"Yeah," he said, the single word carrying moresignificance than most people managed in entire speeches. "Because I’m going to marry you."
The proposal was unpolished, unplanned, and delivered without ceremony or elaborate preparation, but it landed with the impact of their absolute truth. This wasn't a man who spoke carelessly or made commitments he couldn't keep. When Talon said something, he meant it.
Riley felt the world narrow to the space between them, the desert evening fading into background noise. Marriage. Partnership. A life built around shared values, friendship and love built on those unshakeable foundations.
"Are you sure? You hunt down terrorists and criminal conspiracies or train people to do it, now. I ensure environmental compliance. Neither of us exactly leads a stable, predictable lifestyle. Are you sure you want me to marry you?"
Talon's thumb brushed across her cheek, the simple gesture somehow more intimate than any kiss they'd shared.
"I’m sure. Positive," he said, his voice carrying the kind of quiet confidence that had made her trust him with her life from the moment they'd met. "We make our own kind of stability. We build something that works for who we actually are, not who wethink we're supposed to be. We'll make it work, Riley. I’ll do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes. We can figure out the logistics because the alternative is unacceptable."
Riley searched his eyes, seeing in their green depths the same fierce certainty that came through absolute commitment. And looking into those eyes, she realized that she trusted his judgment about their future as much as she'd learned to trust his judgment about everything else. Completely and without exception. A slow smile began to curve her lips, starting small but growing into something fierce and certain.
"Yes," she said, the word emerging with surprising strength considering how her voice had been shaking moments before. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Talon's hand tightened over hers, and his other hand slid around to cup the back of her neck, drawing her closer until their foreheads touched in a gesture that was somehow more intimate than any kiss could have been.
The generator's hum, the distant insect chorus, the soft whisper of desert wind through sagebrush, all of it faded into nothing, leaving only the two of them and the promise they'd just made to each other.
The desert evening wrapped around them like aprayer. One that was vast and patient and eternal. It bore witness to the rare kind of commitment that was precious and strong enough to survive whatever chaos the world might throw at them.
She whispered, “What happens after four years?”
Talon’s hand slid over hers, his grip firm. “We’ll deal with that then. We’ll do whatever it takes, babe.”
“You should take me back to my apartment.” She lifted her face toward him, offering him her lips. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her before taking her hand and leading her back to the residential building and her apartment.
The cool air of the bedroom kissed her overheated skin as she took off her clothes. Her eyes were on Talon as he removed his weapons. She unzipped her pants as his shirt came off. The expanse of his shoulders, his muscled chest, and the treasure trail that made its way past his waistband mesmerized her. He was magnificent, and if anyone had told her that she’d fall in love with a man like him, she would have laughed. She’d assumed she’d marry someone in the company. A guy trying to get ahead by taking her on. It was what her father had always said.
Talon cocked his head and walked over to her. “What happened just now?” He tipped her chin up. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “I … I went somewhere in my head that I shouldn’t have.”
“Where?” He leaned down and kissed her neck, which sent chills through her entire body.
She gasped a bit before she answered, “My father said I’d end up with someone who was trying to climb the corporate ladder. I was a way closer to the top and to him.”
“Your father was wrong again. You’re not a tool for anyone to use. You’re an amazing, brilliant woman.” He kissed her shoulder. “You’re an obsession, a craving, an addiction. You are my everything.” He kissed up her neck after each word, ending up at her lips.
The feeling of utter devotion washed over her. The man could make her soar with his words and his touch.
Her bra’s fastener flicked open, and his rough fingers slid her bra straps off. Her hands moved to his pants. The buttons slipped through the loops easily, and her hands found his shaft. The heat and softness of his skin were in direct opposition to the hard length of him. She dropped down to her knees and licked the head of his cock. His hands slipped toher ponytail holder and pulled it out. She took him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the cap, paying attention to the vein underneath the tip of his cockhead. He grabbed her hair as a rush of hissed air came from him.
“Damn it. So good. Too good.” His hips moved forward a bit, and she took more of him. She wasn’t an expert in the sexual department, but she’d read enough romance books to know what men liked. She couldn’t take him all the way without gagging, so she licked the base of his cock as she held his balls in her hand. Without thinking about it, she licked lower and then sucked one of his balls into her mouth. Talon’s grunt and the way his legs shook were all the response she needed. She moved her attention to the other one. She loved the smell of him. The intimacy and vulnerability he was allowing her. Lost in the entirety of the sensations, she was surprised when he bent down and lifted her up off her knees. “Did I do something wrong?”
“God, no. But I want to be in you when I come. I was too close.” He kissed her before she could wipe her face, but he didn’t seem to mind. They moved closer to the bed, and he lowered her onto the mattress. With a gentle tug, her khakis were off. Shelifted onto her elbows and watched him step out of his clothes. She licked her lips, still tasting him.
“Woman, you’re going to kill me.”
“Death by sex?” She smiled.
He leaned over her and grabbed the waistband of her thong. It snapped, and he threw the material across the room.
“The only way I want to die,” he growled and dropped to his knees, kissing the inside of her thigh. “So beautiful.”
She dropped to the mattress, her elbows had no chance of supporting her when his mouth covered her, and his tongue and fingers started an impossible tempo that hit her clit with an urgency that made her pant. She reached down to his thick, short hair and tried desperately to wrap her fingers in it, but all thoughts went out the window when her core clenched and she gasped. A thousand stars sprinkled the darkness of her closed eyes. The spasmatic clenching in her core was too much and not enough at the same time. She was gluttonous when it came to Talon.
When he lifted, she pulled him up the bed to her. They shifted so they were on the bed, and he covered her. “So fucking beautiful, and you’re mine.” He slid into her, and when she lifted her hips, heseated inside her. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him down for a kiss.
