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“No, you don’t.”

She scoffs. “The confidence…”

“Just…chill, okay?”

Bella’s lips purse into an adorable little pout.

I glance at my watch, then look up at the sky and grin.

There.

The cloud cover is starting to break apart. I was talking today with Michael, this old Vietnam War vet that I know from the airfield. Michael also happens to be an amateur meteorologist with one of those fifty-foot radio towers in his backyard and dubious connections to Chinese communications satellites. When we chatted, he was “one-hundred-fifty-fucking-percent sure, brother” that the clouds would be clearing around ten-thirty, which is roughly when the meteor shower was supposed to start.

Looks like he was right.

I grin as I watch the clouds above us break into smaller ones and the stars begin to twinkle through them along with the half-moon.

“For the record, I have a medical condition that prevents me from sitting still this long. So⁠—”

“You do not,” I chuckle as I reach for the blindfold.

“First, chronic motion compulsion syndrome is not a joke, asshole. Second—hey!”

She jumps when I quickly pull the blindfold up her forehead and off her head. Then her eyes snap to the sky, and a huge grin spreads across my face when I see her mouth drop open and her eyes go wide.

“I—”

The first shimmering cosmic flash slices through the dark sky above. Bella’s whole face lights up with a giant smile and a look of wonder. More and more meteoric slashes rake across the stars as first dozens and then hundreds of bits of space debris ignite across the surface of our atmosphere.

Bella’s hand finds mine and squeezes tightly. Her face is still glued to the sky as I squeeze back, smiling as I watch her with as much rapture as she’s watching the stars.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

I turn to let my eyes feast on her. On how beautiful she is, her face lit up by the stars, and how perfect she is in all her wild, unhinged madness.

“I love the stars,” she whispers.

“I know.”

She grins and glances over at me. “I used to think that if I was normal, maybe I’d have liked to be an astronaut.”

I chuckle. “An actual astronaut?”

“Yeah, not sure I love the amusement in your tone, dickwad,” she huffs, prodding me hard in the ribs.

I laugh and turn toward her. “I just meant astronauts tend to have a military service record and like, multiple PhDs, minimum.”

She sticks her tongue out. “I did say if I was normal, jerk,” she giggles before rolling onto her back and looking up in wonder at the meteor shower zinging above our heads. “It would be unreal to be up there amongst the stars.”

My hand finds her, fingers entwining. We just lie there side by side, watching the universe play jazz for us.

Bella flashes me a curious look when I slowly slide down on the blanket. But when I move between her legs and push them apart, her bottom lip retreats between her teeth and her eyes flicker with need.

“Keep watching the sky, little nightmare.”

I take my time peeling the small black lace thong away from her gorgeous cunt. Bella whimpers softly when I push her skirt up to her waist, the cool air against her glistening pussy making goosebumps erupt over her thighs as I push between them.

I’ve come to love every sound I can coax out of my wife: the moans, the whimpers, the soft gasps, the desperate shrieks, the broken cries.