I shift my feet in the grass, feeling its warmth as I sip ginger tea and stare out at the neighborhood trees. The flowers are in bloom, the birds are chirping, and my two sons are chasing each other around with sticks, pretending they’re both King Arthur. They go back and forth between that and Robin Hood.
Watching them, I smile and place my hand on my fresh new baby bump beneath my dress. It’s hard to believe that a few years ago I was in prison, hopeless and afraid, and now I’m the mother of two with another on the way.
I hear Killian’s familiar footsteps on the porch and go all fuzzy before I even see him. Everything about him is a piece of me now. He’s the key to my lock, and as his strong arm slips around my neck, my cheeks begin to prickle.
We’ve been together for this long and he still excites me, just like he did back in the infirmary when he made me his.
“How are you so gorgeous, my love?” he whispers, tenderly kissing my cheek. “Did God create you just to torment me day after day?”
“Torment you?” I reply, faking surprise. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, you know, my angel,” he growls. The desire in his touch broadens my blush. “Do you know how painful it is to be away from you when I go to work?”
After leaving his position as warden at Last Rites, Killian became a local policeman. In a few months, he’ll likely make captain. “Well, maybe you should lock me up,” I suggest. “You could turn the cameras off in my holding cell…have your way with me.”
His eyes flare, and he grasps my hair with that perfect mixture of tenderness and strength. “Don’t tempt me.”
He leans in to kiss me, and I close my eyes. I feel the spring breeze against my skin, the heat from his body against mine, and bathe in his manly scent that brings me to my knees.
We left Last Rites together, me cradled in his arms, unable to envision a future without bars, without pain, without self-doubt. But we forged one together, day by day.
Our home is nestled in a quaint little New England neighborhood with friendly neighbors who all look out for each other. I volunteer at the local library and elementary school, and in the summer, Killian takes a few days off and takes me somewhere.
Last year he took me to France, and we made love in a Parisian hotel and ate fresh croissants from a street vendor. It was magic.
I look after them during the day and also took over decorating the house. Killian may have many talents, but picking paint colors and wall hangings is not one of them.
As it turns out, his family is wonderful. His mom, Margaret, is a lively joker who loves to cook and has taught me some incredible pasta dishes, and his father, Jim, is a hands-on guy who is always first to volunteer to help when something aroundthe house needs fixing. He and Killian repaired the deck when an ice storm last winter ruined the steps and the some of the planking.
Thank God we have them around to help. People often say that lovers’ sexual appetites fade after they get married, but that hasnothappened to us. If anything, our lust for each other has increased.
We steal every free moment there is to get our hands on each other. When I’m abad girl, which I love being for him, Killian will break out his punishment rod from Last Rites and use it on me. Last night he draped me over his knee and spanked me while I covered my mouth to stifle the moans. As I shift in my seat now, I can still feel the sting, remnants of last night’s wonderful pain.
My inner thighs heat up as my wonderful husband’s hand slides down the neckline of my dress and cups my breast. He gently rolls my nipple between his fingers, and I glance over at the bulge between his legs, pressing against his pants.
That’s for me. Just knowing he wants me still makes me swell with pride, with purpose. And it’s not just physically that we connect. It’s our hearts, joined together in a love stronger than the shackles I once wore. Unbreakable.
I’ll be chained to this man for life, and I never want to escape.
“Sometimes it’s hard to believe, Killian,” I whisper, staring out at the dream that is our life. “That this is our life. Don’t you ever feel that way?”
He shakes his head. “Not at all. We’re meant for each other. Nothing would have ever kept us from getting here.”
Tears well in my eyes. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he says, pressing his lips to the tender spot beneath my ear. “And I want you.Now.”
“What about the kids?” I ask. The boys are giggling now as they chase each other around the walnut tree.
“Mom’s taking them for ice cream,” he replies loudly, removing his hand from my dress. “Isn’t that right, Mom?”
Margaret emerges from inside, purse in hand, sunglasses on. “That’s right! One strawberry and one chocolate coming up!”
She loves the boys, and they know that when she’s around, there’s a good chance they’ll be getting a treat. As she walks over, they both instantly rush over and climb into the car. Waving, she pulls out of the driveway. As soon as she’s around the bend, Killian has me inside and bends me over on the floor.
I may be a good girl for him and a caring mother, but whenever he does things like this to me, I start buzzing all over. He brings out thebad girlin me, and I arch my back as he lifts up my dress, revealing my little secret.
“No panties,” he growls, unzipping his fly. “You knew I’d want you.”
