Kim heard gravel crunch under tires and jumped up from her spot on the couch. Trini had left a couple of hours ago and she had been by herself with Tommy's letters. She read through a handful and her heart clenched each time she realized something he had done over the last few weeks because he had promised her he would. It hit her over and over how much Tommy still loved her, if anything it seemed like he loved her more than what she could really remember. She opened the front door and saw Tommy unpacking his bronco unaware that she was watching him. She silently walked over to him and slipped her arms around him as she buried her face in his back and inhaled. She knew she had missed him, but it hit her just how much she'd missed all of him.
"Hey," Tommy whispered as he put an arm around her and carefully shifted in her arms navigating the tight hold she had on him. He ran his hands up and down her back as she clung to him, shivers going through her body as he held her like she mattered. As he held her in a way that let her know he had been waiting for her to do this. "You mind if I finish unpacking and then come in? If I don't do this now, it'll probably be a month before it gets done."
"Can I help?" Kim asked as she pulled back a bit and her eyes locked with his before dipping down to his lips. She wanted him to kiss her, but she could guess that he was still firmly following her lead on any kind of affection. She had moved past and around him so much over the last few weeks that he had stopped trying. "Kiss me."
A genuine smile spread on his face as he dropped the bag he had pulled out of the bronco at their feet and leaned down to kiss her. He was gentle and unsure, something that she knew couldn't be normal for him anymore. She had read enough to know that he was so sure of them, he had always been so sure even when she had feared that what she had done would come back to haunt them. She broke the kiss and he gave her a confused look as she locked eyes with him.
"Kiss me how you kiss me now," Kim demanded and she watched his eyes darken before he lifted her off her feet and devoured her. His hands moved to her thighs as he supported her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was shocked as he found places that elicited moans that she didn't even realize were right there. She didn't try to take control of the kiss and just let her body act. Her mind might not know what he liked, but her body did. She bit down on his lower lip and he pushed her up against the side of the bronco. His hands clutched at her hair as he deepened the kiss and she let out a whimper, while she felt a bit overwhelmed- she was also desperate for more from him. He broke the kiss, but didn't move away from her as he rested his forehead against hers and absentmindedly played with her hair. She felt him watching her, but also felt patience in his gaze. He did not want to overwhelm her and she felt the warmth go through her body, reminding her of what it felt like to be loved by him.
"Tell me what you want," Tommy prompted against her lips and she gulped. She knew exactly what she wanted, but she didn't know how to tell him. She felt her nerves bubble up as he shifted back and her hands shot up and she gripped his face. He chuckled as he leaned his forehead back against hers and waited. She had this feeling that he had held her like this more than once in their marriage and as he moved his hands to support her better, she knew it. He was settling in to hold her as long as she wanted.
She worked through all the things that were flashing through her mind. Moments like this that were just out of her memory and things that she could remember, but didn't fit with the man in front of her. Tommy had always been attentive to her needs, but this level of confidence was something new and as she involuntarily flexed her thighs, a shiver passed through her body. It was right there, she just had to find the words to say it.
"Yo…you," Kim whispered as she opened her eyes and saw the desire filter up in Tommy's gaze. She expected him to put her down, but he readjusted his grip and started walking them towards the house. "I…I can walk."
"You want to do that?" Tommy asked and she just shook her head before leaning in and sprinkling kisses across his face and neck. She heard the door close behind him and her nerves shot through the roof as he gently laid her down in their bed. He took a few steps back before he turned and locked their door. It was just them. No interruptions. No screaming children, just the two of them. She was shocked when he laid down next to her and took her hand in his. She was so very grateful for it, but wanted him settled on top of her again. She needed the weight of him to settle her, she needed him to ground her. "Baby, this is what you need. We can stop at any time, you can change your mind at any time…you…"
"I need you to…to take control on this. I'll tell you if anything is too much," Kim whispered and she felt him still, but only for a moment. He pulled her on top of him and sat up to kiss her, this time trailing his hands over her entire body, stopping to massage places that turned her on and lingering when she reacted to something. He guided her hands to his waist and saw the confusion in her eyes. It then hit him that she may have never stripped him before in her mind. It took a different level of confidence to do that and he needed her to know that it was what he wanted.
"You want to explore me or do you want me to…" Tommy trailed off as her eyes widened and her hands immediately pushed his flannel shirt off and tugged at his t-shirt, quickly tossing both items of clothing on the floor.
She froze for a moment and he realized that his tattooed arms and chest were new to her as well. She had seen him change over the last few weeks, but had not really looked at him. He had seen her gaze shift away from him time and time again and it had hit him hard every time. She slid off his lap and then pulled him to his feet. She motioned for him to do a spin and he slowly turned around in front of her. Her hands trailed over parts of his body, touching tattoos and scars that were all new to her. Her fingers lingered on his body and as he turned to face her again, her hands slipped around his waist and she continued exploring the differences in his body. Eighteen years had treated him well, except for the occasional Power Ranger related injury.
She ran her fingers over his belt buckle and his abs involuntarily contracted. He tightened his hands into fists, wrestling with his control to let her take all the time she needed. He was shocked when her lips sucked at the base of his neck and he let out a hoarse groan, placing his hands lightly on her body. She worked her way down his body and by the time she reached for his belt buckle again, he was panting to keep his restraint. Her hands stilled and then worked quickly, pushing down his pants and boxer briefs. He quickly kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his clothing, her face level with his crotch. She slowly rose to her feet and walked around him, taking him in again before running a hand over his head and he arched into the touch, desperate in a way he couldn't voice.
"Your turn," Kim whispered as she grabbed his hands and moved them under her shirt before returning her hands to his body. He wanted to rip her clothing off of her, but knew it would be too much. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into him, his hands ghosting over her body. She may want him in control, but he wanted to keep an eye on every one of her reactions. He wasn't sure that her voice would tell him that it was too much, but her body would. Her body always did.
He gently pulled his sweatshirt up and off of her body, catching a glimpse of how little she had on under her t-shirt. The nervousness played on her face and he inched her shirt up, but kept his eyes on hers, brushing his hands over her breasts and a whisper of a moan broke out of her. He added the shirt to the floor and leaned back to take her in, he knew he loved what he saw but he needed to show her that. There was a timidness in her body language that he hadn't seen in nearly two decades and he gently cupped her face as he pulled her down for a kiss.
"What you thinking?" Tommy whispered as her breath hitched and he saw a flurry of emotions pass in her eyes. "Beautiful, what is it?"
"I look so different, how can you…I can see that you…how do you still love me when I look like this?" Kim muttered and he gave her a sad smile as he pulled her back into his lap. He grabbed one of the extra blankets she kept on their bed and wrapped it around the two of them, cocooning them against the cold. "How do you…"
"Your body built our family. The four beautiful children that we have all came from you and I…I just don't see the changes you do. I see the woman that I've loved for as long as I've known her and who has been with me day in and day out for almost a decade. I don't care about how your body has changed, I will always want you," Tommy said as he heard her hiccup and he wiped the tears away. She curled into his body and he picked her up and quietly tucked her into her side of their bed. He slipped his boxers back on and then slid into bed behind her with her rolling over to cuddle into him. He let out a sigh, feeling like the moment had passed but he had meant every word he said. As much as she wanted him, she also was not ready for where he was now. She wasn't ready for them to be intimate again and he wouldn't push it. She faded off against his chest and he soon found himself drifting off as well.