Feels Like Home

Truth

He wraps his arms around me from behind after he put the last dish away. I am getting more and more nervous about sharing my story. Quickly, as if he couldn't wait any longer,  he leans in and brushes his lips against my ear ever so softly. I can not think when he does this. His breath is warm on my cheek and it sends butterflies throughout my body. He whispers words that I don't dare repeat, in a low, sexy rumble. I lean back against him and return his affection. We stay there for a while enjoying the comfort of each other's bodies and the electricity between us. I know he can sense that I am nervous. I don't want to begin the next part of the evening, afraid that it will be the last of these moments that we share.

I can not believe my poor choices have, once again, put me into a place that means I may lose him.

I hear him take in a deep breath. "You smell irresistible," he whispers as he kisses the top of my head and begins to move from my cheek to my neck, "but I must resist...at least for now." Spinning me around, he winks at me while moving farther away. His hands still linger on my hips and his eyes are still that deep blue of desire that I have grown to love. He brushes some hair behind my ear. "We have eaten, we have desserted, we have caffeinated. Now I want to hear all about you." His voice is soft, almost a whisper, how can I refuse him?

"OK," I take a deep breath and square my shoulders, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the living room. It has been set up with candles and blankets. I wanted it to feel as comfortable as his cabin did when he bore his soul to me. It would never, his couch was bigger than mine and the fireplace added to the romance, but I did have this woman's thing for pillows and they are soft and create a cozy space. He grabs a blanket and I sit him down on the couch next to me. It isn't the newest of couches, but it is comfortable and there is more than enough room for two. He wraps a blanket around me and I spin so I can sit facing him. In the candlelight, with the light dancing on his skin, his face reflecting nothing but love for me, I am amazed, at him, at this moment, and at the universe for allowing me to be near him. I lean my head against one arm of the couch and he against the other, our legs tangled. I want to be able to see him when I tell him my story. He grabs my foot and starts rubbing it. It relaxes me. I close my eyes for a second and enjoy the feeling of his hands on my skin.

"Mahri, you should not be so nervous, Nothing you do can make me love you less, nothing can make me like you less, nothing can make me walk away from you."

I take in a deep breath and exhale slowly. "I hope you are correct because I don't think I could stand losing you. You have to promise that you will listen to all of my story and not leave me until I am done."

He promises with a nod and a sweet smile. He draws his body over mine and kisses me, long and sweet. He knows I need it. I need to know of his love for me. Of course, he notices the effect that his kiss has on me. He chuckles and then says, "Sorry for the distraction"

I blush, but lean in and quickly kiss him on the cheek.

He is wonderfully intuitive, the opposite of what he claimed when we talked during Hannah's investigation. I love him with every ounce of who I am.

It is time to start, I can't put it off any longer.

"Well, it starts a long time ago. My mother and my father met in college. My mother, Mahriella, was a political science major. She is brilliant and speaks five languages. My father, Peter, is a journalist or at least he was. He was one of the best. People sought him for stories and his work took him all over the world. That is why we traveled so often.

Anyway, my parents met in California at University. They fell madly in love, got married, and had me and my twin sister, Ella.

Ella was my best friend, the light in my darkness and the other half of me. We were never apart. We ate the same foods, had the same friends, and slept in the same bed. She was free and I needed her to remind me to find joy in the little things. I was always much more serious, much darker. We couldn't be more opposite. That Is why I needed her so badly and why I loved her so fiercely.