38. Austin
38
AUSTIN
E ven though I know there’s no way she’ll tell me no, I’m still nervous.
Maybe it’s because my family is here to watch, or maybe it’s because I’m worried her dad will beat me over the head the moment I drop to my knee, but I hold my breath until she answers.
The moment I slide the ring onto her finger, we stand, and I pull her against me and give her a long, soft kiss.
I want so much more, but I remind myself of our audience, and move away sooner than I’d like.
When I look around the room, everyone is smiling and clapping, and for the first time since all of this started, I feel like things will work out.
No matter what happens or comes our way, everything will be okay.
Everyone is more than ready to eat, so we take our seats and dig in.
Everyone is talking among themselves. Parker and Dalton are talking while Kinsley sits by, listening in, and smiling every time Dalton looks at her.
My parents are talking to Kay’s parents.
Everyone is moving on, except for Kay and me.
We’re sitting quietly, taking it all in.
She looks around the table with love in her eyes, and I can’t look at anyone but her.
She’s so happy that she’s glowing, and she’s so bright and beautiful that I can’t see anything but her.
I don’t pay attention to a word that’s said around me. All I know is that everyone is talking and eating, and when they’re done, the table is cleared and cake and coffee are brought in.
I eat everything that’s placed in front of me, but not because I’m hungry or because I want it. It’s because I want this dinner to end so I can have her to myself again.
Every other night I have her alone isn’t enough. I want all of them—this one, especially.
Everyone hangs out and talks, and then slowly, people start to leave.
Dalton takes off with our parents first, which prompts Kinsley and Parker to go.
Then Kaylee and her mom start cleaning up, leaving me to talk with Dave.
We mostly talk about fishing and share a beer in the living room since we’ve been kicked out of the dining room so the women can clean up.
Once their jobs are done, her parents leave, and I have my fiancée all to myself.
I know she’s tired from the long, stressful day of slaving over the stove for our families, so I don’t expect her to want to stay up all night.
I lock up the house, turn off the lights, and pick her up against me.
“Where are we going?” she asks when I start to carry her up the stairs instead of letting her walk to the living room.
“You’ve been on your feet all day. It’s time for me to take care of you,” I tell her, carrying her into our bathroom.
I set her down and fill the tub with hot water, spilling some of her favorite oil into the water and lighting candles that I scatter around the room. I lower the light before moving back to her.
“You’re so sweet,” she says, letting her head roll to the side as I kiss her neck while removing her clothes.
“I might have ulterior motives,” I confess, kissing the swell of her breasts as I unhook her bra.
Her head falls back as she laughs.
We sink into the hot water in the tub, and I hold her back to my chest.
She rests her head against my shoulder, and I wrap my arms around her, intertwining her fingers with mine.
The new diamond on her finger is catching the light from the candle, making it sparkle and glisten in the dimly lit room.
When I see it, it makes me so happy to know that the worst is behind us.
There’s no more running.
No more not knowing how we’ll end up.
There’s nothing but positivity and our bright future.
I kiss the top of her head, and she lets out a soft little sigh.
“Thank you for tonight.”
I tilt my head so I can see the side of her face. “What are you thanking me for?”
“For getting in touch with your family. For getting them all here and making this night possible.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, baby. I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner. It’s just getting harder to get mom out.”
“I understand. Sometimes, I forget how much older than me you are, and that your parents are so much older than mine.”
Something she forgets is something that never leaves my mind. I’m constantly pushing that information from my head.
It was something I never considered before when we were keeping things secret, but now that everything is out in the open and we’re free to behave like a normal couple, I see the looks we get.
We’ll walk into a restaurant, and people think we’re father and daughter until she takes my hand or leans in to kiss me.
I notice how everyone my age looks at me like I’m a pervert. Well, mostly just the women: The men are too busy checking her out.
“Regardless, I’m glad that I got to meet them. Is Dalton staying in town this weekend?”
“Yeah, I believe so. Why?”
She grins and shrugs one. “You should ask him if he wants to hang out with Kinsley. I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I could tell she was into him.”
I roll my eyes. I think they’re into one another, too, but it’s not our place to play matchmaker. “No way. Our family is screwed up enough as it is. If they get married, would that make him twice removed, or how does that work?”
She giggles and shakes her head. “Fine, I’ll stay out of it. But if she asks about him, I’m pushing for it.”
“I’m a little surprised your dad didn’t come undone on me tonight,” I confess.
“Why?” she asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I know he’s trying to accept us. I guess a part of me thought he’d try and stop us from getting engaged. We haven’t acted like a couple around him much, so when you said yes, and we kissed, I wasn’t sure what he’d do.”
She lays her head back against my shoulder. “He really is trying to accept it. It’ll take him a while, but I don’t think he’d ever try standing in our way again.” She sits up and spins around to face me.
I can’t help the smile on my face when I see the bubbles sliding down her breasts and over her nipples.
She slides onto my lap, wrapping her legs around my middle and her arms around my neck.
My hands find her hips and I squeeze as my dick twitches with excitement. “I think I like this seating arrangement better.”
She giggles, grinding her hips against me. “Whoever said testosterone drops as a man ages never met you. I think you need to be studied.”
I laugh, rocking her forward and back, my cock rubbing between her lips. “It’s you. You make me ten years younger,” I say, leaning forward and capturing her mouth with mine.
She kisses me softly and slowly as she continues to grind. Remembering earlier in the night, I pull away just enough to see her face. “I told you I was going to make you beg for it tonight, remember?”
She bites her lower lip. “You’re not doing a very good job. Seems to me like you’re just giving it away,” she teases.
I growl as my mouth collides with hers.
I fist her hair with one hand while I kiss her hard and fast. My other hand moves beneath the water and between us, where I rub her clit with the pad of my thumb.
I apply just the right amount of pressure, slowly increasing the speed. I can tell when she’s getting close because her body grows hard, but instead of letting her fall over the edge, I take my hand away.
I know her well enough that she won’t just roll over and take what I give; she’ll try for more.
So, the moment moves, I grab her hips and hold her still, knowing she’s only seconds away from grinding against me again.
Once she realizes that she’s about to miss her release, her hand moves between her legs, but I break our kiss and grab her wrist.
“I don’t think so.”
She bites her lip and lets out a whining sound. “You’re so mean.”
“I warned you, didn’t I?”
“Fine, I’ll beg.” She tries to wrap her arms back around my neck, but I tighten my grip. “Oh, I know you will.” I bite her neck. “You’ll beg for it all night if I want you to.” I stand with her in my arms, step out of the tub, and put her on her feet.
I grab towels, wrapping hers around her shoulders and mine around my waist. Then, I drain the tub and blow out the candles.
When it’s completely dark, I step into the bedroom, where she’s already lying on the top of the bed, naked.
Her eyes narrow on mine, and I stand frozen as I watch how she slowly spreads her legs as her hand travels down her stomach.
She’s teasing me, and as badly as I want to stop her, I can’t because I also want to watch this.
She’s already slick with arousal from the tub, so her fingers glide between her folds easily.
I move toward her, not taking my eyes off her hand.
I put my knee on the foot of the bed, slowly climbing up.
Her toes start to curl, and her muscles tighten.
I glance up at her face to see that she’s biting on that lip, and her eyes are closed.
She’s about to finish herself.
I smirk as I grab her wrist and pull her hand away.
“Hey, no fair.”
I bring her fingers to my mouth, sucking her arousal off. “I never said I’d play fair, sweetheart. I said by the end of the night, you’d be begging me to fuck you. And do you hear that?” I tilt my head to the side slightly like I’m listening hard for something. “I don’t hear you begging yet.” I give her a smirk.
“Austin, please. I feel like I’m going to explode.”
I kiss the inside of her knee. “Don’t be dramatic, sweetheart.” I kiss higher up her thigh.
“Mmmmm,” she mumbles, lacing her fingers into my hair as I work my way higher still.
She’s not expecting me to suck her clit into my mouth right off the bat, and the second I do, her back arches, and a sexy moan rips from her lips.
I want her to beg for me, but I’ll probably be the one ready to beg.
The hold this woman has on me is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
I’ll do anything for her.
I’ll beg. I’ll plead. I’ll fight for her. I’ll kill for her.
And that ring on her finger and the baby in her stomach means she’s mine.
Realizing this only pushes me to grab her hips and slam into her as the need to feel her wrapped around me grows too strong.