Chapter 30

Marley POV

He was sitting leaning against the headboard of the bed, scrolling his phone when I walked in and I noticed he'd already changed into more comfortable clothes, something he seemed to do as soon as he was able. "Everything go OK aein?" he asked as I climbed onto the bed next to him, then indicated for him to move a little as I sat behind him, resting my hands on his shoulders.

"Mmmmhmmmm," I answered, kissing the nape of his neck and then beginning to rub his shoulders as he put his phone down, relaxing into my touch.

"That feels amazing," he sighed as my thumbs found some knots, digging in deeply, his head dropping forward.

The sigh was distracting and I focused on his shoulders and back, trying not to hear the small noises of satisfaction leaving his lips. I was sure they were more exaggerated than they needed to be and with Tae, that didn't surprise me. But I wasn't having any success distracting myself so talked instead, hoping that would help.

"Do you Google yourself?" I asked, thinking I would definitely be looking myself up if I was him.

"More often than you think, especially if I'm keeping an eye on news articles."

"What about on Instagram or other social media, do you see the things ARMY post?" I was super curious to know if he saw the memes people posted as some of them were pretty crazy.

"I see some and they might make me laugh from time to time. Others, well, I don't think I could live up to their expectations."

"You more than live up to mine," I answered and he turned his head, kissing my nose.

"Thank you jagiya. Some seem to think that underneath our clothes, we have muscles everywhere and all of them are big."

"Well, in some cases, they wouldn't be wrong," I said with a smirk, looking him up and down. He blushed slightly before composing himself.

"Namjoon, Jin and Jungkookie all work out a lot so they have muscles."

"You know that's not what I was meaning," I replied, reaching down to squeeze his thigh and he smiled, taking my hand and moving it higher.

"Oh, I know," he grinned then sucked in a breath as I flexed my fingers before moving it up to rest on his stomach.

"Isn't my tummy cute?" he asked, holding my hand there. "I posted a photo showing it one time and ARMY seemed to like it."

"I think it's the cutest tummy I've ever seen," I said, rubbing my hand across it, noting when I saw a look on his face as his eyes closed briefly.

"Some would say it's sexy," he stated, lifting an eyebrow.

"Some would be correct about that too."

"Words is my third love language," he hinted.

"Kim Taehyung, everyone thinks you're gorgeous, you're the most handsome man in the world."

"Does everyone include you?" he hinted again, scrunching up his nose in the cutest gesture.

"I'm going to say this very clearly, take note." I answered, taking both sides of his face in my hands and leaning in. "I don't think I've met a more handsome man in my life. You are gorgeous, I find you incredibly sexy, you rock my world, your tummy is adorable as are your eyes. I think your cheeks are super cute when you smile and they puff up, your lips are the softest I've ever kissed, your...," but I couldn't finish as he quickly leaned in, catching my mouth in his, silencing me for a moment.

"Thank you Marley, my love tank is now full," he said as we separated, my head spinning a little from the heat of the kiss and I reached down to play with my bracelet while I settled my breathing.

"Do you know you do that a lot? I noticed it when we were on video calls, you play with the bracelet I got you."

"I do that when I'm thinking about you. So I must do that a lot I guess as I seem to always be thinking about you these days," I replied.

"And you move your feet a lot, you can't stand still."

"That's because I can't unwind and relax. If I sit down Sophia needs me or I have chores or I fall asleep." Then I leaned closer. "And maybe I fidget when you're looking at me a certain way too," and I took his lip lightly between my teeth, leaving him with a grin.

"There's something I'd like to do to help you relax," Tae said, meeting my eyes. His cheeks were slightly pink and his eyes were bright but shy as he touched where my teeth had just been. I loved that look on him, especially when I'd seen the complete opposite only a short time earlier. His duality still astounded me.

"It already sounds very intriguing by your look," I answered, turning fully to face him. "Tell me more."

"Your massage a few weeks ago got me thinking how much I love massages. I'd like it to be me to give you one though."

My brain stuttered for a moment. His firm hands rubbing all over my body? Definitely not something I was going to say no to. "Well, who am I to turn down something you'd like to do, especially as you've been the reason my muscles are so deliciously achy."

"Yes, I'll take full responsibility for that!" he replied, leaping gracefully off the bed. And then he stopped. "Oh, I don't have any massage oil."

"It's not something I carry with me either," I laughed in reply. "Could we use something else?" Now that he had mentioned it, I wasn't ready to let go off this idea yet.

Tae thought for a moment, his lip twisted in his teeth and then grinned. "Jungkook has some oil we can use, I'll be right back."

He left the room and I lay back on the bed, a smile on my face as I thought. Tae was about to give me a massage, I was definitely going to offer to return the favour.

A few minutes later, Tae walked back in holding a bottle I recognised from when Sophia was younger. I raised my eyebrow. "Jungkook carries baby oil on him?"

"Don't ask," he replied, putting it down on the bedside cabinet and jumping back onto the bed next to me, pulling me up by my hands into a sitting position.

"Oh but now I'm curious," I said, sitting crossed legged and placing my hands on both sides of his face.

Leaning in, he spoke into our kiss. "Google it," and pressed his lips to mine. And then he pulled away abruptly. "No, don't Google it. I don't want you to be looking at him that way, I want you to keep those eyes just on me."

"My eyes aren't looking anywhere else," I replied and captured his lips again before he broke the kiss and stood up, pulling me with him and leading me into the lounge area.

"The bed is too soft, lets find a comfortable place to do this," he said and started pulling sofa cushions off, placing them on the ground. When he'd made a makeshift bed he turned and spoke, "you'll need to remove your clothing apart from your panties and lie down on the towel on your stomach. Please," he smiled with a wink.

I had a moment where I wondered if now was the time to do a small striptease in front of him but I wasn't that brave yet even after everything from last night so I just nodded, reaching to the hem of my top to pull it off and he politely turned his back, heading to grab the baby oil from the bedroom as I took off most of my remaining layers, laying face-down on the cushions.

He came back holding the oil and paused looking down at me. I raised up on my elbows to turn and stare at him, locking eyes. He had taken off all but his boxer shorts and I was gazing up past his muscular calves, up his chest to the eyes that I couldn't help but get lost in.

"I'm looking forward to this Marley," he said, kneeling down next to me and placing a quick kiss on my answering smile before straddling my back and sitting carefully down. All his weight was being carried against the cushions and not on me. All I could feel was the warmth of his knees tucked up next to my waist and the heat he generated in my whole body just by being this close to me. I heard the click of the oil being opened and he rubbed his hands together to warm them before gently placing them on my shoulder blades. Then he slid them slowly down my back, firm strokes from shoulders to hips and back up again as his hands worked their magic.

I sank into the cushions, body melding to his hands as my eyes stayed closed, trying to keep the satisfied hum from escaping my lips. I could see his hands moving in my minds eye and everything in me was resisting the urge to cover both of us in oil and see where that led.

"You need to relax Marley, I can feel you are not."

"I'm trying but being like this, with you, I'm finding that very difficult," I replied, attempting to close my mind and let my body become fluid, wriggling under him to settle against the cushions.

"I could say the same, my body is noticing how close it is to yours, especially when you're moving like that" he whispered into my ear as he leaned in to massage my neck. Then his lips replaced his hands and he was kissing down my neck and back and my head moved on its own, arching to the side to give him more access. I let out a huge breath as his hands and mouth found the small of my back and then I turned over, sitting up to place our chests against each other. As our lips met, I could taste baby oil on his mouth, slippery and fragrant, gliding over each other as his hands continued to spread oil down my sides.

The massage was quickly forgotten as our hands found other things to do and then he stood up, pulling me into his arms, lips and tongues locked as we walked awkwardly backwards all the way to the bedroom, continuing to explore every part of each other.

We were nibbling on a fresh fruit selection that he'd ordered up from the kitchen, a tangle of sheets covering us. Every time he popped a grape in his mouth or bit into a strawberry, I was mesmorised by his mouth and he smirked as he watched my eyes follow his hand movements as he went to bite another grape then popped it into my mouth instead.

"I don't need to go to the gym today, these last few days were the best work out ever," he laughed. "Actually, I don't go to the gym as often as I should so this is good for me."

"I am definitely feeling all kinds of muscles I'd forgotten about," I answered, a little shyly.

He reached down to rub the part of my leg that was exposed, running his hand up and down it in a firm, comfortable way. I felt so relaxed which surprised me as we hadn't actually known each other that long and he'd already made himself at home in my heart and with my body. It felt like he'd already claimed it as his and seeing a mark on the inside of my thigh, I realised he had in fact marked me. I reached out and touched it and he smiled, chewing his lip with an unapologetic look. "That part was fun," he said.

"Only that part?" I asked, laughing.

"I wouldn't call it all fun," and I pouted at him in reply. "Oh no, no, I mean, there are the fun parts and then there are the amazing and sexy and, and, and, what is the word when things get too much?"

"Do you mean overwhelming?"

"I think so. When we're together and it is too much but I want more? And I don't just mean our bodies."

When he said it so matter of factly, I wanted to smile. But what he was saying was how I was feeling too so I just nodded along. But I knew what he meant. It was like now that we had connected intimately, we couldn't stop touching each other. And I wanted to know everything about him.

He reached for more fruit, biting into a strawberry and I watched as a little juice began to drip down his chin. Without thinking, I reached my thumb out and wiped it, popping it into my mouth to suck the juice off after. Then I looked at Tae who was staring at me, stunned with huge expressive eyes. I arched my brow at him in a question and he snapped out of his daze with a confused smile. "Why did that feel so sexy?"

"Oh, I wasn't thinking, it's just a habit to help those who I'm close with."

"And maybe that's it. Because it felt so easy and natural, you weren't trying to tempt me. Is it vain to say many do try?"

I shook my head in answer, just looking at him now, I could understand why millions were in love with him.

"I want it to always be this easy with us." He took a big breath in before speaking again, exhaling as he did. "Marley, I'm definitely falling for you," he said softly, pressing my hand to his cheek and my heart start to gallop.

"They call you Gucci boy. They'd call me sweatshirt girl and say I'm not the right kind of person for you."

"I like you that way, who cares what they think. No-one gets to choose that for me."

"Sometimes my clothes are not only off the rack, they're covered in Sophia's food leftovers where she's used me as a paper towel."

"That's what I want."

"You want off the rack clothes covered in food?"

He laughed. "I'll keep the Gucci but I want the handprints, that's the life I've been wanting."

"There's nothing glamorous about parenting."

"It doesn't need to be glamorous, it just needs to be with you."

I stared at him, my eyes filling with tears.

"Please don't cry, Marley. I just want to make you happy. I'm sorry this is so hard."

They fell down my cheeks and dripped onto my top, as I tried to wipe them away and he reached up and used his thumbs to stem the flow.

"I know you don't know how it can work but I can make it happen. I have money to help fly you over whenever you can. That's the only way I want to spend my money right now."

"But flying to be with you when you're working, travelling, busy all the time. Sophia couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle it. We live on different continents. Our families are all important to us, how could I be away from them for long periods of time?" I was starting to sound a little hysterical and he pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me as I cried on his shoulder, helping to slowly calm me down. I felt his tears before I realised he was crying too, quietly into my hair and I turned, our wet eyes holding each other. I kissed a tear away from his cheek, tasting the salt mixed with sadness. "Is this normal?" I asked.

"Is what normal?" he replied, running his lips up and down my cheek, tingles left behind as he moved his arms, anchoring me in place.

"I haven't really got a lot to compare it to, is it normal to always want to be so close to you?"

"I haven't felt this before, with anyone Marley. If this is the way it's meant to be, then I've been missing out. Or maybe it's just because it's you."

"But I leave tomorrow." He frowned at my words, going to speak. "I know, you don't want to think about it, neither do I. But when will we see each other again?"

"We do have some free time coming up. I just need to find out when and I can come see you if that's the easiest for Sophia."

"It's all so complicated Tae," and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"I think it's worth it though Marley."

"I do too, I'm just worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"It was hard when you left last time, it will be so much harder this time."

"I feel it too, I know. But we have lots of memories to think about when we're apart. And we still have a little time left to make some more."

His lips found mine and then he was moving me so carefully that I was straddling him before I even realised it. There was a glint in his eyes as he locked them with mine, his hand roamed up and down my back before his lips found mine again. The kisses started slow and built, passion growing quickly. Soon, our clothes were on the floor and I wasn't thinking about leaving anymore. He gently grabbed the base of my hair, twisting it round his fist as he pulled my head back, exposing my neck. Then kisses peppered down my throat and over my collarbone and hundreds of sensations erupted in my body, Tae joining me as he gasped against my shoulder, both lost in the intensity.

Afterwards, as my legs were still wrapped around him, feeling our laboured breathing, chests pressed together, he whispered in my ear "Be mine," and my world suddenly came into focus again. Because that's what I wanted more than anything, to belong to someone again. To have someone make me a priority, to treasure me the way Tae had been treasuring me these last few weeks. But honestly, it had only been a few weeks. And wasn't it too soon to truly belong to anyone? Not that he was saying forever but could I be his for only now without wanting more? I didn't think I could now that I had been with him. My brain was in overdrive but his eyes were locked on me, watching for my response.

"I feel like I'm already starting to become yours," I answered softly as I kissed him and that was all I could manage for now.

He nodded, wrapping his hands either side of my face and drinking me in with his eyes before returning my kisses, firm and velvety as his lips slid over mine. I was intoxicated with what we were sharing, determined to not think about when I'd have to get back on a plane, instead, memorising the feel of his mouth and body on mine.

Resting my lips on his throat, I felt it thrum under my mouth, the vibrations echoing through his skin as he spoke. "I'm very, very happy I met you Marley," and I couldn't answer apart from to nod and lean into him, submitting to his caresses.