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  His soul glowed in his chest, bound about his heart. Before he’d moved in, the only humming she’d hear when home came from the occasional and easily forgettable souls of the small creatures who naturally inhabited her private island. Birds would dip into her magical range, their tiny souls registering gently at the edge of her senses.

  Finn overtook her, though, which she welcomed. His soul was strong, thick, good in every sense. Despite the fact that he had the ability to raise the dead, to control an army of corpses in whatever way one might abuse the undead and their hunger for life, he preferred to satisfy the living.

  As he slid his hand up over her shoulder to cup her cheek and deepen the kiss, Veruca felt her body yearn for all the ways he could satisfy her.

  Kissing a line to his ear, she whispered words of love, suggesting they take to the bedroom to see where the romantic holiday would take them. Without hesitation, Finn shifted his grip, scooted back his seat, and lifted Veruca, catching her mouth in a quick kiss. Resting her head on his shoulder, Veruca trailed her hand up and down his back, enjoying the act of just touching him, loving the smell of him. She wasn’t sure he’d showered since they’d done so together the night before, and that only made her want him more.

  He always smelled so delightful, his natural scent soft and almost earthy. It wasn’t that he reminded her of running full-tilt through a forest or digging in dirt, but when his natural smell overtook any soap or shampoo, she felt grounded.

  Finn set her on the bed, and Veruca sat up, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into him so she could just hug him to her for a moment. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back and after a few moments, breathed a happy sigh and said he loved her.

  Looking up, Veruca smiled.

  “I love you, too,” she said, and Finn beamed like it was the first time he’d ever heard it. Overwhelmed, she reached up, pulling him down over her so she could feel his heart against hers and wrap her legs around him. He kissed her deeply, passionately, arching to allow access when she reached between them, undoing the buttons of his vest. Slowly, indulgently, she untucked his shirt enough that she could slide her hands around his waist, up under his shirt, scratching her nails lightly across the warmth of his back.

  He hummed against her mouth, happy as he always was when she touched him, and moved his mouth to kiss along her neck nipping her skin as he went. He wouldn’t leave marks, reading her desire without her having to lay it out. Finn always seemed to know how she wanted him, whether she’d enjoy seeing the reminders of his teeth and hands along her skin the next morning, or if she wanted to take things slow and soft.

  “Oh, Finn,” she said, besieged with pure and overwhelming love once again. She repeated his name softly against his ear, moving to unbutton his pants, before pushing against him so she could roll him over and pin him beneath her.

  “You’re my everything,” he whispered, one hand holding her against him, the other wrapped in her hair beneath the knot of her hair. “My whole world.”

  “Te amo,” Veruca murmured. “Eres tan hermosa.” Grinding against him, she gasped at the feeling of him hard beneath her. Lust had built up along her skin, electrifying her nerves and making every touch of his hands tingle. She felt as if her senses couldn’t breathe, as if she would suffocate if she didn’t get as much of him touching as much of her as possible. Slipping a hand down into his trousers, she rubbed him roughly, shoving at his pants with her other hand, before sliding down his body so she could suck him into her mouth.

  “Jesus,” he said, breathless, surprised and overwhelmed as she slid a hand down to massage him, to drive him wild. She fought off a smile as he let out a long string of expletives, and resisted when he reached for her, trying to tug her back upward. Giving in when she was sure she’d driven him near the edge of ecstasy, she pushed up, getting to her feet to admire him sprawled out on the bed. His pale face was flushed, his bow tie still somehow centered and perky beneath his chin. Right down to his midsection, he looked fancy and presentable, but from there he looked ready to be ravaged and ridden rough.

  Fixing her gaze pointedly on his cock, she reached up to loosen her own tie, taking the time to admire him, making it clear from her stance she wanted him to stay down. She’d undress for him, making him watch instead of letting him participate. Lips parted, he watched her hands, his body tense and eager. Smiling, she slipped the tie over her head, tossed it aside, and moved to unbutton her shirt.

  “I’m going to have you,” Veruca said, keeping her voice slow and serious, moving her gaze to hold his. “Kick off your shoes.”

  Breath quickening, Finn licked his lips, doing as she said before moving his hands to grasp his pants as if he’d pull them off. Veruca shook her head.

  “No, no. Not yet. You’ll do only as I say, is that clear?”

  Finn’s nod was eager, quick, and he pressed his hands back onto the bed, splaying his fingers as if he had to make the effort not to utilize them. Veruca left her shirt unbuttoned, hanging loose, and looked him over once more, deciding what she wanted from him next. Undoing the button on her trousers, she jerked her chin toward him.

  “Unbutton your shirt, take off the tie.”

  Biting his lip hard enough that Veruca figured he might draw blood, Finn did as he was told, moving at a slow pace, giving her time in case she wanted to change her orders or just tell him to stop. It had been a while since she’d fully taken charge, and he seemed to vibrate with anticipation of what she’d tell him to do next.

  “Now you may get naked,” she said. Finn hesitated a second, maybe because he was too revved up to immediately understand what she’d said, maybe just because. Finn had a certain theatrical flair to his actions and approached his striptease with the intent to entertain. He moved his hips, thrust his pelvis, held Veruca’s eye the whole time, and then gestured to his middle as if to make sure she knew he was ready for whatever she wanted next. As he kicked off his own, she slid her pants to the floor and straddled him, exactly groin to groin. He was tense beneath her, his gaze fixed hard on hers, sparkling with excitement.

  “You know how I like to be touched,” Veruca said, leaving it up to Finn to decide if she’d given an order or asked a question. He licked his lip, which was still swollen where he’d bitten it, and nodded.

  “I do.”

  “Show me,” she said, sliding the buttons of her shirt to the side to reveal her bra. She’d worn a bra made more for sensible business meetings than sexy, intimate reasons, but Finn eyed her as if she’d worn black lace that pushed her ample cleavage up and out on display. He was slow, gentle at first like she enjoyed when in the mood to be teased. His skin looked extra pale against hers, and as he filled his palms with her breasts, she sighed, dropping her head back and letting him do what he did best.

  For a while, she just enjoyed the feelings he built up inside her, losing her mind to the sensations of his fingers and palms, moaning a little when he’d do something especially tantalizing. His hips lifted, bucked a time or two before he’d get control of himself again, concentrating entirely on pleasing her rather than rushing them both toward the finish line.

  When he slid his hand low, cupping the soft, thin cotton between her legs, she let out a long breath, before sucking it back in quickly.

  “Yes,” she hissed as his fingers worked. “Soon, Finn. I want you soon.”

  Lowering her gaze to meet his, she felt her eyelids flutter, her desire for control withering under his touch. He was biting his lip again, his eyes wide as they focused on her face. Finn liked watching how he affected her, and their eye contact was intense until he tucked his fingers under the cotton so he could touch her flesh. Sucking in a moan, she squeezed her eyes shut, her body bowing toward him as an orgasm rolled through her.

  Murmuring his name over and over, she made it part of every breath she took and, as the sensations calmed, he whispered hers back.

  She gave herself a moment to recover, realizing as she caught her breath that Finn had pull
ed back, leaving her overstimulated body to relax. Veruca knew that, if she chose to end things there, leaving him as he was, he wouldn’t fight or beg to continue. He’d just tell her he loved her, give his body a few minutes to calm down, and then go clean up dinner.

  He deserved more, though, and Veruca intended to give it to him.

  Getting to her feet, she shrugged out of her shirt, removed her undergarments, and caught his eye. His gaze didn’t stray from her face though she could tell it was a bit of a struggle. Working her into a frenzy had made his resolve a little weaker, and she could see him swallow thickly, as if so curious where the night would end up he could barely handle the tension.

  “How do you want me?” she asked, rubbing her hands down her body, teasing her own flesh lightly. “What would you like to do to me?”

  “Love you forever,” he said. “That’s all I ask.”

  “I want more,” she said, leaning over him to balance one hand on the bed, while her other grasped and stroked his cock. “I want it all. Take me from behind.”

  “Gladly,” he said, reading between the lines, understanding the heat level she wanted without her having to specify exactly. Pushing up, he cupped the back of her neck, pulling her into a hard kiss before getting to his feet. Spinning to stand behind her, he gave her one hard spank. As she gasped in delight at the sting, he ran his hands down her back, over her waist, and cupped her ass. She was barely braced on the bed when his first thrust hit and she cried out at the sensation.

  Everything he’d built up in her just moments before came rushing back, filling her up, making her tremble. His fingers dug into her hips and he picked the exact pace she’d wanted. It was fast and rough and, trusting him to hold her steady, she lifted her hands off the bed to pinch her own nipple, to glide between her legs.

  “I’m—oh God,” Finn said, his voice low. Veruca bent a little lower, resting her head on the bed, her breath ragged against the soft cotton sheets. Finn was mumbling the same oath over and over, his rhythm faltering slightly. When he abruptly stopped, his hips pressed against hers, Veruca whimpered, feeling like the sudden cessation of sensation was pure torture.

  “Please,” she moaned, knowing she was close to going over again.

  “I want to see your face,” Finn said, pulling out and tugging her up and around into a kiss. He used the kiss like an assault, forcing her onto her back, where he whispered against her lips. “Let me see you, Veruca.”

  Opening her eyes, she met his gaze, held it steady as he slipped inside her once again. He started slow this time though his breathing was quick. It was tough not closing her eyes against the pleasure, dropping her head back, and just losing herself to the feeling of him. Seeing his beautiful face was worth the effort, though, and when the eye contact got to be too much to hold, he dropped his own gaze to admire the way their bodies met and sped up.

  “Fuck,” he moaned, and she knew he was almost spent. The feeling of his orgasm pushed her over, and she groaned, squeezing the bedding in her hands, arching up against him, and briefly losing her mind. Finn shivered a moment before collapsing down on top of her, letting out a few more choice curses. Exhausted, Veruca let her body go loose, enjoying every little twitch and spasm running through them both.

  Minutes passed, maybe hours as far as Veruca’s contented brain could tell, and Finn propped himself up, looking down at her. He brushed loose strands of her dark hair away from her cheek, kissed her forehead, and grinned.

  “Happy Valentine’s! What’dya think of my X-axis now, hmm?”

  “Good rise, steady follow-through. You’d do well at the office.”

  “You want to go again in the office?” Finn pretended to think hard about that. “I might be ready in a few minutes, but I’ll need an energy bar or something.”

  Veruca laughed, though she was tempted to take him up on his offer.

  ****

  The evening ended with the two of them cuddled on the couch watching a black and white movie featuring women with heaving, pointed bosoms who shrieked and swooned when faced with the threat of radioactive monsters. Finn was perched at the edge of the couch, a handful of popcorn forgotten as the movie trucked along at a sensible pace toward the final climax.

  He’d seen the flick a dozen times, could practically mouth along with the dialogue, but he loved the cheesy costumes and stern-faced, square-jawed heroes so much, every viewing was like the first time.

  “Look, look!” he whispered as if the monster might notice him and waddle awkwardly out through the giant screen to flap its rubbery flippers at him next. “They’ve almost got ’im!”

  Cramming the popcorn into his mouth, he turned to meet Veruca’s gaze, to share in the exciting moment with her. He found her snoozing, huddled up against the back of the couch, tucked under the fuzzy throw. He smiled, watched her sleep long enough to finish chewing, and then grabbed the remote to stop the movie.

  They could finish the next day, if she wanted, or he’d watch the ending alone if she had more meetings. It didn’t matter now that it was time to snuggle together in the warmth of their bed.

  It had been a great day, all-in-all. He could’ve gone without the paper cut on his boy bags, but the rest of the evening had been worth it. Scooping Veruca up in his arms, leaving the blanket draped over her, he headed toward the bedroom. He bumped the light switch as he passed it, plummeting the living room into near darkness. He tucked her into bed, tiptoeing around the massive, sumptuous mattress so he could climb in behind her, and cuddle up.

  She woke as he pressed up against her back and pulled his arm close so she could kiss his knuckles.

  “Happy Valentine’s, Finn.”

  They both drifted off, fulfilled and loved.

  The End

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  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com