“Good evening, gorgeous,” Rux said, beaming as always.
He pulled Dana into his arms by her waist, holding her lower back as she wrapped her arms around his head. They kissed like they always did, as if there was a camera nearby filming their every move.
His taste calmed Dana. She breathed into him as he put his bag down and then pulled her tighter with both hands.
Dana felt a bit like she was going to be a puddle on the floor. It wiped her memory the way he was always able to.
He pulled away, smirking as she moved her fingers through his hair.
“You’re home early,” he remarked.
Dana licked her lips, centering herself.
“I wasn’t feeling well earlier,” she said. “They let me off a bit early. We’ve been working hard all week, so I thought I deserved it anyway.”
“Indeed,” Rux said, looking at her with adoring eyes.
Dana was invigorated. She took him by the hand and began pulling him up the winding stone stairs.
“I have a surprise for you,” she said whimsically.
Rux would go wherever she led him, and he did with a wide-eyed look of intrigue. She guided him upstairs, past the kitchen, and onto the terrace. He marveled at the table that had been so adorably set up, turning to her with a naughty grin.
“Did we get delivery?” he pointed at the table with his thumb.
Dana hit his shoulder lightly, and he feigned cowering away from her.
“I made you a tasty dinner, mister!” she said, giggling.
He pulled her into his arms as she spoke, smothering himself into her neck and breasts. She laughed in the warm air as he tried tickling her, and she swiped him away and pointed a single finger at him sternly.
“Don’t get me started,” she hissed.
“God,” Rux said, cooing. “I fucking love you.”
Dana felt the butterflies come back to life inside her stomach. Except, they were the good kind.
How could I have ever doubted the man who called me his wife?
“Sit down, you,” she said, ordering him to the table. “You will eat it, and you will like it.”
Rux nodded, then tried to nip at her finger. She pulled away in time and lightly shoved him.
Dana went inside, chuckling to herself, then plated their dinner as she listened to him pouring the wine.
“What promoted such a decadent treat, my love?” Rux called to her.
Dana placed the pasta from the pot onto their plates and then applied the sauce generously. It seemed creamy and rich, and she hoped that she had done it the way she had been shown.
“A weekend with you, my darling,” Dana lied.
She wasn’t quite ready to break the news to him. Knowing Rux, he would frolic all over her and forget all about the meal she had spent a few painstaking hours on.
Dana carried out both plates, and Rux looked up at her, his handsome head lit like a halo from the sun behind him.
“My goodness!” he exclaimed.
Dana placed down both plates and then kissed Rux’s forehead. He was looking down at the steaming dish, then lifted his face to her.