Come Back to Me

8

Her smile never faltered as she ran her fingers across his chest, enjoying the sensation of his skin beneath her fingers once again.

The party had been fun for all of them, catching up, dancing to the music, and talking with some of the fans. A few of them were interested in learning about their relationship, some could have cared less, and a select few had gone out of their way to call her an attention seeker. Despite the few comments they had gotten, neither of them had allowed it to ruin the moment. Not once during the night had she left Dead's side, always beside him or settled on his lap when they were at the table talking with the other's.

Now, the two had the rest of the night to be alone with each other. Taking in a breath, Vanessa took in the scent of him one more time. He had showered when they got to his hotel room to wash off the corpse paint and sweat from the show, leaving him now smelling like mangos. A scent she never thought he would willingly put on. Still, it smelled like heaven simply because it was him.

Her eyes scanned over what she could see without making too much movement. The light rise and fall of his scarred chest as he laid there signaled he was still asleep. The scars trailed further down to his stomach, some deeper than other's. Her heart sank at the sight of them, wishing she could have been there to stop him from hurting himself at all. Still, there was really nothing she could do now to change it.

Groaning, Dead opened his eyes and stared down at her, his fingers digging into her sides and pulling her closer to him. Her body tingled with what felt like a fire burning throughout her. The touch of his skin against hers was something she had never been able to get used to before, now it was as though it had intensified. His gaze stayed on her, a dozen emotions running through the clear blue eyes she so desperately loved.

He tried to force a smile, but the pained expression could still be seen. He wanted to be happy, wanted to finally feel the relief of having her back in his arms; yet he still felt an almost hollowness.

"Talk to me," she whispered.

His eyes closed again, inhaling deep before opening them again. "I thought I'd feel different. I thought everything would make sense being together again."

Her eyes trailed down to his stomach, trying to find the right words. "I know what you mean."

"No," he snapped. "You don't. It's easy for you because you weren't the one who had to suffer years of guilt over something that could have been avoided. You have no idea how many times I wanted to end it, how many times I came face to face with death just to be pulled back into this fucked up world. There wasn't one damn thing besides the thought of you that made any damn thing worth it. Even thinking of you sometimes wasn't enough. I still love you as much as I did before, if not more, but you don't know who I am now. You had an idea then, you have no idea now. I'm so screwed up in the head and there's nothing anyone can do about it. The only good thing in my life is you. If I lose you again I'm pretty sure I'd just end it once and for all."

For a moment her heart dropped and a small wave of panic set in. She didn't want to be the sole reason for him to live his life, and she definitely didn't want to be the reason he ended it. Not that she would have ever considered leaving him in the first place.

"Pelle," she started, her fingers reaching up to touch his chin. "I know that there's gonna be a lot to work past, we're pretty much starting over and learning each other all over again, but that doesn't change how I feel about you. I'm never going to leave you again. Hopefully I can convince my bosses to lift the ban, and when that happens we can start again and it'll be like nothing happened."

"As good as it sounds, it's not going to happen anytime soon."

Propping herself up on her arm she locked eyes with him, her thumb lightly going over his bottom lip as the other fingers held his chin. She could feel his breathing quicken, his fingers running up her back as she closed the gap between them.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered against her lips.

She didn't get the chance to respond before he pulled her back for a searing kiss. She couldn't stop herself from moaning into his mouth as he pushed his tongue against hers, her breathing became jagged as she tried to keep up with him, almost drowning in the passion that flowed from him. Every emotion could be felt pouring out of him, everything he had kept inside all these years was now out in the open without having to say a word.

She hadn't expected anything to happen tonight or even for a while. She was happy just being close to him again or just sharing a few kisses here and there. But she wasn't about to stop him now.

Dead let out a low growl as he pressed himself against her, pushing her onto her back so he was above her. Reaching a hand behind her neck he held her tightly against his lips, forcing his tongue as far as it would go.

All mine. I'll make sure she doesn't forget it.

Breaking the kiss, Dead looked down, smiling as he took in the deep red blush that spread across her face. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. His hands moved slowly down her arms until his hands found hers, lacing their fingers together and holding tightly.

"Pelle," she whispered. "I don't understand."

Tilting his head to the side he looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"After all these years most people would have moved on. Why didn't you?"

Giving her a soft smile he put one of her hands against his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat.

"Ett troget hjärta."

"What does that mean?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

Dead smiled again, leaning down so his lips were just a hairline away from hers. "It means a faithful heart."