Chapter 19
896 Words
Matias
The wind on the sixty fifth floor balcony was indeed very high, whipping the emerald and gold nylon of the bounce house with a steady, rhythmic thwip. After a rigorous, thirty minute "safety inspection" that mostly consisted of me holding my wife by the waist while she aggressively tested the bounce house and sang a highly energetic rendition of Caro Nome, I had officially declared the structure a temporary hazard and dragged her back inside."You are a tyrant, Matias Stone," she grumbled, though she didn’t make any effort to pull away as I carried her back into the living room. "A dreamcrusher. A literal fun vampire." "I’m a man who prefers his wife to remain on the correct side of the atmosphere," I said, setting her down on the massive, plush sofa.Before she could sit up and launch into another one of her dramatic monologue, I slid onto the cushions beside her. Pulling her back against my chest, my legs bracketed around hers, and wrapped a thick, cream colored cashmere throw over both of us."Oh," she murmured, her posture instantly losing its rigid, theatrical defiance. She melted back against me like warm honey, her head finding the perfect hollow beneath my chin. "Okay. I suppose this is an acceptable alternative to gravity defying acrobatics." "I’m glad it met your high standards," I whispered, my arms wrapping securely around her waist.Barney, realizing the pack had assembled, trotted over from his spot on the yellow rug. He let out a low, whistling sigh and rested his heavy, chin heavy golden head directly onto my knee, his tail giving three lazy thumps against the floor before he closed his eyes.I rested my chin on top of June's head, breathing in the scent of her jasmine scented shampoo. The apartment was quiet now, the chaotic energy of the afternoon settling into a thick, cozy warmth. The late afternoon sun was began to dip below the Hudson River, casting a long, amber glow across the concrete pillars and the polished grand piano. "Matias?" she whispered, her fingers finding my hand where it rested on her stomach. She interlaced her fingers with mine, her touch light and curious. "Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about how weird this is?" she asked softly. Her thumb traced the outline of my knuckles, a slow, soothing motion. "A few months ago, we didn't even know each others faces. I was just a name on a corporate merger sheet, and you were just the cold, arrogant suit my father wanted to sell me to." "I wasn't going to sell you," I murmured, my grip tightening on her waist just a fraction. "And it wasn't a sale."
"You know what I meant," she said, her voice dropping to a vulnerable, quiet register that always made my protective instincts flare. "Everyone in our world is always looking for a transaction. My father wanted security. Your father wanted shipping lanes. Nobody ever asked what we wanted. But somehow we got this." I turned my head, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her temple. "We got lucky."
"We did," she breathed, shifting slightly so she could turn her face toward mine. Even with her sunglasses still resting on her nose, I could feel the intense, sweet focus of her full attention. "I don't think I've ever felt safe like this before. People usually treat me like I'm made of glass, Matias. They speak to me in these delicate, quiet voices, like if they talk too loud I'll break. But you’re different"
"I let you put a giant yellow rug in my foyer and build a bounce house on my balcony," I said dryly. "Exactly," she giggled, a bright, beautiful sound that warmed the cool concrete of the room. "You treat me like I'm a real person. A loud, annoying and incredibly fabulous person." "You’re definitely loud," I whispered, leaning down to press my lips to hers. The kiss was slow, sweet, and entirely unhurried. It was the kind of easy, comfortable intimacy that only comes when the armor is completely gone. Her lips parted with a soft sigh, her hand rising to gently cradle my jaw, her fingertips tracing the sharp line of my cheekbone. When I finally pulled back, her eyes were shining behind her lenses. I reached up, slowly sliding the dark glasses off her face and setting them on the coffee table. Her amber eyes looked straight toward mine, unfocused but incredibly beautiful, framed by the warm, golden light of the setting sun. "I love you, June," I whispered, the words falling from my lips with a quiet, terrifying simplicity. I had never said them to anyone before. I had never thought I would ever need to. But standing here, in our chaotic, beautiful sanctuary, they felt like the most natural thing in the world. Juniper went entirely still. For a second, I wondered if I had pushed too fast, if the sarcasm was going to come back to shield her. But then, a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, glistening in the amber light. A soft, breathless smile broke across her face, and she buried her nose in the crook of my neck, her arms wrapping tightly around my shoulders."I know Matias," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I can hear it in your chest, Stone. It’s the best song I’ve ever heard."
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