I let her hands slip from mine, and she wraps her arms around me, running her hands over my back, lightly digging her nails into me when I suck her tongue into my mouth.

Ignited, I crawl down her body, ravishing her with my tongue. Hooking my fingers in the hem of her panties, I yank them down and trail kisses up and down her thighs.

God. It’s been so damn long since I’ve touched her as my wife. Heard her moan for me. Let my body react to her without forcing myself to stop. My heart is racing, my cock is throbbing, but all I want is to make her feel beautiful and endlessly adored.

Whipping my hair back from my face, I delve between the haven of her thighs. She whimpers in surprise when my mouth covers her. She’s all warm and damp and waiting. Her hips arch up, and I give her more, sliding my tongue deep into her. She grasps a handful of my hair in response, tugging as her thighs part.

I grin against her folds, knowing she’s loving the long hair and the tongue ring now.

Her thin thighs tremble around my face, and I slowly devour her, sucking her clit between my teeth and gently pushing my fingers inside her.

She’s delicious, wet, and tantalizing, moaning and pressing into me, squeezing her thighs against my head, clenching her walls around my finger.

This is my wife.

Fuck, I want to bury my cock into her so bad. And I will.

Not tonight. But soon. When things are right.

She purrs and moans and arches up, grabbing my head with both hands as she shudders and grinds against me.

I continue to lick and kiss her, gradually slowing and softening as she falls back onto the bed, panting and quivering. She caresses my cheek with her hand until I ease up and crawl on top of her to stare down into her ecstasy-dazed eyes.

“Wow, Valentine,” she says breathlessly. “Do not take that tongue ring out.”

“There you are,” I whisper, touching my lips to hers. “Hi.”

She stares up at me for a long time as her breathing slows.

“Hi.”

“I love you,” I say.

Smiling dreamily, she reaches up and pushes my hair away from my face.

“Now and forever?” Her soft voice wavers, and I almost collapse on top of her.

She remembers.

“Yes.” I kiss her lips. “Twice. Now and forever.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

I study my reflection in the mirror. Beside me, Kenzi is doing the same, but she’s applying lip gloss and mascara while she waits for her curling wand to heat up. I feel odd being in Kenzi’s bathroom with her as she’s getting ready, but I’m slowly learning this is the kind of friend—and daughter—she is. She’s open and inviting. She doesn’t put on any acts. I think she’s trying to spend girl time with me in an effort to build a new bond, which I’m totally open to.

When I look in the mirror, I still don’t recognize the woman looking back as me. It’s not how I mentally picture myself. I now recognize this person in the mirror as Ember Valentine, but it’s like looking at a photo of her. I have yet to make the full connection that it’s me.

It’s very much like looking out a window and suddenly seeing someone else looking back at you. I always jump a little inside when I see my reflection.

“I don’t like my nose,” I announce, crinkling it.

“What? How come?”

“I think it’s too big. And there’s a bump on it. You’re lucky you have Asher’s nose and not mine.”

Kenzi spritzes something onto her hair before winding a lock around the curling wand. “I think your nose is fine. The bump is from when Aunt Katherine accidentally hit you in the face with a baton and broke your nose. I think you were seven or eight.”

I touch the slight bump on the bridge of my nose. “Can it be fixed?”

“You could probably have a surgeon fix it. Plastic surgeons can do almost anything nowadays.”

That’s very intriguing. “Maybe I’ll look into that someday.”

“I think you look beautiful. I wouldn’t change a thing.” She smiles at me in the mirror. “I can teach you some makeup contouring if you’re worried about it.”

“I’d really like that. Maybe next time you come over, you can show me how.”

I feel our roles are a bit reversed. I should’ve been the one teaching my daughter how to apply makeup, not the other way around. Or, maybe I did teach her, before my life was ripped away.

“Sure. I love playing with makeup.”

I’ve now got plans with Kenzi to paint my house and experiment with makeup. I hope I’m not coming across as needy, or like I’m expecting her to do things for me. I admire her. She seems so grounded and so good at life. The more time I spend with her, the more I feel myself wanting a relationship with her.