Now that the trial has been put to rest, Rueben believes that life is on an upward trend. It's not long before he understands he is sadly mistaken.
Around every corner lies a new demon lurking with the desire to rip the rug out from under him. He m...
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𝗥ayne smiled softly as she looked at Rueben's closed – eyed face. She was resting half of her upper body on his chest, one elbow propped up to hold her head up as she gazed lovingly in his direction. Rueben's arm was wrapped around her body; his palm was flat against her naked back, but he was running circles with his thumb.
He was shirtless – pants less – she grinned, boxer less.
It has been about an hour since their latest dance in the sheets, but neither of them felt particularly inclined to get dressed. The best thing about sex wasn't the sex part – it was the cuddling naked afterward. Rayne breathed in a deep breath, taking in the cool, summer air of Ibiza as she used her free hand to trace the tattoos on her beloved's body.
The butterflies that lived on his collar bones were her favorite. Starting at his shoulder, they went from large, to small, each of them wrapping around the pronounced bone, making it look somewhat three – dimensional. They were outlined in black, but some of them had white highlights, while others had pops of red, pink, and orange – little colored lines to give them a more appealing allure.
Rayne giggled lightly as Rueben grabbed her hand from his skin and brought the back of it to his lips. With his eyes still closed, he turned his head in her direction, rubbing the pads on his fingers across all of the skin on her palms.
"Are you ticklish?" she questioned.
"No," he mumbled; his voice heavy with prolonged exhaustion, "I just wanted to kiss your hand."
"You are such a baby," she cooed, leaning her chin against his chest.
"For you."
She smiled against his skin as she kissed the middle of his abdomen before resting her cheek flat against it. He returned her hand, but moved his into her hair. She sighed gently, staring out into the horizon of their open balcony as he played with the tangled strands.
This trip, even if it hasn't even been a full day yet, has been something of a blessing. The area was beautiful – gorgeous even – and had such an inviting and calming sense about it, that she couldn't help but let all the worries of her life slip to the back of her mind. All she thought about was the way the waves hit the shore like a light tap, and how the sun beat down, making the sand sparkle. All she thought about was the way Rueben was relaxed. Happy. Free. And that they felt this together.
"I love you," she said, tapping her fingers against his ribs.
"Te amo, más mi princesita," (I love you more, my little princess).
"No, I do."
"Shush."
"I'm never going to win this battle, huh?" she smiled.
"Probably never, my love."
Rayne rolled her eyes, but kept the smile as she sat up and grabbed the sheets. She pulled them over her body and stepped off the bed, walking over to the balcony. She breathed in the fresh air, holding the white sheets to her chest with one hand, as she grabbed the banister with the other. From here, she could see the secondary group down at the beach, playing some version of soccer. From here, she could see an old couple holding hands while they shared an ice cream cone. From here – everything seemed so ... small. So unaffecting. It was a grandiose feeling – to realize that.
