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it was moments like these, quiet and serene in the early mornings, that evangeline could not fully fathom that this life was hers. jacks was still asleep. she was tucked into his side, gazing at him as the warm sun glittered across his face. her fingers traced the barest of shapes on his chest, knowing she must keep her touch gentle if she wished not to wake him.
they were back in the little bookshop apartment jacks owned. they stayed there occasionally because evangeline enjoyed this curious little shop. if it were up to jacks, they would remain at the hollow all the time but this place reminded her of her father’s old shop, in a sense. the disarray of books had a magical feel to them, no particular order, stacks upon stacks filling the shelves. and in the back of the shop was a set of stairs that led up to the tiny apartment they were currently in. it wasn’t much, but it was perfect for them.
it was a rare occurrence for evangeline to wake up first. she was almost always awoken by jacks pulling her against his chest, littering her neck and face with kisses. but today, he was sound asleep while she was wide awake.
his hair was a mess. there were lines from the pillows and sheets indented on his cheek and his arms. he looked completely at peace and she wished to keep them trapped in this moment forever. he likely would tease her for staring if he caught her, but she didn’t care. it wasn’t like she didn’t catch him doing the same all the time.
her gaze trailed down to his chest. the slight definition of muscle that always made her mouth water when he’d strip off his shirt, the smooth expanse of skin she loved to touch and kiss. this perfect sculpture of a man, and he was all hers.
she was so caught up in watching her finger trace shapes that she was unaware he’d woken until his hand came up and covered hers, pressing her palm flat over his heart. her eyes snapped up to his.
sleep still pulled at the silvery blue eyes staring back at her, but he was awake now.
“hi,” she whispered.
“good morning,” he replied. he tugged her closer until she was fully on top of him, sprawling her across his chest. her legs fell to either side of his hips and she blushed, despite herself. even with her wardrobe full of nightgowns, she was clad in her favorite sleep clothes: one of jacks’s shirts. it fell to her midthigh, but when she was lying on him like this, it rode up to her hips. not that he minded, of course.
this was their routine. they woke up and stayed in bed until hunger forced them up because they had no real obligations anymore. at least nothing more pressing than lazing around together. jacks claimed they were owed these simple mornings after the turmoil they’d faced - it was only a month ago that apollo had tried to sacrifice evangeline to a tree for eternal life.
“lala came to me in my dream,” evangeline said. “she told me to tell you to stop hiding me away because she misses me.”
“we aren’t hiding,” he shrugged. “she knows where to find us.”
“i told her that and she said she would not step foot in this shop because she knows what kind of…” her blush came back stronger than ever, “ indecent activities we’ve likely contaminated the place with.”
the corner of jacks’s lips lifted in the most devious of smirks. “she is not wrong about that.”
“perhaps we should visit her.”
“perhaps,” jacks agreed, but his attention had shifted to evangeline’s lips which meant he was no longer remotely concerned with lala.
“what do you dream about?” evangeline asked, ignoring his heated look. his eyes flicked back up to hers.
“you, usually.”
she’d hoped that would be his answer, but she smiled anyway. “and what about when it’s not me?”
“nothing specific,” he sighed. “memories of my past, ominous messages about the future. occasionally another fate breaking their way in to speak to me.”
“can’t you block them out?”
“i try,” he rolled his eyes. “sometimes they can find ways around it.”
evangeline grinned at the annoyed tone in his voice. she could imagine lala now trying to find ways around the block so that she could personally yell at him for hiding evangeline away.
she was so focused on that thought, it took her by complete surprise when jacks rolled them so that she was tucked underneath him. his smile was wide now, dimples showing, pleased to have caught her off guard.
he leaned in, lips grazing her jaw.
“did you dream of me before?” she asked, the words coming out breathy. “before we had ever kissed, before we were together?”
“yes.” his answer was simple, though she had a feeling that was likely because he would rather use his mouth for other things like kissing down her neck.
this surprised her, though. “what did you dream of?” she asked, using all of her power not to arch into his touch. she was now so curious to know how she might’ve occupied his mind before.
he didn’t say anything, though. his lips trailed back up her neck, over her jaw, across her cheek, and finally, ended on her lips. at once, she melted beneath him. she stopped resisting his touch, her chest pressing up against his. her legs tightened their hold on his hips. his tongue pressed into her mouth and it was almost enough to make her forget their conversation at all.
when he pulled away, she was out of breath. still, she managed to whisper, “i asked you a question.”
“and i answered.”
her eyes fluttered open as she took in his words. surely, he did not mean…
“you dreamed of kissing me?” she asked. “even before you loved me?”
his smile was a mix of something shy and dark. “amongst other things,” he said, surprising her even further. “it was part of the reason being so close to you drove me so crazy. i imagined so many things about you i convinced myself i didn’t truly want, but mainly because i believed i would never be able to have them.”
“huh,” she said softly. “i thought…” she trailed off, suddenly ashamed. at the time, it hadn’t been unfair of her to believe the worst in him. he had done many questionable things. but that didn’t mean she wanted to repeat those beliefs now.
“thought what?” he pressed softly.
she sighed. “all those times it seemed like you wanted me or were trying to… seduce me, i thought it was just your manipulation tactics. stringing me along to twist my mind so i would comply with your needs.”
something akin to guilt flashed across his face. “i can not say it was never something along those lines,” he admitted. “especially during the earlier stages of our acquaintanceship. but as i began to know you, as i began to want you, i was selfishly acting on my own desires more than anything.”
evangeline suppressed a grin. it should hurt her to know she was right about him manipulating her, but unfortunately, that was nothing she did not already know. she was, however, pleased to learn it hadn’t been only that. her hold on him tightened. “so you’re saying you could not help yourself?” she whispered.
heat flashed through his eyes once more. “i still can’t,” he answered. “when i look at you, it is a miracle i do not lose all sense of self control. when i kiss you, all i can think about is shedding whatever clothes you may be wearing.”
she supposed that wasn’t too far off from her thoughts of him. “it is interesting, then,” she mused, “that i am still wearing anything at all this morning.”
in a flash, he was leaning back and pressing his hands to her hips. as they slid up her skin, her shirt – his shirt – came up with them. “it was only because you insisted upon asking me about my dreams that i did not rip this off you sooner.”
“my apologies,” she teased. “i shall never speak again.”
the shirt was over her head and discarded somewhere on the ground. “i wouldn’t be that extreme,” he replied. “i quite like when you talk. especially when it is my name you are saying.”
he covered her again, crashing their mouths together. evangeline groaned at the feeling of his teeth pulling at her lower lip. his kisses trailed their familiar path across her jaw, down her neck, between her breasts, lower… lower…
until finally, she gasped his name, giving him exactly what he wanted.