揂hhh梬hat was that??I sigh.
揧ou think too much,?he growls against my ear, all hot breath and saintly patience. 揊or the record, I wake up every goddamned day with zero regrets. I just know you抮e the woman I抦 spending the rest of my life with. Whether that means we抮e tying the knot today or in ten years, you抮e never getting rid of me.?
I. Am. Ugly. Crying.
揧-you mean it??I whisper.
He nods.
揚romise??
揅ross my fucking heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want that life to start now.?
揑 just梠of. I didn抰 think you were the marrying type.?
His jaw clenches. 揑s that a no then??
揋od, no! I love you. I don抰 want this to end.?
揝o, you抣l marry me??
There抯 a long pause where my heart stops.
揑 want to. With all my heart.?My lip quivers. 揃ut Lincoln…I抦 really bad at weddings.?
揥rong. Your jackass ex was bad at weddings.?He beams pure confidence into my eyes, and oh God, it抯 infectious. 揑f we do this, my mom will plan it, or I抣l hire a planner. Anything you want, Nevermore, as long as you抮e mine.?
揑 want to elope,?I blurt out, pushing my hands into his.
揥hat??
揑 want to elope. Just us.?
He pulls me to him. 揗a will have my head on a silver platter if I deny her the wedding she抯 been planning for twenty years, but for you棓
Laughing, I push my hand softly in front of his lips.
揧ou swear you won抰 chicken out??I whisper.
He cups my face with his hand.
揇akota, if I don抰 show up to our wedding for any reason, I抣l be dead. And even then, I抣l probably come back and haunt your ass all the way to the honeymoon suite. Listen to me very closely.?
He takes the other side of my face softly, clasping my head in both hands. Smiling, I sigh.
揑。 Cannot. Live. Without. You. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not in a thousand years. Am I getting through yet? I need you like oxygen.?
My lips turn up. 揑 love you.?
揝o, is that a definitive yes??He presses his forehead to mine.
I wrap my arms around his neck and nod, sealing my agreement with a kiss that curls my toes.
Our lips are fused for what must be ten solid minutes before we slowly, breathlessly pull away.
揙nly you could convince me,?I whisper, finally looking down at that strange, yet magnificent ring on my hand that抯 starting to feel just right. 揙h, and I have a surprise for you!?
揧eah??
I bite my bottom lip. 揑t抯 kinda cool here. We should move closer to the fireplace.?
He side-eyes me so hard I laugh.
揥hat抯 this surprise??
揙nly one way to find out…？I walk toward the fireplace, motioning for him to join me.
Lincoln follows and grabs the back of my sweater. 揘evermore, you have no idea what you do to me.?
Heat pumps under my cheeks and I grin. 揑 think I have some idea.?
I pull my sweater off then, revealing a hunter-green teddy underneath.
His breath catches and he swallows hard.
揧ou抮e wearing lingerie under your clothes.?
I nod.
He traces the silk cup over my breast while his eyes stay on mine.
揟his color looks good on you, but so would a paper bag. Your eyes glow.?His voice is husky.
揧ou抮e still looking at my eyes??My lips quirk up.
He loops his fingers into the waist of my skirt and yanks me toward him.
揊uck no. They抮e hypnotic, but so is the rest of you.?His mouth comes to mine.
My fingers go to work, hot and nimble, undoing his shirt buttons.
His tongue slides across mine as his fingers rip down my gown.
He wraps his arms around me then, pressing me greedily against him, making me feel his hardness.
Holy hell.
As long as I live, this will never get old.
I work the button of his pants free as he kisses me senseless, his lips moving to my throat.
We slink to the floor together with a mess of throw blankets stolen from the couch under us.
I push his jeans down and then his boxers.
He lies over me, his eyes bright and fiery and unrelenting.
I tremble under him.
His hands come to my breasts, and he undoes the first row of clasps running down the front of the teddy.
揑抦 going to unwrap you棓 He undoes the second. 揚iece.?The third. 揃y piece.?
Four. Five. Naked.
His tongue sweeps the hollow space between my breasts, running along each side.
His rough fingers glide down to my belly button and dart up again, hands made for sex. He gazes at me like he could devour me. Sensuous, but sweet.
揘evermore, this was the best surprise of my life,?he rumbles against my ear.
揗aybe I抣l wear green on our wedding night. If you抮e lucky…？The words are out before I realize I抦 starting to believe there will be a wedding night.
Oh, boy.
He gives me a smug look. 揂lready planning it, huh??
揧eah, I guess so.?I smile back.
He picks up my left hand and kisses the ring. 揑 like that. About as much as I like you wearing my mark.?
Singing.
Deep down inside, I抦 vibrating with euphoria梠r is it just this happy lust for the only man worth owning my soul?
He drops my hand and returns to where he started.
揑 need you inside me,?I whisper.
His fingers trail down, arching over my pussy to the round, throbbing bead in my center. He presses his fingertip against it, drawing slow, intense circles.
In three seconds, I抦 almost in the zone, my head bent back and breathless.
His lips take mine. Our tongues meet, but his finger never strays from my clit, winding steady circles that push me closer to the edge.
揕incoln,?I whimper.
His teeth grab my bottom lip, making me a willing hostage while he slides his fingers inside me.
It doesn抰 take long.
Soon, I抦 grinding against him helplessly, so close to a devastating O my legs shake.
Then he slides his arm under me, pushing me up, shoving my legs apart.
He holds me closer, his eyes dueling flames locked on mine as the head of his cock brushes my clit.
揙h, God.?
His mouth moves to mine, teasing me while he holds back. So painfully close to filling me, but only moving up my seam with a hard-on like steel skinned in velvet.
Lips.
Tongue.
Breath.
Teeth.
His tongue sweeps the seam of my lips, tasting me with a slow torture that makes me writhe.
揌ow is it you look so damn sexy when you beg??he whispers, returning his mouth to mine with a deeper, sweeter kiss before I can answer.
I抦 rampant now, hooking my arms and legs around him, urging him to take me, please! any flipping which way he chooses.
His hands shift to my ass, squeezing both cheeks, spreading me open and deepening the way he claims me when his hips thrust forward and?揕incoln. Lincoln!?His name is the only word I manage through the delicious madness lodged in my throat.
The only word I can even comprehend when his tongue sweeps mine again.
I grasp at his hair, pulling him closer, melting in our kiss as he drives inside me with frenzied strokes that match the sear in his eyes.
揋oddammit, Dakota,?he snarls against my mouth.
Deeper, deeper, and deeper still.
Even if we wanted to take this slow, there抯 no hope of that now.
We抮e too needy. Too desperate. Too hungry to feed the same flame consuming us both.
My hips arch up, meeting his rapid strokes as my core tightens and my eyes pinch shut.
He sinks into me, his thrusts so swift and intense they might break me梐nd God, do I want them to.
Still kissing my forehead, he tucks his chin over my head and plunges in to the hilt, his body flexing like a storm made flesh.