I woke up one morning with the sun and discovered my body sprawled halfway over hers. Part of her face was buried in the pillow; hung wide open and drool leaked out. I snickered and placed a kiss on her nose.

“Good morning, my beautiful love.” I whispered to her sleeping form. Unable to contain myself, I pulled her into my embrace and kissed up and down her arm.

She yawned and stretched, pushing her palm against my cheek. I smushed my lips up against her fingers as she dragged it across my face. She let out a little moan and opened her eyes as I started to laugh.

“Mornin’, baby.” I cooed as she squinted at me. I puckered my lips for a kiss. She stretched again and elbowed me in the ribs. “Ugh. Since when did you become so sharp and bony?”

“Shh.” She turned so her back faced me. “’M sleepin’.”

“Stop sleeping.” I whined.

“Shut uuuup.” She moaned, covering her ears.

I placed a tiny kiss on her ear. “I’m gonna go take Yukon for a walk. I expect you to be awake by the time I come back.”

“You’re not my dad.” She grumbled, burrowing further into the pillow. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

I smirked to myself. My grumpy girlfriend was too fun to mess with.

I laid my body on top of hers, almost smothering her.

“What the hellllll…” She groaned, squirming underneath me.

“I’m your blanket. I’m gonna keep you warm while you sleep.”

She eventually lay still underneath me, realizing that all resistance was futile.

I started to kiss her, very tiny, gentle kisses on her cheeks. She glared up at me from beneath furrowed eyebrows. I kissed her eyebrows, too, watching interestedly as she tried to keep a stern expression. It faltered for a moment as I kissed .

“Give me a kiss.” I demanded in a sweet, soft voice.

She ignored me, but I saw the blush creep up her neck.

“A kiss.” I tapped my lips with one finger, a slow smile spreading across my face.

She flattened her lips into a thin line and squeezed her eyes closed.

“Just one little kiss.” I wheedled, sprinkling her cheeks with kisses of my own.

As I pulled back, she opened her eyes. I smiled sweetly at her and tapped my lips once more.

“Kiss.”

She let out a sigh. “How can I resist that face? Even when you’re being so embarrassing, you’re still so damn pretty.”

I puckered my lips and she reluctantly tilted forward to meet them with her own.

“There.” She whispered, drawing away. “Are you satisfied now?”

“Not quite.” I bent my head and kissed her neck. “You don’t kiss me enough.”

“We kiss all the damn time.” She let out a breathy giggle, still half-asleep, and (I knew by now) slightly .

“I kiss you all the damn time. You don’t kiss me.” I argued from somewhere around her stomach, lips mouthing at the soft skin there. “You used to love kissing me, and now I have to beg for kisses like Yukon begs for scraps.”

“You used to be shy.” She whispered, covering her face with her hands as I traveled further down her body.

I reached out an arm and tugged her hands away. “Don’t hide. I want to see.”

She scowled at me as her cheeks burned crimson. “And now you’re shameless. And always .”

“I’m living with my beautiful girlfriend. I’m still a young man. How did you think I would react?” I snickered, a constellation of hickeys across her thigh. “To be honest, I thought you’d be a little thirstier for me. You used to be. Has the appeal worn off?”

“Of course not.” She sat up and crossed her legs, beckoning to me. I came over and sat next to her. She tugged me closer and I almost fell into her lap.

I smelled her shampoo as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and tucked my head into her neck. She held me for a long time, whispering sweet and sensual words into my ear. By the time she finished, the tips of my ears were bright red and my heart had begun to beat unsteadily. She fixed me with a stare I hadn’t seen since the first time we’d had .

She rested her forehead against mine and curled her fingers into my hair.

A soft and sincere “I love you” preceded a sweet kiss.

“I feel very loved at the moment.” I confessed, taking her hips in my hands.

“As you should.” She murmured against my skin, dragging against my collarbone. “Because I love you very much.”

We spent a couple of hours in bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms. I laid across from her and stared into her eyes, utterly entranced. Her thick, tangled lashes fluttered coquettishly at me from time to time, so I’d lean in and kiss her, soft little sweet kisses that made her smile against my mouth.

I loved making her smile. I never wanted to make her cry again.

“TaeTae’s still mad at me.” She said suddenly, and slightly mournfully.

I cupped her cheek in my palm. “TaeTae doesn’t understand the way we love each other.”

“I’m not sure if I understand it, either.” She confessed.

“I sure as hell don’t. I just know that I like waking up to you next to me every morning.” I intertwined our legs. “I like listening to the sound of your singing on the rare occasions you wash the dishes. I like when you let me lay my head in your lap when you’re wrapped up in a book.”

She stared at me, a small smile curving the corners of .

“I like doing absolutely nothing with you.” I continued, lazily her cheek with my thumb. “I like lying in bed for hours. I hate trying to teach you to cook because you’re so stubborn and so bad at it, but I think it’s cute to see you wrapped up in that too big apron with your hair in two tiny pigtails and sweat beading on your upper lip. I like…arguing about whose turn it is to take out the trash or to walk Yukon. I like going on walks with Yukon with you. I like holding your hand in the grocery store and people think we’re newlyweds. I just like being with you, baby.”

She said nothing, but I’d learned that she fell silent when she felt the most. She’d always been quiet during our most intense moments.

I started to sing to her, running my fingers through her hair as I crooned out the words.

“I said I just want someone real, someone true. I said I just want someone to smoke with me, baby. Lay with me, baby. Laugh with me, baby. I just want the simple things. I just want you. Look at me, baby. I just want you.”

“We don’t smoke.” She pointed out in a soft giggle.

“Don’t ruin the moment.” I hushed her with a kiss and continued to sing. “I just want you. All of you, darling. I just want the simple things.”

“I love you.” The words fell from her lips quietly, and I captured each one with a kiss.