89. Chapter 89

Alex’s body is still shaking and her breath is still uneven, and Maggie is not much better off. They’re both covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and Maggie swears she pulled a muscle somehow, but she fumbles down to the edge of the bed – to where Alex had kicked the covers nearly clean off as she was writhing, as she was whimpering, as she was begging, as she was screaming for Maggie not to stop, for Maggie to fuck her harder, please, please, please – and pulls the sheets back over Alex’s body with a shaky hand.

Alex sighs and shifts into the warmth of the blanket, into the warmth of Maggie’s body, wearing only her harness, her strapon that’s still soaked with Alex’s fluids.

“Come here, babygirl,” Maggie whispers, but it has none of the commanding tone she’d been using mere minutes before; none of the edge and none of the gruffness and none of the heat; this time, only softness, only warmth. Only love.

Alex complies as best she can with her hands cuffed above her head, and Maggie reaches up to unclasp them for her, her eyes soft and her hands careful and her breath slowly evening out.

“I got you, babe,” she tells her as she takes both of Alex’s hands into her own, inspecting her reddened wrists with careful eyes and tender fingertips, bringing her lips to the undersides of her wrists, to each of her veins, to each of her bones, to every centimeter of her exposed skin.

Alex watches Maggie examining her, watches Maggie kissing her, caressing her, with a limp body and glazed eyes and a nervous thrumming in her heart.

“You love me, Mags?” she wants to know, she needs to know, because she thinks she does, Maggie acts like she does, but she needs to hear it, needs to be told it, needs it like she needs the water the Maggie is reaching across to the bedside table to give her.

“Alex,” Maggie whispers, smoothing a sweaty layer of Alex’s hair off her forehead as Alex drinks deeply, eyes wide and on Maggie. “Yes, babe, I love you so much. I love you, I respect you, I would never ever hurt you, I – “

“Well. Maybe not never ever.” Alex cocks an eyebrow and winks and Maggie looks down and chuckles and shakes her head.

“I love you, Al. I would never… I would never do this with you if I didn’t. Can I um… do you want me – would you let me hold you?”

Alex blushes and Alex beams and Alex sets down the glass and crawls into Maggie’s grateful arms. She settles with her head on Maggie’s chest, Maggie’s arm under her neck, wrapped around her body, holding her close, her other hand running her fingers through Alex’s hair, running gentle patterns over Alex’s cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her chin, her lips.

“You know you’re perfect, right, Alex? I mean…” She stares up at the ceiling as she talks, but all she can see is Alex’s smile, all she can hear is Alex’s laugh, all she can feel is Alex’s warm body huddled close into hers. “I can’t imagine being happier than I am when I’m with you. You know? And I didn’t… I didn’t know I could love someone like I love you. You… you know that, right? Even when we…”

“Even when you cuff me to the bed and flip me over and smack my ass and fuck me to within an inch of my sanity?”

“Well, someone’s lesbian vocabulary is growing.”

“I have an excellent teacher.”

Maggie chuckles and kisses the top of Alex’s head, kisses Alex’s forehead, her nose, when Alex shifts so she’s looking up into Maggie’s eyes.

Maggie smile and answers the question before it can even reach Alex’s swollen lips.

“I love you, babygirl. I love you, and I’ve got you, and I cherish you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Alex shivers happily and beams a satisfied smile before burrowing back into Maggie’s body, sighing in perfect security, in perfect contentment, in perfect… well, perfection.