After she had finished her glass of wine, we returned to the room. We laid on top of the covers with her on my chest. My fingers ran through her curls in an attempt to calm the both of us. I felt the need to gush to her about how much I loved her, how thankful I was she was safe, and how I couldn’t see my future without her in it.

She had heard that all before, though, and I didn’t want to overwhelm her when she had already gone through so much. Grabbing a remote from the nightstand, I turned on the surround sound, and some quaint indie music came through the speakers.

"I like this song," she breathed to me.

"I’m glad," I whispered back.

Hannah lifted her head and rested her chin on my chest. I stared into her eyes, once again finding myself trying to memorize the flecks and swirls in her irises as though they were a roadmap to my future.

Suddenly, a lump was growing in my throat. Had Leslie not grabbed her at that exact moment he did, I would have never been given the blessing of looking in her eyes again. My hands ran over her arms. I would have never touched her again. We wouldn’t have ever been able to lie in bed and listen to music together ever again.

In a heated moment, she would have been gone, and I would have been forever broken.

I had never let a woman in before, not in the way that Hannah had managed to wiggle her way into my heart. It was for good reason. I had never liked the idea of caring for someone so much that I could get broken by them.. Whether they lied, cheated, or left—or, in this case, died.

Her hand was moving to my cheek before I realized that tears were slipping down my face. I could see her lips part to ask if I was okay, but she knew it would have been a silly question. Of course I wasn’t okay. She had been so close to...

I tried my best to shut down the thoughts. With a swift movement, I pulled her up from my chest and held her cheek in one hand. "I’m just thankful you’re still here," I whispered to her, answering the question she hadn’t bothered to utter.

"And I’m not going anywhere," she assured me. When more tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, she lowered her face to mine. "I’m right here. I’m here."

"I can’t lose you, Hannah. I don’t know what I would do," I croaked.

Our lips touched, and some part of my soul was soothed. "I’m here," she whispered again.

In a storm of emotion, our little pecks turned to kissing. My lips didn’t want to leave hers. My tongue explored her mouth slowly, as though I could dedicate that to memory too. My hands couldn’t stop themselves from feeling every inch of her. It was physical reassurance that she was there, that she was safe and healthy.

She pressed down against me, and I was almost embarrassed to realize just how aroused I was. In my search for comfort, I had gotten lost in the way her body made me feel. It didn’t seem like she minded, her lips traveling to my neck.

I gripped her hips and dragged them against mine. I needed to be inside her. I needed to feel connected. I needed her in the most intimate and passionate of ways. Soon, we were discarding clothes to the floor.

I rolled over on top of her, swearing to myself to take my time. I kissed all over her body, leaving not a single body part neglected. My tongue slid down between her breasts and across her stomach. I licked her seam with my flattened tongue. I savored the taste, the smell, the sensation of her. I licked her slowly and passionately. Hannah began moaning and clutched the top of my head. I swirled, prodded, sucked, nibbled, and traced until she was writhing and groaning in pleasure. Slipping a finger into her, I dined in her pleasure, bringing her to complete orgasm before I stopped.

I kissed all over her body again. Licking, sucking, kissing. I felt like a God feasting upon pure beauty, love, and passion. By the time I was nearing her neck, Hannah gripped the sides of my head and brought me to her face. She kissed me with every molecule of desire in her body and I returned it with my heart.

I positioned myself between her hips as we kissed. Her lips reverberated against mine as my dick pressed into her. Our hands went back to exploring as I rocked in and out of her at a steady pace. I wanted to savor every second. She was there with me and sharing her body and soul with me. I was lucky, I was thankful, and I would forever cherish her in every way I possibly could.

We had had sex before, and I dared to say we had made love. This experience was something more than that—I didn’t have a term for it. It was so emotional, it bordered on desperate, deprived, and beholden. It was the epitome of being alive, revering in one another’s presence, loving one another, and appreciating each other’s bodies. I couldn’t think of anything better. There was not a single place I would rather be in that moment.

"Fuck me harder," she whispered in my ear. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

I was in no position to turn down such a request, my cock throbbing at the notion. With some maneuvering, I flipped her onto her stomach. I laid down over her, lifting her pelvis up just a bit to help with the angle. My hands rubbed her back as I thrust into her with force. I was growing lightheaded from the overwhelming pleasure. My hands gripped her waist, pulling her back with every thrust. Just as I brought myself to the edge of ecstasy, I slowed down and flicked my hips in harsh little movements.

She was panting, and soon, Hannah was pushing herself back on me. When she tightened and groaned, I felt myself release deep inside of her. Each of our breaths were labored and it took me a little too long to withdraw from her and lay down next to her. The tension and anxiety of the day was drained from me, along with all of the energy.

I pulled her to me and she kissed the tip of my nose. "Thank you," she whispered.

A crease formed between my brows. "What are you thanking me for?" I asked.

She shrugged and gave a genuine smile, the first one I had seen from her all day. "Just for being you. I’m so happy with you. Even if our life is currently a madhouse. If it was always going to be this way, I’m glad that it’s you that I’m going through it with."

I grinned ear to ear and pressed another tender kiss to her lips. "I couldn’t have put it better myself. I’m the luckiest man alive."

"Way to be dramatic," she teased.

We shared a little laugh and held one another. I brought the blankets up around us and closed my eyes. While I knew life was still going on outside of our room, our lives were in danger, the FBI was investigating her father, and so on... I allowed myself to be content in that moment. I was in love with my beautiful wife and I knew for a fact no matter what life threw at us, we would make it through together.