“That’s not what I mean—not to mention we’re in our pajamas.”
His smile was feline. “I could get naked if you prefer.”
I suppressed a smile.
He dropped to a knee in front of me, and my heart stalled out as the morning light painted his beautiful face in golden hues. “Sarafina Amara Devereux.” He slid that thin pink hair tie off his wrist and looped it three times, making an elastic ring, and I started crying as he presented it to me with tears in his own eyes. “Fact. You took a piece of my heart the day I laid eyes on you, and you’ve stolen the rest every day since then.Truth. I know how lucky I am to be one of the few people you’ve let in, and whether you realize it or not—you’re theonlyone I’ve ever truly let in. From here on out, no matter the cost, I won’t let anything or anyone stand in my way when it comes to my love for you—my devotion to you.” He cleared his throat. “Sweetheart, love of my life, I dare you—to let me love you all the way to the altar and every day after.” He grinned, albeit nervously. “Will you do me the great honor of marrying me?”
I wanted so desperately to say yes, a thousand times over.
I knew it was insane, but I also knew that maybe he was right, maybe we were inevitable. So I did what I’d been slowly learning to do this past year. I let myself have this moment, let myself choose the thing that made me happy, instead of forcing myself to suffer on some screwed up principle of the matter.
“Okay,” I whispered with a slow nod. “Let’s do it.”
A tear slipped down his cheek as he smiled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, letting him slip the pink hair tie onto my ring finger as I yanked his mouth up to mine. “You better get me a rock so big you can see it from space! I want a freaking sparkle parade, mounted on my finger. Otherwise, no one will believe the city’s wealthiest bachelor is tied down to abrunette!” I demanded on the verge of a sob or maybe laughter, I had no idea. I was never going to let someone else attempt to take what wasmineagain, because that’s what Carter was.All mine.
We were already slamming into a tree when his lips crashed against mine, hands soft and shielding against all the impact. “I’m going to get you a ring so heavy you’re not going to be able to lift your arm.” He declared.
I laughed, and it quickly turned into a moan as his fingers worked the buttons down my pale pink pajamas and his lips followed the trail. He pushed me up against the rough bark of the tree as he sank to his knees in front of me, playfully begging. “Please, baby, let me have a taste of mywife.”
Oh boy,wife,that was the biggest turn-on I’d ever heard. “Yes.” I moaned breathlessly, unable to find the strength to make him work for it as my fingers speared through his hair.
Fingers tugging at the strings, then hooking into the elastic of my pajama bottoms, he waited, like he always did, for that final word of permission.
I stared at him, heart thundering, and nodded in disbelief. “You’re going to be myhusband.” That word might be an even bigger turn-on.
He grinned, yanking my pajamas down, “Hell yeah I am.” I gasped as he hiked my legs over his shoulders, and I held on for dear life—my pajama bottoms still dangling from one leg as he pinned me against the tree.
“Carter, your shoulder.” I warned with a gasp as his lips descended.
“I don’t care about my shoulder.” He practically spat, and there was no escape when his lips found my clit in two seconds flat. I cried out, back writhing against the tree as his stubble scraped against me in just the right way. He worked his tongue over and in me, bringing me right to the edge. This wasn’t lovemaking; this was love declaring, and there was no time for teasing. We’d done more than enough of that our entire lives.
He came up to steal a glance, grinning, lips shining, and then, “Oh shit, there’s ants in your hair.”
I laughed deliriously as he scooped me up and laid me out in the soft grass, dusting my hair off before sliding an arm under my waist, other fingers slipping inside me while his tongue brought me to orgasm mere seconds later.
As I chanted his name, “Carter, Carter, Carter.” The sound of my cries were swallowed by the rushing stream, the birds chirping in the air, the wind softly rustling through the trees as I trembled in the grass with pleasure.
His mouth was on mine as I shoved his pants down, reaching for his intimidating length. “Sweetheart,” He rasped, frustration lacing his voice. “I don’t have a condom.”
“I have an IUD,” I said, frantically kicking his sweats down.
“We don’t have to do this right now.” He swallowed thickly, pants stuck around his ankles because I couldn’t reach that far. “We have the rest of our lives.”
“Carter.” I groaned. “Don’t make me put you back on probation.”
“Are you blackmailing me for sex?” his mouth curled as he teased. “Why is that kind of hot?”
“Time to put your money where your mouth is, flyboy.” I rasped, sinking into the grass as the weight of his body finally descended over mine, as he laid me back like a precious, fragile artifact beneath him, all while looking devious as ever.
“Are you ready for the ride of your life, because I’ve been waitingmywhole life to show you the ropes?” He smirked, leaning into my ear to murmur. “You always were a little Rookie, weren’t you, pretty girl?”
“We’ll see how funny your jokes are when your cock is buried inside thisperfectpussy.” I shot right back. “Because you’re about to find out how ruthless she can be.”
“Ahhh, there’s that smart mouth I love so much.” He chuckled, low and deep against me, but it was me who stopped laughing the moment his mouth claimed mine—the moment his muscular body rocked and he notched himself against me, already stretching me as the earth held me from below and his solid weight held me from above.
Watching me with a soft, wild expression, Carter pushed in. Leaving me writhing beneath him, breathless and gasping as I stretched wider than I ever had in order to accommodate him.
