It’s Saturday, the day of Raya and Drew’s engagement party. As I swish the bubbles in the bath, I run over my plan again, from beginning to end. Every bit involves spoiling my wife rotten. Lavishing her with affection and attention. Making her feel like the queen she is to me.
When the bath is at the perfect level of water and bubbles, I flip off the tap and strip down to nothing. Then I wander quietly into the bedroom, watching her nap peacefully atop the bedcovers as I approach. It pains me to wake her, but I need to kick my plan into action or we’ll be late for Drew and Raya’s party. Kneeling by the bed, I take the single calla lily from the vase on the night table and rest my lips on hers. She stretches and moans, reaching for my naked shoulders. Her touch creates instant flames on my skin. Opening her eyes sleepily, she smiles at the flower and takes it, smelling it lazily before resting it on the bed next to her.
‘Time for a bath, baby,’ I whisper, sliding my arms under her and lifting her from the bed. She snuggles into me as I carry her to the tub, sleepy and warm in my arms. She feels lighter, and as I think back over the time since I brought her home from hospital, she hasn’t once finished a meal. In fact, she’s mostly just pushed the food around her plate. Damn, we need to fix that. I should have been more forceful.
I set her on her feet and start stripping her down, being slow enough to give her time to fully wake before I lower her into the bath. My eyes are scanning every inch of her flesh that’s revealed, searching for signs of protruding bones. There. Right there. I reach forward and brush my palm across her hip, frowning.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘You’ve lost too much weight.’ She’s still beautiful, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever set eyes on, but she’s definitely thinner. How could I have let this happen? ‘I need to feed you.’ I break away and find her robe, opening it up for her to slip her arms in.
She ignores the material hanging from my hands and gives me her eyes. ‘But I’m not hungry.’
‘I don’t care. You need to eat.’ I drape the robe over her shoulders, but she pulls away, giving me a warning look. ‘Stop it.’
‘Stop what?’
‘Worrying. If I’m hungry, I’ll eat.’ Taking the robe from my hand, she tosses it aside, never taking her firm stare from my affronted one. ‘Don’t curl your lip at me, Jesse Ward.’ A finger comes up and points at my mouth, and I recoil, trying to get my wayward lip under control. I can’t.
Seizing her hand, I wrestle it back down, replacing it with my finger pointed at her. She isn’t winning this one. No way. ‘You’re eating, end of.’ I swoop in and claim her, to hell with the robe. She’ll eat naked. You won’t hear me complaining.
‘Jesse!’ Her naked flesh rubbing all over my naked flesh does nothing to help me keep my focus. Food is my focus. Lots of food. Though my dick doesn’t agree, clearly hungry itself. My scowl is now pointing to my groin, demanding it behave, as I hoof Ava out of the bathroom.
‘Put me down!’ Fingernails find my arse and sink in.
‘You fucking savage!’ I half yelp, half yell, hearing her giggling, her claws going to town, digging further in. ‘Ava!’ I’m forced to release her and rub away the soreness, while she titters before me, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
‘I’m not hungry,’ she affirms, passing me, heading back to the bathroom.
‘Ava!’
‘Fuck you, Jesse. I’m not damn well hungry.’
My rubbing hands stop, my dick now totally limp. Stalking after her, fuming mad by her disregard for her health, as well as her vulgar mouth, I charge into the bathroom to find Ava has one foot in the bath, her eyes on me at the door. My scowl deepens. Her smirk widens. It’s adorable and infuriating all at once. ‘Watch your fucking mouth.’
That smirk gets even wider, and my fury is diluted some more by the sight. ‘Fuck you,’ she whispers. She’s playing the game, testing me. Silly girl.
‘Three . . .’ It just comes right on out, my smirk now matching hers.
‘Fuck.’ Another whisper.
I take one step forward, now too thrilled by her playfulness to let her language bother me all that much. ‘Two . . .’
Taking her foot from the water, she folds her arms across her chest, wedging her boobs up high, creating a cleavage that serves as a magnet. My eyes fall, my mouth suddenly watering, my cock hardening. ‘Next?’
‘One,’ I answer, my stare still firmly on her chest.
‘And next?’ She unfolds her arms and cups her boobs.
I hitch an eyebrow, looking up to her face through my lashes. My smile, the one reserved only for my girl, spreads across my face, and she delights in it, eyes beaming at me. Fucking hell, I love this woman so much. She has the ability to distract me, with only a simple smile. Now I just want to eat her up myself.
She reigns supreme. She is my world. My life. My day, my night, my air, water and fire. Fuck, what would I ever do without her? I’d die of a broken heart, I just know it. Turn to dust. Fade to nothing. My damn heart slows just thinking about it, and in a moment of brief panic, the feelings very real, I move forward, stealing a kiss, if only to reassure myself that I still have her. And I keep my eyes open, too, as does she, staring deeply into mine. It’s a peaceful kiss. A lazy, soft, searching kiss. It’s the coming together of two people who are on the same page, and then she speaks and confirms we really are.
‘I’m here,’ she assures me, and I welcome the cuddle she takes me in, maintaining this all-consuming kiss.
‘Let me take care of you,’ I beg, slowing down our pace until our lips are simply touching, the heat still raging. ‘Let me spoil you and love you with all the power I have.’
‘But I’m not hungry.’ She sighs, feeling across my back as I pout at her, showing my true disappointment. ‘Not for food anyway. And when I am, I’ll eat, I promise.’
‘Ava—’
Her finger lands on my lips, hushing me. ‘But I’m constantly hungry for you. For your voice, your words, your need to take care of me.’ She smiles a little, almost shyly. I keep my mouth firmly shut, desperate for more of this. Her hunger. ‘I know exactly why I fell in love with you, even if I don’t remember doing it. Because it’s happening all over again.’
There’s a wobble in her voice, and I’m certain there would be in mine if I were to speak. She’s falling in love with me. I gulp down the relieved emotion crawling up my throat.
‘You are the most passionate man I’ve ever met, and you keep it all for me and the children. I can see that. Everything you do, you do it with such intensity. Whether you’re mad. Or if you’re playing. Or making love to me. Or simply loving me. It’s all so passionate, and I love it. I love that the children and I are the centre of your world. That you love us with a power that’s sometimes a little overwhelming. What woman wouldn’t want to be loved with that much intensity?’
Her palms land on my cheeks, her thumb catching a single teardrop as it tumbles. I feel suffocated by my happiness, because for the first time, I see true hope past the possibility of her never finding her memory. She can fall in love with me again. Our love flourished because it was supposed to. Because we were meant to find each other. That hasn’t changed.
‘You are the man of my dreams, Jesse Ward.’ She kisses the very edge of my mouth. ‘And I imagine you’re the man of many other women’s dreams, too.’
‘Well they can’t have me,’ I vow, as if that would ever be a worry for Ava. ‘I belong to you, as much as you belong to me. That’s just how it is.’
Her teeth sink into my bristly cheek, her arms locked around my neck. ‘Now that we’ve cleared that up, are you going to spoil me like you promised?’
‘Yes,’ I affirm, pulling back. ‘Right after you’ve had a relaxing soak.’ I carry her to the bath and place her gently down, kissing her forehead, and then leave her to get herself ready. I can’t bathe with her. We’ll never make it to the party. ‘Wear the lace dress and meet me in the hallway at seven thirty.’ I shut the door behind me, satisfied, because I just know she won’t disappoint me.