Page 81 of Earl
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“What do you plan on doing with the house?” Earl asked as he quietly came up and wrapped his hands around her waist.
They were back from their weeklong honeymoon and were spending their first night as a married couple in his apartment. The magic of the seven days was still lingering, and Cathy found herself wishing they had a few more weeks.
They had done nothing but while the days away in front of the fire, making love and talking.
They had chanced the icy weather and taken walks, appreciating the beauty of nature and the bracing air. At one point, she could swear she heard a bear thrashing through the bushes and, to her husband’s amusement, had made mad haste back to the cottage.
Leaning back against him, she closed her eyes in contentment. “I want to keep it. It’s my first home, the first place I felt any form of security.” Tilting her head up, she gazed into his beloved face and felt the familiar stirring of her heart.
She loved him so much that it simply scared her. She never dreamed that anything like this ever existed, and it was going to take a while to get used to the way he made her feel.
“I understand.” He kissed the tip of her pert nose, his hands tightening around her waist. “The house we grew up in, my sister and I never felt like home.” He moved his hands over her flat stomach, rhythmically.
“As soon as I had control over everything, I sold it. Too many awful memories. Funny thing though…,”his tone had turned reflective. “Not until you started coming here, did this place feel lived in. Before that, it was just somewhere to crash whenever I am in town.”
She turned into his arms. “I want us to promise each other something.”
“Anything.” He declared solemnly.
Her smile came as she lifted a hand to frame his face. He needed a shave, she thought whimsically, the bristles pleasant against her palm.
“That no matter how busy we get with our respective careers, we will always have time for each other. That we will go out, not just the obligatory functions, but have date nights and not forget in the busyness of our lives.”
“That’s easy.” His gray eyes glittered as he stared at her. Their time away together had cemented them as a couple. They had talked and made love and talked some more.
She had told him of the tormenting times she spent at the group home, her insecurities regarding her height and weight and how she had been brought up to believe she was ugly and unacceptable. It had been difficult for him to tamp down his anger.
He wanted to flay alive the people who had hurt her. “You are my number one priority. I am hoping that when I have to travel, you will accompany me.”
“I would love that.”
“There is something else.”
“What?”
“I would like to make love to my wife.”
Her laughter tinkled out. “Why am I not surprised?”
Instead of responding, he took her hand and led her up the spiral staircase. During their absence he had changes made to their bedroom and she had not seen it yet. Whereas, before the large suite had been purely masculine, he had consulted with Justin to find discuss color coordination.
“Wait.” He placed a restraining hand on her arm as soon as they reached the doorway.
“What…”
“Shh.” Putting his hands over her eyes, he nudged her inside.
“I hate surprises.” She muttered.
“Just hush.”
She remained silent as they made their way through the sitting room and into the bedroom. He had guided her into the middle of the hardwood floors before removing his hands.
“What do you think?”
Her eyelids flickered open, and her body jerked in surprise. There were colors everywhere. Not just the drapes, but on the sofas which had been reupholstered with dazzling green and gold, the cushions, ranging from chestnut brown to a shimmering red and gold color combination.