Love's a Bitch, then We all Die Ch. 02

He sighed. "I love you, you know."

"I know. I love you too. There's no one else I would rather fight with."

His lips curved into a grin as he pulled me into his arms then slowly laid me back, wedging his leg between mine so our bodies pressed tightly together. His hand stroked through my hair, trailing gently down the side of my face and then down my neck and over the curve of my shoulder, memorizing every line of my body.

We'd been frantic before. We were both gentler now, content to just touch and make up for five years of time. I let my lips slide apart when his mouth brushed along mine, the tip of his tongue tracing every line and contour till I breathed a sigh of pleasure into his mouth, giving him permission to deepen the kiss.

He wrapped me in his arms and held me tightly against him, cradling my head like I was something rare and precious to be treasured. Every inch of my body was something he explored with his lips and hands, going slowly as if we had all the time in the world and not just one night.

Emotion was riding me harder than it had when Garrett had me on my knees earlier in the night. For once I didn't fight the slow slip of tears that dampened my cheeks He kissed them away where they fell, a damp cleansing trail left behind.

I'd always thought that loving someone as much as you humanly could, would make you weak. I had railed against giving myself over completely to Garrett, mind, body and soul, because I hadn't wanted to give him the power to hurt me. Now I realized that the only person I had hurt was myself by making myself only half of a person. Garrett completed me and even if I lost him tomorrow, he still would.

His lips brushed over my breasts, tracing the contours, lifting them to feel their weight in his hands. When I arched beneath him, he moved back up, the head of his cock brushing the silky curls between my legs. The knot of emotion in my throat loosened as I gave over to pleasure, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, murmuring all the things that I had ever considered corny and implausible in romantic films. He told me that he needed me and would always be with me. Instead of rolling my eyes, I believed him, putting that promise into my heart and keeping it there.

His hands slid down my body to my hips to move me beneath him, dragging my leg higher onto his hip as he slid into me. He pushed deep but then stayed still, allowing me time to adjust around him as his hand gently pushed my hair out of my eyes so I could look at him.

He shifted his weight so that his body rubbed against mine as he slowly moved. He thrust gently, maintaining that same unhurried pace. My head tipped back as I hummed with pleasure. I felt him buried deeper inside of me than I ever imagined and started to tighten around him, trying to draw him deeper and keep him as close to me as I possibly could.

This time I didn't rush him, allowing him to keep up his slow, torturous pace for what seemed like an eternity. Whenever either of us built up too quickly, teetering on that shining edge, he slowed us down, keeping our breath elevated and attention on one another.

His hands cradled my face and mine rested over his as he moved, looking into one another's eyes the entire time. I saw the subtle gleam of tears in his eyes as well and I murmured his name, letting him know I was there, as swept away as he was in this emotional moment

His voice cracked as he spoke, husky with the tears he wouldn't let fall. "I love you so much, Allison. Whatever happens you know that. Swear to me you'll remember that."

"I swear."

He smiled and then thrust once more and we both went over the edge together, our fingers lacing together against my skin. When we both drifted back to earth, he leaned down to kiss me. I could still feel his body deep within mine, maintaining the connection we both knew would be lost the minute we pulled apart.

His kiss was slow, so gentle with the emotion that only those who have lost everything can understand. When the kiss finally ended, his body had calmed and his softened cock slipped out of me. He rolled us to our sides, tucking me into the front of his body, holding me from behind. I felt his lips brush my shoulder and returned it with a kiss to his hand.

"Remember your promise, Al."

"I won't forget, Garrett. Remember, you're the one I love to fight with the most."

* * * * *

When I woke up, he was gone. There was no trace of him left, no sign in the cool sheets that he had ever been there beside me, holding me until I fell asleep with his hand held tight in mine.

I fought the tightness in my chest, closing my eyes for a moment. I couldn't feel him, but I knew that he was here somewhere. He had promised and sometimes you just had to go with faith and not the reality.

I wiped one hand across my face and then reached for the drawer in my nightstand and pulled out the slender gold ring that I had never worn. I turned it between my fingers slowly then slid it on. It fit perfectly.

"Allison, Cassandra just called." Miranda yelled from the other side of the door. "We have to meet her at the coffeehouse in fifteen minutes so get up and get dressed."

I considered laying there. I wondered what Cassandra would do if I didn't show. It was tempting to find out but then I slid out of bed and then moved to the bathroom to shower and change. Life didn't stop just because you wished it would.

*****

"Well it's about time you two finally got here. I was beginning to wonder if I had said 7::30 and not 8:00am."

"Sorry Cassandra. I had a long night - some unfinished business I had to take care of."

She frowned as Sebastian grinned at me. I grinned back, surprised that the words didn't hurt as much as I thought they would. I rubbed my thumb over the ring on my left hand, feeling calmer with its weight in place.

"Well hopefully you'll remember next time that work related business comes before personal business."

"Of course, Cassandra."

I gave her my best little girl in the world smile and her frown deepened, but she cleared her throat and opened her planner to start handing out Post-its. I reached for mine, glancing at the E.T.D. and location before I glanced at my watch. I hated it when she gave me pick-ups during rush-hour. Assholes who believed that sprinting down the street with a coffee cup in hand was a sport, had ruined my good coat.

"All right. As you can all see, Chelsea is no longer with us. She's been transferred to a different unit. Something about not being able to deal with blood."

She frowned as we all snickered, banging her planner against the edge of the table for attention. "At any rate, we will forge ahead. We have a job to do and I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our team." She beamed as footsteps approached. I looked up as I tried to tuck my Post-it into my pocket.

"This is Garrett. He'll be working with us from now on."

The Post-it slipped from my fingers."What are you doing here?!"

Amusement flickered through his eyes as he stood there with his hands in his pockets, relaxed as if this wasn't the shock of a lifetime-well of a second lifetime.

"I think Cassandra just explained that. You might want to pay attention from now on, Ally," he chided. "Mind if I move in boys?"

Sebastian grinned, moving without comment for the first time since I'd met him five years ago. He settled on Miranda's other side, allowing Garrett to sit beside me. His body was warm and firm, solid on the bench as he leaned back, casually placing his arm behind my head.

I just stared as Cassandra went on. "Garrett here was re-assigned by management so he's one of us. I'm going to have him ride along with one of you for his first few pick-ups so he gets an idea of how things are done here. All right?" She beamed when no one said anything and then slid out of the booth.

I wanted to kill her when she laid her hand over Garrett's, welcoming him to the team with more warmth than she had ever shown to me. Garrett touched my leg beneath the table and I exhaled. His thumb stroked gently over my fingers and I felt him pause when he felt the smoothness of the ring.

When Cassandra finally walked away, he lifted my hand to put it on the table where he could see it. The gold gleamed richly on my finger and he smiled as he laid his hand beside it, the matching ring on his hand.

"I told you I never take it off."

"But I don't understand. How are you here? I thought you had to cross over. Management doesn't bend the rules."

"Well, I guess they liked what I had to say."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously at him as Sebastian and Adam started talking about churches and weddings. Miranda informed me that if we woke her in the middle of the night with head-banging sex, she was taking my name off the lease. I held up both hands for a cease fire, trying to focus on one thing at a time.

"What did you say, Garrett?"

His expression softened as he laced my fingers in his, his other hand moving into my hair to brace me as he leaned down, his lips hovering over mine. I felt the warmth of his breath across my mouth, promising me everything that I had ever wanted.

"I told him you were the person I loved to fight with the most."

I grinned as he pulled me closer, kissing me so hard and so deep it took my breath away. I climbed onto his lap, laughing as his hands moved over my hips to hold me and Miranda told us to get a room. I had officially crossed over in the realms of the blissfully happy and in love, which also meant I was a full-fledged member of the moronic behaviors club in her book, but I'd never been so happy to be "one of the sheep."

I brushed my mouth over his, letting my hands slide down over his chest and down low enough to make his eyes darken with interest. "I have a pick-up in twenty minutes at the church cemetery. Want to come along? I've heard that it's a great place to have head-banging, sweaty, screaming sex..."

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