Moonflower

Chapter 29: Breakfast, Anyone? Who Needs Lunch When I Have You?

Tae woke up before Mari. He was still holding her in his arms. He smiled faintly as he stared down at her adorable face. His wife. What an odd yet wonderful notion. He found that he quite liked her.

He frowned as she suddenly moaned. Was she still in pain?

Her eyes fluttered open a moment later. He could see them clearly illuminated by the rising sun bursting through the window shade.

"Are you all right?" he murmured, bending his head low over her.

She gazed up at him. Her heart shifted violently in her chest as the events of last night cascaded into her consciousness. He'd seen her back. He's caressed her scars. Then he'd even kissed them.

She was lost in love with him now. No one had ever treated her with such gentleness. Not in the whole of her life. Not once. Not ever. If he didn't fall in love with her, she didn't know how she'd bear it. The man was so gentle. So tender. So wonderful.

"My back still hurts," she whimpered. But then she realized how pitiful she sounded, and he had suffered so much worse than she had. "But it's nothing," she rushed to add. "I should get up and go find us some breakfast."

She shifted as though she was going to sit up, but he tightened his arms around her to keep her firmly nestled against him.

"Not yet," he murmured. "I find I quite like being in bed with my wife in the early morning. I don't want you going anywhere. Come. I'll put some of that miracle cream on your back again. And then you can do mine...All right?"

He was looking down at her with such a sweet expression in his eyes. She swallowed. He was asking to see her scars in the sunlight. Last night, he had examined them by candlelight. But this morning, the garish sun would not hide any hideous facet of them from his gaze. She swallowed.

He bent and whispered into her ear, "Please don't be shy. I've already seen your scars. They will not shock me in daylight. I won't flee from you. Remember, Mari, I find you beautiful." His gentle breath wafted over her skin, teasing it.

She shivered at the touch of that tantalizing breath. And those sweet words.

"Do you truly, Tae? Or are you just trying to make me feel better?"

He smiled at her. He loved how she called him Tae. No one else did that. It was rather endearing.

"I am trying to make you feel better," he breathed into her ear again. Then he bent his head and kissed her neck.

She gasped as a flood of heat rushed into her belly.

"But I also think you're beautiful." He kissed her throat next.

She was quaking. Was he going to keep kissing her like this? She was going to melt out of their bed into a big puddle on the floor if he kept this up much longer.

"Can I take off your shirt?" he whispered, his breath sliding over her skin.

Her heart started to race. But then she reminded herself that he was still really injured and he had promised to take things slow. So she nodded and sat up. She turned her back towards him and raised her arms over her head. He sat up too and grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up.

He nearly gasped when he saw her scars in the sunlight. They broke his heart afresh, and tears began to slide down his cheeks. He pulled the shirt over her head and handed it to her. Then he slid his fingers into the jar of cream before he began to rub it into her skin. But, really, he just wanted to kiss those healed wounds. The ones he was sure must have been carved all the way into her soul.