Still Surviving (33 page)

“I love you,” she said. Her fingers trembled as she pushed the strands of hair that fell heavy over my brow away from my eyes. She was laying on her side, almost nose to nose with me, chest to breast, my grip on her hip tightened as she drew her fingernails lightly down my arm, my exhaled breath made her smile. “Even though we’ve been together, God, I don’t even know how many times, I feel like this is the first time all over again. I’m nervous.” Her lashes fell to her cheeks in a quick flash as she dipped her chin.

It was as if we’d never been this close. I lifted her chin and let my eyes search her face. Her cheeks filled with color under my gaze. “Don’t be. You’re every fucking best thing I could ever want. You’re my family. My goddamn heart doesn’t beat without you. It’s us, it’s always going to be us.”

Tiffany rested her cheek against my chest. “Take
his
hands off me, Seth. Make me yours again.” Her voice shook, and I nearly drowned in it.

The quiet sound of a piano played from my stereo. The dim light of the bedside lamp illuminated her skin as I rolled her onto her back. My chest felt heavy as I tried to swallow back the emotion. She was mine, and I was hers. She never dropped her eyes from mine as my mouth met her lips. I watched her eyes close as my nose trailed gradually down her breastbone, my lips tasting the soft flesh of her belly. She tasted every bit as perfect as I remembered. Her hands fisted in my hair as I licked a lazy line across her clit. Her hips lifted, begging me to give her something more.

She moaned as I pulled away. “Seth?” It was a murmur, a stutter… I was taking her back, bringing her home, showing her she was mine again.

She sat up and kneeled in front of me, pressing her body against mine. The heat was welcomed. “Kiss me.” It was more a statement of need than a demand. My tone was deep; I was gone to her as she leaned against me, causing me to sit back, my legs under her now. She licked the seam of my lips, and a tremor ran down my spine as she positioned herself above me.

I let her wrap her legs around my waist, our breathing harsh as I slipped inside her. My jaw was clasped tight as I eased her body down and then up again, her head tilted back, her lips barely parted with a soundless gasp. I grasped her waist as she rolled her hips, a low rumble in my throat escaped as I filled her completely. We moved with each other in perfect rhythm.

“Oh God, Seth.” She started to tremble, her thighs tightened, and she bit her lip.

“Lean back… fuck… I need to make you come, Angel. I need to see you lost for me, just for me.” My hand dipped between her legs, and my thumb pulsed against her right where she needed me. She began to shake; her head fell forward, bowing down as she lost control. Her bottom lip raked through her teeth, and I watched. I watched as I made her mine again — as I filled her with every inch of me. My other hand clasped her hip, stilling her, as my lips fell to her neck, my teeth pulling at the skin as I came.

Her nails dragged across my back, and I growled, “Don’t let go of me yet.” Tiffany’s voice sounded desperate. “You always know how to make me feel…” She swallowed and framed my face with her hands. “… alive. You bring back my spark, you give me my fire back.” She kissed me fully. Her hands never leaving my face. Our bodies still linked as I leaned her backwards. Her head hitting the pillow gently.

“I never want to be without this, holding you, feeling you shake while I’m inside you.” My hips pressed against hers and she started to groan, but I captured it with my lips. Kissing her, feeling her chest rise and fall beneath me, our bodies slowly starting to move again… she was right, this was living. I had spent the better part of my life dying and I was done, I’d found my fire, too. “I want each day to begin and end like this,” my lips brushed against hers as I spoke. “Feeling you, surrounded by you.” I rocked hard against her and she gasped. That pressure was building again, and my stomach tightened. “Tiff,” I groaned as she circled her hips. “This is where I belong.” Our mouths collided as we both fell into each other.

The build was too quick, our breaths were uneven; the sound of her body against mine drove me further beyond my control.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Tiffany

N
OTHING WAS MORE BEAUTIFUL
than Seth unhinged. His muscles tight, his lips full, his jaw pulsing as his blue eyes, bright, pierced mine. Seth’s body was slick with perspiration. The heavy weight of him along my frame was enough in itself to take me closer to that undeniable threshold, but the fullness only he gave me was what pushed me past the brink. He tried to reign himself in, but I wouldn’t let him. I grasped his backside and pushed myself against each hard stroke. “Tiff,” he growled again just before he kissed me deeply, nipping my upper lip and letting himself go.

Each time his body met mine, he’d graze my sensitive skin, and, just as he drew his teeth across my shoulder, I found my release again. I cried out, letting the intense relief pour through me. The hard plane of Seth’s chest fell against me; his ragged breaths heated the nook of my neck. My fingertips trailed up his spine and he shivered. “My heart is your heart,” I whispered the familiar words, touching my lips to his cheek.

He shifted his weight so that he was lying along side of me, his palm rested on my tummy. His thumb creating invisible circles along my skin. “’And though you’ve gone through hell, you’re still my angel.’”

“What?” I turned my face so that I could see his.

“R.H. Sin. It’s a quote I want to get, right here.” He lifted his hand and pointed to a small patch of bare skin along his lower rib cage, close to the scar he now had from Scott’s knife. “I don’t know how you survived this, but you did. I can pretend I had something to do with it all I want, but you did it. You, Tiff. And after all of it, after you were torn apart, you let me in again, and I fucking love you.” His lips pressed sweetly against mine, my throat tight as I took it all in.

“Seth… I’m… I’m.” I inhaled, the long pull of air giving me time to gather my thoughts. His ever-observant gaze fell across my face. “It’s not pretending if it’s true. I had nothing. My parents, they don’t even know if I’m dead or alive and I don’t care, not anymore. I would have died without you, figuratively or literally. You took his life and gave me mine. Seth, without you, I would have died on that cold concrete floor.”

“When I was face down in the snow, my hands cuffed behind my back, that damn cop with his boot on my cheek, for a split second I thought it was over. I thought the blood on my skin was worse than what it was. I thought everything had been in vain. I was angry. I was pissed because I felt like God or whoever the fuck, gave me everything and then took it all away. The fact that I’m laying here with you, now… it’s a goddamn miracle.”

My smile was broad as he brushed his fingertips along my cheek. “I’m going to marry you someday, Mr. Montgomery.” I chuckled as his eyes widened.

“Is that so?” His lips spread into his full smile, and I nodded.

“I am hers, and she is mine.”

The words were whispered. His hand tangled in my hair as he brought our mouths together again with a needful rush.

We were married souls. His light… his dark… it mirrored mine. I didn’t need a family; I had him. In the faint breath of a moment, we marked each other as one. We were a whole piece, and the ache of being apart wasn’t something I wanted to ever feel again. I had lost my other half these past two months, and, as Seth brought his mouth to my breast and his strong hands to my waist, I remembered what it was like to make love, to be worshiped — to belong.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Seth

T
HE ROOM WAS SO
full of people I almost couldn’t fucking breathe. Normally, I’d drop in, say my dutiful hellos, and then move the hell on. But, Todd and Lily had had their baby four days ago, and there was no way in hell I was going to miss out on this. Todd was pale. The dark circles under his eyes and the proud smile on his face the badges of parenthood.

“You wear it well, bro.” I chuckled as I lightly clipped him on the shoulder.

“What are you talking about?” Todd’s left eyebrow lifted.

“Being a dad. It suits you, man.” I laughed as his smile dimmed.

“It’s harder than I thought.” His gaze fell on Lily’s face from across the room. Everyone surrounded her. Elizabeth, Cam, and Karen, Todd’s mother, were fighting over who got to hold the baby next. Molly rested under Lily’s left arm, and Lyric lay in her lap. Everyone cooing and talking in high pitch voices, it was like another fucking planet. “Lily’s so good at this shit. I think it was a blessing in disguise that Molly came to me later in life,” He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Nah, you got this man,” I whispered.

His smile was small as Lily’s eyes met his. “I think I might.” He shoved me in the shoulder, “You want to hold him?”

Dread filled my veins. Tiny people were not my specialty. “Um…”

“Don’t be a dick, come hold my son.”

I wished Tiffany were here already so she could save me from this. She was still at work at the new Tattoo place she started working at last month. Rand had gotten her the new spot over at his cousin’s shop. She loved it there; going back to Magnolia was too much for her and wasn’t really a possibility. I’d had to pick up all her stuff from the tattoo shop, and it almost broke me again. I shook my head. “Come on, Seth,” Todd smirked at me as he headed over to the shit storm of women. I nodded in defeat and swallowed down the panic.

“Ladies, back off, geez.” Todd’s laugh was full. “Let the men get a chance.”

Sawyer, Colby, and Todd’s dad were sitting over in the corner watching basketball while Sailor played with her toys at her father’s feet. “Good luck with that, son. Be prepared to be ignored for at least six months,” Mr. Dixon chuckled as his wife scowled at him. Sawyer’s deep laugh echoed through the room, and Sailor giggled as he picked her up on his knee.

“Not true, I just want to hold my new grandbaby. Is that too much to ask?” Karen’s wounded tone was amusing.

“Ma, come on, you’re next, okay?” Todd was so easily manipulated these days. I needed to remind him where his balls were, but then I remembered I was about to hold a six-pound human and I began to panic again.

“I better be.” She narrowed her eyes in mock anger. “Hey Molly, want to come help Cam and me make dinner?”

Molly eagerly nodded her head. “You’re such a big girl. I can’t believe how much you just keep growing!” Cam took Molly’s hand in hers as they walked into Todd’s kitchen.

“Ready?” Todd scooped Lyric from Lily’s arms.

“Careful with his head, baby.” Lily frowned.

“Shh. I know, you’ve told me a hundred damn times.” He gave her a smartass smirk, and she shrugged her shoulders.

He held Lyric close to his chest. His hand looked huge next to the tiny body. Todd’s smile was the biggest I’d ever seen it as he handed me this small piece of life. He held Lyric with strength, his eyes full of honor, it made me wonder if I’d ever get to a point where this was something I could do someday.

The thick copper patch of hair on the top of Lyric’s head brushed across my forearm as Todd carefully placed the baby in my arms.
Holy shit.
The feeling of having this little person in my arms affected me more than I wanted it to. I took a deep breath and summoned all my faculties so I could speak without looking like a total pussy. “This little man is a light weight, red-headed version of you, Todd.” It was true. This miniature human was Todd. Lily giggled as Todd sat next to her on the couch.

“Seth Montgomery… that baby has my name all over it.” Tiffany’s voice filled me with an instant ease. She wrapped her arm around my waist and kissed me on the cheek before bringing her nose to Lyric’s and then back to my lips. “Hey, sweetheart,” she spoke quietly against my lips.

“You want to hold him? Honestly, it’s freaking me out.” My eyes wide met hers.

“Look at his teeny fingers,” she whispered animatedly. She brushed her thumb across his fingers, and he grasped hold of it. She lit up, her hazel eyes alive as she looked at me with disbelief. It was then, when Tiff looked at me with wonder, with a joy I’d never seen before in her eyes, I had the crazy realization that I wanted this. This life could be amazing… but only with her. Without her, none of this appealed to me. But I could see it. I could see her sitting on our couch, holding a small version of us, singing to him or her in that terrible shower voice of hers. I chuckled. “What?” She gave me a questioning smile.

“You like babies?” I asked with a grin.

“Who doesn’t?” She looked at me like I was an idiot.

I leaned down and let my lips faintly touch her ear. “You’d be a great mother.” My voice was low.

Her gasp was light as she pulled away to look at me. The questions in her eyes, the thoughts spinning in her head were apparent as she furrowed her brow. “You think so?”

“I do.” I kissed her forehead. “Here.” I handed her the baby, and her smile spread from ear to ear.

She brought her nose to his again before she sat next to Lily on the couch. “Lily, he’s perfect.” Her smile was watery as she and Lily doted over the new addition.

“He really is,” I said.

“See, Seth? Babies aren’t that scary. You should have seen him, Tiff. Right before you got here; I thought he was going to bolt when Todd tried to hand him the baby.” Lily laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

“Ha-ha, Hell Cat. Come talk to me in three months when you haven’t slept and you’re ready to punch Todd in the nuts.” I snickered as her lips formed a straight line.

“You guys are so mean to each other.” Tiffany shook her head as she chuckled.

“She loves to hate me, isn’t that true, Lil?” My mouth turned up into a sideways smile as she tried not to smile through her pout.

“I suppose.”

“Oh my God, you guys are baby hogs,” Cam’s annoyed tone made Todd laugh.

“Shit, Colby, when are you gonna get off your ass and finally marry this chick and give her a baby.”