I see children here.

I see life here.

I see future here.

He stepped back, desire churning inside him, but there was more. He knew what lust felt like, what pure molten sex felt like when it rolled through his body in a volcanic state. This was something more. He wanted her but more than her body. He wanted her soul, her future, every ounce of love she had to give. It wouldn’t last. The love inside her would grow and multiply as she grew their children. As her body bore their future, she would love more. Her love would be endless, growing forth from their children and grandchildren and sparking beyond.

This woman had been made for him.

He couldn’t tell her that. Those words were caught, strangled by his past because he couldn’t give her what she deserved. All he could offer her was hard work for years, an entire community that depended on him, responsibility after responsibility.

He could love her, but he didn’t deserve her.

He moved to the rope that held her up. She was too high. He’d wanted her to feel suspended, but in order to join her, he had to lower her down.

God, wasn’t that a metaphor for their relationship? To have her, he had to drag her down. He had to bring her low. She deserved the world and he could only give her a dive bar in flyover country.

But he could give her this now.

He eased the rope down, lowering her to the perfect height. He could see the look on her face, trusting and relaxed, as though she knew he would give her everything she needed. He would give her what she needed tonight. She needed a Dom who was crazy for her. He would show her.

“This body is mine. Its beauty infuses me with light, makes me strong. This gift is more than I deserve, but I will give you, mon ange, a gift of my own.” His hands went to the ties of his leathers, opening them with ease and releasing his cock. He stepped between her legs. He’d tied her thighs apart for just this moment.

His cock strained as desire pounded through his system. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew they’d drawn a crowd, but he couldn’t care about that. They’d been perfectly silent so he ignored them. He stroked his cock, getting ready to roll the condom on. “Pleasure is my gift, but more I want comfort for you. Physical comfort in the form of my cock, my ropes, the warmth of my hands on your skin. Soul comfort that comes from knowing my whole being is here in this moment with you and I would be nowhere else.” He rubbed his now sheathed cock against the heat of her pussy. She was wet and ready, and he could see how her fingers curled around the rope, seeking balance. “I worry I will come back to this place, this night, this moment when we are together again and again, that I will stay caught here. It’s all I can hope for—to be young and yours forever.”