and pulled me to him. His lips brushed against mine. I backed out of the room, pulling him along with me since he didn’t let go of me.
He shut the door softly behind him. “It’s only seven. What do you want to do?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe we could watch a movie or something. It was a pretty taxing day.” I wasn’t sure which one of us it was more taxing for, me or him.
“Sure,” he replied. He brushed past me and headed down the stairs. Brody used to talk to me about everything. It was how our friendship formed when we were teenagers. How many hours did we lay in the back of his pickup truck talking into the night sky together? How many times did I get grounded for being out too late with him because I lost track of time?
I missed him.
Whatever had been in his dreams the night before he wasn’t talking. I hadn’t had the courage to bring it up either. And then add to the stress of the crowd around him all day at the zoo, and I wasn’t sure what was going through his head. There had been a time in the past that I’d always known what he was thinking about.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Brody swept me into his arms and carried me over to the couch. I giggled, because what else can you do when your husband sweeps you off your feet? He dropped to the couch with me in his lap. His hand slid along my neck until his fingers tangled in the hair at the base of my head.
They tightened, pulling at my roots just a little, and forcing my head to tilt back. His lips crashed on mine, hot and demanding. I gripped his arm to steady myself, though he had me all but immobile. When he parted the kiss, his eyes bore into mine with an intensity like I’d never seen from him.
“Brody…” His name was almost a question on my lips. I pulled back from him a little so I could see his face. “Are you okay? I mean, really?”
He hesitated. “I’m not really sure how to answer that.”
“How about honestly? You had a nightmare last night, and you’ve not been the same since.”
He didn’t answer right away. HIs throat worked up and down and his eyes were down. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Maybe our hands? The silence stretched between us, creating the distance I so desperately wanted to tear down.
“I feel human with you.” His voice was barely audible, but after the silence, it was deafening. “I’ve had to be an unfeeling machine for two years, but you make me human again. I have this need to touch you, to be with you. I crave you. I need you.”
I cupped his jaw with one hand and pushed up so he had to meet my eyes again. “I just want to know you again. You’re like two people, Brody.”
“Am I?” Did he not realize?
“Yes. One minute, you’re joking around, or playing with the girls, and you have this big smile. You’re the guy I fell in love with… Then the next, you’re intense, and closed down, and a little bit scary.” I paused. “Kinda like now.”
“I don’t mean to scare you.” He released my hair, his hand instead splaying out on my back. He leaned back against the couch, dropping the arm that was around my waist. I suddenly felt cold, but none of this was going to get resolved if I didn’t talk to him about it.
“If something is wrong… I want you to tell me, Brody.”
I saw the mask come down, even if he didn’t mean for it to. It slammed down between us, cutting me off from my husband.
“Are you mad at me?” The question was entirely too quiet.
“No, I’m not. I’m… frustrated. I’ve heard that homecomings can be rough for servicemen. I didn’t really believe it. I thought… I thought we could weather anything anyone threw at us. That we were close, and nothing could break us apart.”
I wanted to cry. I wanted to cling. But neither would do any good at this point.
“We are close. We always have been.”
Instead of clinging, I gave myself distance. I got off his lap, and sat down on the couch next to him, though I still
He shut the door softly behind him. “It’s only seven. What do you want to do?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe we could watch a movie or something. It was a pretty taxing day.” I wasn’t sure which one of us it was more taxing for, me or him.
“Sure,” he replied. He brushed past me and headed down the stairs. Brody used to talk to me about everything. It was how our friendship formed when we were teenagers. How many hours did we lay in the back of his pickup truck talking into the night sky together? How many times did I get grounded for being out too late with him because I lost track of time?
I missed him.
Whatever had been in his dreams the night before he wasn’t talking. I hadn’t had the courage to bring it up either. And then add to the stress of the crowd around him all day at the zoo, and I wasn’t sure what was going through his head. There had been a time in the past that I’d always known what he was thinking about.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Brody swept me into his arms and carried me over to the couch. I giggled, because what else can you do when your husband sweeps you off your feet? He dropped to the couch with me in his lap. His hand slid along my neck until his fingers tangled in the hair at the base of my head.
They tightened, pulling at my roots just a little, and forcing my head to tilt back. His lips crashed on mine, hot and demanding. I gripped his arm to steady myself, though he had me all but immobile. When he parted the kiss, his eyes bore into mine with an intensity like I’d never seen from him.
“Brody…” His name was almost a question on my lips. I pulled back from him a little so I could see his face. “Are you okay? I mean, really?”
He hesitated. “I’m not really sure how to answer that.”
“How about honestly? You had a nightmare last night, and you’ve not been the same since.”
He didn’t answer right away. HIs throat worked up and down and his eyes were down. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Maybe our hands? The silence stretched between us, creating the distance I so desperately wanted to tear down.
“I feel human with you.” His voice was barely audible, but after the silence, it was deafening. “I’ve had to be an unfeeling machine for two years, but you make me human again. I have this need to touch you, to be with you. I crave you. I need you.”
I cupped his jaw with one hand and pushed up so he had to meet my eyes again. “I just want to know you again. You’re like two people, Brody.”
“Am I?” Did he not realize?
“Yes. One minute, you’re joking around, or playing with the girls, and you have this big smile. You’re the guy I fell in love with… Then the next, you’re intense, and closed down, and a little bit scary.” I paused. “Kinda like now.”
“I don’t mean to scare you.” He released my hair, his hand instead splaying out on my back. He leaned back against the couch, dropping the arm that was around my waist. I suddenly felt cold, but none of this was going to get resolved if I didn’t talk to him about it.
“If something is wrong… I want you to tell me, Brody.”
I saw the mask come down, even if he didn’t mean for it to. It slammed down between us, cutting me off from my husband.
“Are you mad at me?” The question was entirely too quiet.
“No, I’m not. I’m… frustrated. I’ve heard that homecomings can be rough for servicemen. I didn’t really believe it. I thought… I thought we could weather anything anyone threw at us. That we were close, and nothing could break us apart.”
I wanted to cry. I wanted to cling. But neither would do any good at this point.
“We are close. We always have been.”
Instead of clinging, I gave myself distance. I got off his lap, and sat down on the couch next to him, though I still
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