Epilogue
Marlee - Six months later
I woke to the buzz of my alarm and the weight of Seth’s arm draped across my waist. He grumbled, burying his face in my neck with a kiss to my bare shoulder. I fumbled around on the nightstand until I shut off my alarm. Then I burrowed deeper under the covers.
“I have to get ready for work,” I mumbled.
“You’re a freelancer,” Seth replied. “You can call in sick whenever you want.”
I snorted.
“Doesn’t quite work like that.”
A week after Seth’s proposal, I decided to take a leap of faith and start my own consulting firm as an architectural designer. The first two months had been a whirlwind of paperwork, research, and meetings with lawyers to work out details.
By the third month, I had my first client—a local homestead that wanted to convert their barn into a venue for weddings. It was a musty old space, with rotting floorboards and a cobweb-filled hayloft, but I saw the potential underneath it all and I started drafting a design for my first paying job.
Seth skimmed his hand down my side and squeezed my hip. I wiggled back against him, smiling to myself when I felt his cock twitch to life against the back of my thigh. He bought a ring for me last month—a gorgeous yet humble little ruby that shimmered like fire in the sunlight. We were batting ideas around for a wedding, but we hadn’t settled on a date yet. I was enjoying this planning stage, dreaming up possibilities and everything we could look forward to together.
With my ex, I did all the work, a one-sided effort that had drained me more than I realized. Weighing me down. Leeching all the joy out of the process.
With Seth, he was bursting with ideas and eager to share.
“Give me five more minutes,” Seth murmured, nuzzling at my earlobe.
I breathed a laugh.
“You say that every morning,” I protested. “Five more minutes turns into fifteen. Then twenty. Then thirty. And before we know it, we’re both late.”
Seth grunted as he propped himself up on one elbow, gazing down at me with a messy bedhead. It wasn’t fair that he could look so damn sexy and rumpled at the same time.
“I certainly hope you’re not expecting me to change my ways. Because I have no regrets whatsoever.”
Then he disappeared under the covers, coaxing my thighs apart. I gasped when the slick heat of his tongue met my clit. The faint golden glow of morning light filtered through Seth’s curtains, lending a hazy, dream-like quality to the room.
Sweeping the sheets aside, I threaded my fingers in Seth’s hair. He hummed with approval, the vibrating rumble going straight through my core. He looked utterly blissful nestled between my thighs, his eyes closed, one large callused hand cradling my hip.
My orgasm coiled low and pleasantly warm around the base of my spine as Seth continued to suck at my clit. He shifted my legs over his shoulders, working his jaw deeper inside me. His scratchy stubble against my inner thighs was a glorious contrast to the smooth stroke of his tongue.
“Seth,” I whined with need, rolling my hips. “Stop teasing— fuck .”
I broke off when he crooked two fingers inside me, pressing against my g-spot as he flicked his tongue back and forth over my clit. I clutched the sheets so tightly that they nearly popped off the mattress. My body tensed, orgasm rising hot and fast.
Seth clamped his hand into the flesh of my thigh and sealed his mouth to my clit with enough suction that my back arched. A wrecked sound escaped my lips. I tugged at his hair so hard that his scalp had to hurt, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.
Instead, his grip on me tightened and his hips undulated against the bed, grinding his cock into the mattress while he feasted on me. I soaked up the sight of his tanned muscles on display, flexing with his movements—smooth back, sculpted ass, straining biceps.
Even after being engaged for six months, I still couldn’t believe that this man would be my husband one day.
Seth added a third finger, creating a stretch that took my breath away. Then he slurped at my clit with an obscene sound. My orgasm crashed over me, whiting out my vision. I shoved weakly at his head, trying to climb up the bed—it was too good, too much. My thighs trembled and a shudder of pleasure wracked through my body from head to toe.
Finally, Seth raised his head, swiping my slick from his chin. His brown eyes gleamed with satisfaction. I panted hard, sagging against the pillows. He climbed up my body, settling into the cradle of my hips with that damned smirk I knew so well.
“We’re out of time, sweetheart,” he said. “Those five minutes went by fast. You better get going. Don't want you to be late for work, remember?"
I growled with frustration. He felt incredible pressed against me like this—warm and strong and deliciously heavy. With his pulsing cock trapped between us, my appetite was still ravenous for him. One orgasm would not be enough to get me through the day.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “I can give you ten more minutes, but that’s it. You better make it count.”
Seth chuckled and dipped his head, pinching my nipple between his teeth with a playful bite. I yelped in surprise, squirming beneath him. He shifted just enough to guide the tip of his cock to my entrance. We started skipping condoms last month, relying on my birth control pills instead.
I draped my arms around Seth’s shoulders as he slowly sank into my pussy. Fuck, his cock still felt heavenly, even though we’d done this so many times by now.
“You’re so damn perfect,” Seth muttered against my lips as he kissed me.
I grinned, locking my legs around him. He pulled out and thrust back in harder, grinding deep just the way I liked. Sparks of pleasure zinged through every nerve in my body. My nipples grew tight, brushing against his chest.
He grasped my hips and picked up the pace, setting a rhythm that never gave me a chance to catch my breath. I scraped my nails down his back, sinking my teeth into his shoulder. It drove him wild when I marked him, and he didn’t pass up an opportunity to brag about it in the locker room to his crew.
And I couldn’t resist staking my claim on Seth. Proving that this was my man. I was the one he loved.
All thoughts of my time limit flew from my mind. Seth ducked his head, burrowing into my neck as he pounded harder, deeper. My senses were flooded with him—his scent, the drag of his cock inside me, his hot breath on my skin.
“Come for me again, baby,” Seth growled in my ear. “I know you can do it. I won’t stop until I get one more out of you.”
Gripping the back of my knees, he spread me wide open and adjusted the angle of his hips, with long, slow strokes. My mouth fell open at the new sensation. Seth lowered his gaze, mesmerized by the sight of his cock disappearing inside me, over and over again. I placed my hand against his chest, gliding up to grip the back of his neck for stability.
Then he flicked his gaze up to mine. I circled my clit, never looking away as my orgasm rocketed up my spine.
“Yes— fuck —oh, look at you fall apart, sweetheart,” he said, his voice strained.
Seth slumped over me, buried his face in my tits, and chased his own orgasm with sloppy, frantic thrusts. He came with a groan, going still inside me.
After a moment or two, he relaxed and rolled to the side. I nuzzled into him, wrapping my arm around his middle with a smile of contentment. I was going to be so late, but it was definitely worth it.
I hurried through a quick shower and got dressed while Seth donned a pair of sweatpants and made coffee for me. As I raced out the door, he pressed a cup into my hand and tucked a protein bar into my purse.
“I’ll drop by your office later with lunch,” he said and pecked my cheek.
“Ice-cream would be good,” I replied.
“With extra sprinkles?”
“Of course.”
He hooked a finger in the belt loop of my jeans and tugged me closer with a soft smile.
“You’re getting predictable. I like that.”
“I can still surprise you.”
Reaching into my purse, I retrieved a roll of paper. I’d been working on the design for weeks, and it still needed a few details tweaked, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to know what Seth thought.
At the same time, I was terrified to look him in the face and see his reaction. So, I was dumping it in his lap and dashing out the door like a coward.
“What’s this?” he asked, accepting the roll of paper.
“Just something to consider. We can talk about it when I get off work.”
Then I turned and left Seth’s apartment, heading for my car. My stomach churned as I trotted down the stairs, forcing myself to not look back.
Just as I reached my Volkswagen beetle, I heard Seth’s voice behind me.
“Do you take constructive criticism?”
I froze and glanced over my shoulder. Seth had followed me down the stairs, standing on the sidewalk half-naked, wearing only his gray sweatpants slung low on his hips. God, he looked so handsome, with his ruffled brown curls and kiss-swollen lips.
“Depends on what you have to say,” I countered.
He held up the paper and unrolled it, gesturing to the design I’d painstakingly and diligently labored over for so long.
“If this is going to be the house we live in,” he said. “I say we should make it bigger for all the kids we’ll have.”
Well, shit. I might as well give up and take the day off. I was never going to make it to work.
I barely paid attention as I dropped my coffee and purse on the sidewalk. Then I ran back and flung myself into Seth’s arms. He laughed as he caught me, picking me up off the ground easily. I wrapped my legs around his waist, smothering his face in kisses.
“You like the house?”
“I love the house, sweetheart,” he replied. “Did you really think I would hate it? My future bride designed it for our family. That’s our home. ”
My vision blurred with tears of joy and wonder. I smiled and tucked my face into Seth’s neck, holding him tighter. Six months ago, I never would have guessed that the love of my life was waiting for me in this small Texas town.
I couldn’t wait to build our home here and face the future life that Seth and I created together as husband and wife.
“Take me back to bed,” I murmured, kissing his neck.
Seth spun on his heel, taking the stairs two at a time as he made his way back to his apartment, and closed the door behind us.