His insomnia kept him awake. Ruthie only noted this because she'd wake up in his arms only to find him still wide awake.
Groggily, she yawned, then said, "Can't sleep?" he nodded, and pulled her closer in.
"Night terror again." He sighed. She nodded sympathetically, and nuzzled closer. It was one of those nights again where neither one could sleep for long. Laying her head against his chest, he stroked her hair, his face pressed against the soft ringlets, inhaling the scent of her soap. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled, and then exhaled, taking in her scent.
"You smell wonderful." He smiled, embracing his wife in his arms, both arms around her petite waist, ending with the hands resting on her stomach, drawing her in closer to him. Leaning in, he kissed her against her neck gently, her favorite spot. A murmur escaped from her lips, and she smiled.
Looking in her eyes for reassurance, she nodded, which to him was a signal he could continue. Slowly, he pressed his lips against the nape of her neck, continuing where he started. Ruthie just lolled her head back, and murmured in pleasure. She loved when her man paid attention to her. And this was one of her weaknesses. Ben slowly peeled the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders, exposing her bare shoulders to him. He wanted to start easy and then when they were ready, just go for it. Slowly, he ran his fingers across her bare shoulders, massaging them gently, as Ruthie shivered in excitement. His hands ran down her back, exploring her indentations, and then slipped directly below her breasts, cupping them lightly. A gasp escaped her lips in shock. He grinned and continued, his palms forming circular motions against her back and shoulder blades. Another murmur escaped her lips and she smirked at Ben.
Slowly, he undressed her as much as she would allow at the time, unbuttoning her nightgown and slipping only the top part down, exposing her upper half. Finally, he had contact to her skin. His hands ran across her curves, exploring them. It had been quite a while since they had made love. A taste of her skin with his tongue, and he explored her, smiling.
"I could just take you here right now." He said softly, whispering in her ear. She nodded in agreement. Slowly his fingers brushed against the coral pink flesh of her nipples, tracing circles around the sensitive flesh. A soft moan escaped her quivering lips. Pressing his lips against hers, he gently kissed her. Parting they shared a smile, and Ruthie pressed herself carefully against him, her breasts pressing lightly on his chest. With her consent, which was simply a nod, he ran his hands against her sides, eventually ending up at the breasts. A second swift movement of the tongue around the sensitive skin had her nearly crying out in sheer pleasure. His hands moved down her hips, which were quite shapely, and caressed her thigh, and then her inner thigh, which made her moan and grit her teeth trying to hold back her cries. . Reaching for her, he took her in his arms, pressing her close to him. The feeling of her flesh against his chest, the feeling of her large breasts pressed up against his chest, he could not resist. Another single swoop of his finger was used to explore her curvaceous body, tasting her, exploring her. Pressing his lips against her flat stomach, he looked at her, smiling.
She did not speak a single word, only smiled.
A second later, she returned, hungry for more.
Happily, he obliged.
His work worn hands ran across her stomach. Pressing his lips to her sweat soaked skin, he looked up at her, smiling through his crystal blue eyes. Lightly his finger traced against a scar near her wrist, two faint dots. Suddenly it came to him. It was the scar from the snakebite, the reminder of the day he almost lost her. Locking eyes, tears came to her eyes. He took her in his arms and consoled her, as she cried. Rubbing her back as she allowed the tears to fall freely down her cheeks, he took her face in his hands looking into her eyes, which were red from crying, and tears were still falling down her cheeks.
"Don't cry," he protested, "I'm here, and I love you."
Through her tears, she smiled, whispering softly, "I love you too." He smiled and kissed her against her cheek. She returned the kiss to his cheek, but on his lips. Returning the kiss, he gently slipped his tongue in her mouth and they kissed hungrily for what seemed like a while, as she threw her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him. His hands slipped up the sides of her body, palms circling gently against her sides. Then they moved down, exploring the contour of her hips. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and they continued, with him kissing her against the nape of her neck. She moaned in great pleasure. It had always been a weak spot for her, and somehow he knew where she liked it. Hell, after almost a year of wedded bliss, she hoped to god that he knew what to do.
He didn't want any children to call his own; Ruthie knew he feared passing on his abilities to a young one, and at her age, she knew there was a slim chance she could bear him a child. A very slim chance, and not only that, having Gabe was a very difficult birth, and she didn't want to go through the motions again. Sometimes though, a thought crossed her mind and she pondered the thought of a young one around. She did have the strength and energy, but the patience? That she was unsure of. Gabe was quite a handful when he was a child, but could she handle a little one? Ruthie brought up the question to Ben.
"Have you ever wondered about children?" she looked into his eyes, and he smiled a little. "Good," she thought to herself, "The thought has crossed his mind too."
"Once or twice, and then I remind myself that there's a chance they could inherit my power." He looked at her, frowning.
"Even then, you couldn't bear one. The chances are slim to none." Ruthie nodded. She was much older than him, yes, and at her age, it was pretty uncommon. He kissed her lightly against her cheek.
"Don't fret, Ruth…I'm satisfied with my life the way it is. I have you, and that's all that matters to me."
She couldn't help crying, what he said touched her. A year ago, he wouldn't have said that. Ben noticed her crying and reached over, taking her in his arms. His hands ran through her hair, stroking it gently with his fingers.
"Please…don't cry. It pains me to see you cry. "She pressed her face against his chest; Ben could feel the wetness of her tears splatter against his chest. Being the doting husband that he was setting out to be, he continued to stroke her hair gently.
Whispering softly in her ear, he said, "I love you." A smile curled on her lips.
"I love you too," she said, leaning her head up from where she pressed it against his chest, looking into his crystal blue eyes, hers red and watery.
Ben did the right thing. He took her in his arms, and embraced her, showering her with kisses.
Ruthie knew she was loved. There would be no more tears.