship…or whatever it was they were doing? She’d felt a little uncomfortable too, but she wasn’t completely spooked. Was he having second thoughts? Regrets? She wanted answers. She needed them.

A vibrating noise from somewhere nearby interrupted her thoughts. She wandered around looking for the culprit; she looked under the couch and in the kitchen before it stopped. Shortly thereafter it began again. She followed the noise. “Aha! There you are.” It was Cain’s phone, which had fallen to the floor in his bedroom. She placed it back on the nightstand, but almost immediately it began to vibrate again. He had seven missed calls—all from the same number, which was currently calling again. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Hello?”

“Yes, hello? I’m trying to reach Cain Sorenson.”

“This is his phone, but he’s not in at the moment. Can I help you with something?”

The man seemed agitated. “I’ve been trying to reach him for days. Please ask him to call me, or at the very least tell him to answer his text messages, please. It’s urgent.”

“Who’s this?”

“Brandon, from IMC.”

“Okay, Brandon, I’ll let him know.”

Then without a goodbye, the man ended the call. Obviously Cain had rubbed off on this Brandon, or maybe vice versa.

Cain’s shirt was soaked through when he walked in hours later. He’d run until his legs trembled, but he’d made a decision. Nothing had really changed. Well, he was possibly more fucking in love with her, but the situation itself was the same. Until their return to Tarpon Springs, they’d continue to play this ridiculously torturous game. But after they got back, she’d be more than ready to go and date. He’d never seen her so confident; she didn’t need him anymore. Truth be told, she’d never really needed him; she’d just needed to find some guy with just the right amount of patience to get her to loosen up. He’d just happened to be the lucky son of a bitch who got to be there to see her bloom. Then, as promised, he’d pick some guy for her to date who met his specifications. Eventually she’d fall in love with the douchebag, and they’d live happily ever after. Meanwhile, he would move on, as he’d always done. Great motherfucking plan!

When he opened the door, she was standing there, her brows drawn together. “You okay?” he asked, suddenly concerned and forgetting about everything else he’d just spent the better part of the day literally sweating out of his system.

She plastered a fake-looking smile on her face. “I’m good. You left so abruptly. What’s going on? Tell me. You were gone for so long.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’m good. I’ll just grab my stuff and we’ll go.”

He decided to leave behind everything that was nonessential in order to make room for her small bag in the motorcycle’s saddlebags. He looked around the house, making sure everything was in order before he locked up.

“It’s late, Cain. You sure you want to leave now? We can just leave early tomorrow,” she said, leaning close to him, her finger running down the front of his shirt. What the hell was she doing? She was up to something. He could tell—she had that look on her face.

He took her finger, kissed the tip, and released it. “Nah. We have to go.”

“Why?” she asked with a lift of her eyebrows.

“Because you have to be back and so do I.”

“Any other reason?”

“What’s with the twenty questions, Vi?”

She blew out a deep breath. “Nothing. Fine. Let’s go.”

The first leg of the ride back, Cain drove for five hours straight, only stopping for a quick bite to eat and to use the restroom. He’d never been so happy to have a motorcycle in his life. If he’d been in a car they’d undoubtedly have had to talk, but the bike made conversation impossible. He didn’t even know what to say to her. The guilt was slowly eating away at him…again. Was there anyone he hadn’t hurt? The look in Mr. and Mrs. Edwards’s eyes had spoken volumes. He’d betrayed Jeremy while he’d been alive, and now he’d done it again.

As dusk became night, Cain pulled into the parking lot of the first motel he found. He tapped on her knee to indicate that she should climb off. She did, but her legs, unaccustomed to being on a bike for so many hours, wobbled. He reached out and steadied her before he climbed off himself. She wouldn’t look at him in the eye, and that hurt more than he could even put into words. His heart ached. He tilted her chin up to find that her eyes were red-rimmed. “Oh, baby.” He blew out a breath. “C’mere.” He pulled her into him.

“What’s going to happen when we get back?”

“Vi…”

“No, Cain. Seriously, are you going to pretend this week never happened?”

“I…Violet.” He let out a big breath and cupped her face. “Listen to me. You didn’t need me to help you, but I’m glad I did. It was the best week of my life. I can’t even put it into fucking words. But this wasn’t supposed to last past this week. We get back to Tarpon Springs, and you’ll start dating and you’ll see how…You’ll discover that this week just meant something to you because it had been so long and…Anyway, when we get back you’ll meet someone. I’ll help you.”

“What happens tonight?”

“What do you want to happen tonight?” he asked.

She placed her small hands over his, which were still on her face, and her eyes focused on him. They showed hurt—so much fucking hurt. “I want everything,” she pleaded.

He leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Then he laced his fingers with hers and went into the motel office.

This was the end, he thought glumly a few minutes later as he opened the door to their room. The worst part was that it didn’t just feel like the end of the trip or the end of their sexual relationship; it felt like the end of them. And he didn’t know what to do to fix it. The game had started off innocently enough; she’d needed help in her quest to find a date, and he had accepted the challenge. Quickly the game had morphed into something sexual. Neither had been able to deny the physical attraction that had been looming between them for months…hell, it had probably been years. Both of them had known how this was going to turn out, and yet here they were together again, soon to be in bed together.

She walked into the small bathroom to take a shower. When she stepped out she had wrapped a towel around herself, and she went digging in her purse for a brush. He was sitting somberly on the bed.

“All yours.” She motioned to the bathroom.

He stood, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.

Cain turned up the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray. He should’ve ended it in Amarillo, he thought, but she’d asked for this, and it was obvious that this would be the last time. Maybe during the last few days he’d deluded himself into thinking that she could love him back. That if she said those three little words, it would be justification enough for having fucked Jeremy over. The world would understand if they’d fallen in love, and no one would judge the taboo part of their relationship.

Except it had been just that—a delusion. She hadn’t said anything. The woman who said everything hadn’t voiced anything.

When he stepped out of the steamy bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, she had taken off the gross motel bedspread and was lying in bed, staring up at the water-stained ceiling. She looked up at him for a second before making room for him. He dropped the towel around his waist and got in bed. She turned her body to him and nestled close. His hands moved down the curves of her waist, over her hips, down her thighs to her knees. She looked up at him in the darkened room and found his mouth.

They’d kissed countless times in the last week, but this kiss…this kiss was so much more. Emotion poured out of him, and she drank it up like a thirsty wanderer in the desert. He would take every single last drop of what she was giving him; if this was the last time they’d spend together this way, he wanted to feel it all, and he wanted the same for her. His hand gripped her knee and he hitched it over his hip. At the very least she would know how he felt about her. The soft kiss transformed into a greedy plundering as he took control. The only sounds in the room were the guttural ones coming from deep within his chest.

In that moment she was his and he was hers, fully and completely. Even though the kiss was deep and possessive, his hands were soft; it was as if he was memorizing and admiring her body with his hands so as to never forget the way she felt. He gently laid her on her back and pushed himself inside her. His clear blue eyes, filled with feeling, were open and looking at her, really looking. A tear leaked out of her eye, and before it could roll down he kissed it away. His forearms were on either side of her face and he caressed her face and her hair as he moved ever so slowly in and out of her. No words were spoken. They weren’t necessary. The emotions were raw, and there was no pretense of this being anything but what it was: love.

After they were both spent, Cain held her tight against his chest, showering her with kisses and soft caresses until they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms sometime in the middle of the night.