“You were always so open and honest with your emotions, but this side of you, the more mature side, being vulnerable, and knowing how pure your heart is, it makes me love you more than I ever thought possible.”
“Your love, Lily, it brings me to my knees in the best way possible.”
“Make me yours, Jaxon.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lily
Nothing else needed to be said. The intention was clear.
Jaxon swiftly swooped me off my feet and carried me upstairs, where more flameless candles dotted each step and lined the hallway toward the bedroom. The primary bedroom, situated directly above the living room, featured equally large, picturesque windows spanning the entire exterior wall, maximizing the breathtaking daytime views and heavenly sunsets over the lake. The only difference between this space and downstairs was that it wasn’t devoid of furniture.
“Why, Jaxon Fisher, aren’t you just full of surprises?” I took in the king mattress set on the floor, perfectly positioned for the best view of the lake, covered in a multitude of decorative pillows and luxurious layers that looked as soft as a cloud, like my bed at home.
“Arizona helped me with sourcing all the bedding.”
“Once I get in that bed, I’m never leaving.”
“That’s the plan.” He squeezed my hips.
Turning in his embrace, I wasted no time slipping my hands under the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and pushing it up and off his shoulders. He shrugged his arms free, allowing the jacket to fall to the floor while my fingers got to work freeing the buttons on his dress shirt.
Once his chiseled chest was bared to me, I impatiently pressed my lips to his warm skin, right over the tattoo of the bee and its stinger, inked above his heart. His permanent connection to me front and center like a tether. Proof that some ties didn’t need words to exist.
His ink inspired an idea I’d have to revisit later as my fingers trailed whisper-soft and teasingly down over his taut abs, which were an absolute work of art, toward the button and zipper on his dress pants until they joined the rest of his clothing in a pile on the floor after he’d toed his dress shoes off.
“My turn now.” He reached behind me, felt for the zipper in the middle of my back, and dragged it downward, never once breaking the magnetic hold he had on my eyes, even when he slipped the thin straps off my shoulders. The silk slipped away in silence, resting at my feet like a distant memory.
Only then did his eyes drop, taking in the delicate wisps of lingerie that made me feel powerful and secure in my skin. His eyes stripped me of every mask I’d used to keep a part of myself hidden, existing solely for him, unafraid, and made me feel reborn under his heartfelt gaze.
“Lily, no one’s ever drawn me in the way you do, just like no one has ever had all of me, because no one has ever owned my heart so completely. No one but you.” His thumbs brushed lightly over my cheeks before he lowered his mouth to mine, capturing my lips in a slow dance that was tailored just for us.
Each tender brush of our tongues wove us deeper into aworld where we existed alone. A moment frozen in time where, with every inhale and exhale, an unspoken promise filled our lungs with worship. Every sweet caress of our lips and tender pause hummed with gratitude and admiration.
The magnitude of the moment was transformative.
Who we were before would be different after.
With his left hand threaded through my hair, his other slid down my spine, unclasping my bra with the subtle flick of his wrist. I let go of my hold around his back to allow the material to fall away before he slipped his hands to my hips, teasing the edges of the last remaining piece of clothing with his fingers while dropping soft, purposeful kisses along my collarbone.
With my head tilted back, I fumbled blindly reaching for his black boxer briefs before he snapped them free and shimmied them down his legs, only to put the barest of space between us so he could reach down and pull his socks free from his feet before he lifted me into his arms once more. But this time, to lay me down on the bed.
Jaxon removed my strappy high heels before he swept over my torso, as my legs fell to the side, welcoming the feel of his body against mine with no barriers separating us. We’d already talked about birth control, and while Jaxon was initially disappointed, since he had zero qualms about tempting fate, he was equally relieved that I had an IUD, meaning we could forgo condoms.
Being on the same page, not wanting anything to separate us, meant being together in a way that we’d never given ourselves to anyone else.
It was a first that was ours and ours alone.
When Jaxon shifted his weight back on the bed, I gasped at the loss of his body heat. “Where are you going?”
“Just taking care of what’s mine,” he said with an added twinkle in his whiskey-hued eyes. “And making sure you’re ready for me.”
I reached forward, clutching his sexy broad shoulders, willing him to come back to me. “I’ve never been more ready than I am right now, please, Jaxon.”
“Is my girl impatient?” He crawled back up over me, while one hand slipped between my legs.
“Yes,” I lamented as he swept his fingers through the wetness I knew he’d undoubtedly find. “But then again, I’d say waiting ten years has been long enough.”
