I begin to thrust. Sinking into her, deeper and deeper, forgetting myself, until a quick ragged sound tears out of her throat and she climaxes. Immediately I let go, my breath explodes from my lungs, and semen pumps out of me. I come, as I haven’t in a long, long time, as only she can make me. Hard and brutal, my neck stretched, a strangled growl rumbling in my throat.
Emptied and chest heaving, I look down at my love. Her skin is flushed and she is taking gasping breaths.
I curl her towards me. ‘I’m sorry I hurt you.’
‘No, it was the best sex I’ve ever had.’
I listen to her ragged heartbeat with gratitude. Every heartbeat is a gift I treasure.
‘I wanted all of you,’ she whispers. ‘I’ve always been able to take all of you, and I wanted to again.’
‘You will. When you’re ready. There’s no hurry,’ I tell her. ‘We have our whole lives ahead of us.’
Epilogue
Dahlia Fury Malenkov
(Five Years Later)
I open the fridge door and a gust of lovely cool air blows on my face. I reach for a pitcher of lemonade, close the door, and Mark appears at the kitchen entrance
‘Hey,’ he says.
‘Hey yourself,’ I answer back.
He comes into the kitchen. He is barefoot and wearing a pair of swimming trunks.
I hold up the pitcher. ‘Want some?’ I ask.
‘God, yes,’ he says, and comes to sit down at the counter. He watches me pour the lemonade out. I slide it over to him across the marble counter in a bartender move.
‘Fancy,’ he says with a smile, and takes a sip.
‘So what’s going on outside?’ I say, plonking myself on the stool opposite him.
‘Isn’t life funny?’ he wonders aloud instead of answering me.
‘In what way?’
‘I thought you were the one for me. I mean, nobody could have told me otherwise. Like I told Stella, I was completely obsessed. From the first moment I saw you, I actually thought it was love at first sight. I followed you home, for god’s sake.’
‘Yes, that is a bit creepy,’ I chuckle.
‘Then I saw Stella and thought, yeah, great body, nice face, but not for me and yet, she is the one. We were always wrong. We didn’t fit no matter how hard I tried to make it so. With Stella I didn’t have to try. It just flowed like oil out of a jar. You were always meant for Zane and Stella was always meant for me. I can’t even imagine my life without her anymore.’
I look at his kind eyes and feel blessed that four years ago I finally managed to convince Zane to accept him into our lives. Before I can answer him there is a shout. ‘Uncle Mark where are you?’ a voice hollers.
‘Anouska wants to torture you. Again,’ I say with a smile.
‘Oh well. It was too good to last,’ he says and stands up.
‘Good luck.’ I grin at him as he goes out into the bright sunshine.
I look out of the window as Mark hauls my daughter up into the air and onto his shoulders. She clings onto his neck like a little brown spider and they head towards the pool.
I hear a noise and Stella waddles in. She is seven months pregnant. ‘Jesus, Dahlia. What the hell are we doing in this confounded country? It’s way too hot. I’m just about to melt into a massive puddle.’
‘Well, we’re all here right slap bang in the middle of a Roman summer. In two months’ time you’ll be having a baby, and you wanted to come, remember?’ I tell her.
‘That’s true. Somebody pass me a lemonade before I pass out,’ she says dramatically.
‘It’s air-conditioned in this kitchen,’ I remind her, putting a glass of lemonade into her outstretched hand.
‘Are you trying to ruin a diva’s moment?’ she asks before draining the entire glass and putting it back into my hand.
‘Heaven forbid,’ I say, and watch her climb onto the island and lie flat on the cool granite top.
I climb onto the island and lie beside her. ‘You always have the best ideas.’
She turns her head. ‘Where’s Zane?’
I link my fingers with hers. ‘Upstairs. Changing Alexei.’
‘Oh God. That’s another joy that awaits me.’
I giggle. ‘It’s not so bad.’
‘Yeah, right. Next you’ll be telling me childbirth is beautiful.’
I grin. ‘It is.’
‘Thank you very much, but having an eight pound bowling ball shoot out of my vagina is not my idea of beautiful.’
I grin. ‘You’re a little bit scared, aren’t you?’
‘As a matter of fact, yes. I’m freaking terrified.’
I laugh. ‘Trust me, it’ll be worth it.’
‘That remains to be seen, but don’t you think it is weird to have a little person living in your body, weeing and pooing inside you?’
‘Oh, Stella,’ I giggle, and squeeze her fingers. They are puffy in this hot weather. ‘Only you can say something like that and still look cute.’