“We’re going to fucking talk about it now. What do you mean you don’t know if he’s wrong or right?”
“I don’t know what to think or feel about our future. This weekend has shown me that the people in your world may never fully accept me, and that scares me. I don’t want you to regret me one day. Not to mention the fact that we still have a contract between us so the line of what we are is still confusing. And then you and your parents put on this big display to give me this family heirloom that is this symbol to put on your future wife. It’s hard to know exactly what is real and what is fake, and Ineedto know what we are, Asher. I need to know because . . . I’m in love with you.”
I gasp, wishing I could snatch the words from the air between us and shove them back down my throat. But I can’t. They’re out. And now all I can do is wait and see what Asher says.
Asher stares down at me and doesn’t say anything for too long.
“You don’t have to answer me now,” I finally say to break the silence. “Let’s just get the night over with.”
Asher leans in toward me, and I step backward until I bump into the wall. Both of his arms come up on either side of my head, trapping me there.
“Does this feel fake to you?” he says, wrapping his hand around my throat, dragging his thumb along the length of it. “When I’m inside of you, does it feel like what we have is fake?” He leans down and nips my earlobe. “Does waking up in my bed with my head between your legs feel like something that’s forced?
“Let me be very fucking clear, Ella. You’re right. Somewherealong the way, things changed. When I called you my family, and I meant it. The connection we share is rare. So fucking rare that it’s powerful, and there’s no way we can ignore it.
“Tonight has been a lot with the family history and the symbol of the pendant. But I want you to know, I didn’t just do this as a PR stunt; I did it to give you protection. This,” he brushes his fingers over the pendant, “shows the world that you’re mine. And that tells people that if they hurt you or fuck with you, then they fuck with me. And most people won’t dare to do that.
“I know it’s a lot to hear about futures and husbands and wives, and I should have talked to you about it beforehand, but I selfishly wanted to surprise you. I meant every word I said on that stage. I never expected to have a serious relationship, not for years and years, so this whole situation has caught me off guard. But if I’m going to have a serious relationship with anyone, it’s you. I don’t want anyone else. I want marriage and kids, all of it, and I want them with you.”
His words settle the fear inside me, and I press my lips to his and pull him so close it’s like our bodies are fusing.
“I need you,” I say, panting between kisses. “Please. I need you inside me. Right now.”
Asher chuckles against my lips. “You did promise me a fuck in a broom closet tonight.”
He pulls me behind him and into a small sitting room with a couch and bookshelves, then locks the door. “This should do the trick.” He practically tosses me onto the couch and rips open his belt and pants, then he shoves my dress up to my hips. He tears my underwear off and slams himself inside me.
We both gasp out in relief as soon as he’s inside me. And for the first time since the pendant ceremony, I feel like I can breathe.
“I mean it every time I fucking say it,” Asher growls as hehammers into me. “You’re mine. They’re not just empty words, Ella. They’re a promise.”
“Oh my god, Asher. Yes. Please.”
“Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours. And you’re mine.”
“Yes, baby. I’m yours. I have been for a long time now.”
My worries and insecurities melt away with every kiss, every touch, and the raw need that bleeds between us.
“I will never regret you, Ella. Every day with you is a gift, and I’ll spend every one of them on my knees, and between your legs, thanking you.”
“Fuck,” I rasp.
And I don’t know if it’s the urgency of time, or the sheer relief at Asher’s words, but the feel of him inside me is heightened so much that I’m already close.
“Oh god, Asher!” I cry out as my orgasm tears through me. The relief, the joy, the beauty of this night all meld together, and it’s the sweetest euphoria.
“Ella!” Asher yells a second later, following me.
He spills into me, and for a minute, neither of us moves. I want to stay like this, with him inside me, forever. Our foreheads meet and we breathe one another in, savoring the stolen moment.
When he finally pulls out of me, I almost cry with joy at the feel of his cum running down my thighs. I want all of him all over me, inside me, and I never want to let him go.
Asher pulls the pocket square from his jacket pocket and wipes my pussy clean, then he stuffs it in his pants pocket along with my discarded panties. He stands and holds out his hand for me and pulls me to my feet. I shimmy my dress back down below my hips and follow him out the door.
The crowd cheers when we make it outside, and then the fireworks begin. Asher holds me from behind, and I lean intohim, my head pressed against his shoulder, happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.
