Chapter 16 Karl
SIXTEEN
KARL
Fuck, she’s wet. Her hips roll, seeking more contact as I apply pressure.
I’m making mental notes, adding little facts about this woman who’s about to be my wife to a list only I can see.
There’s going to be a whole subsection of sounds she makes when I’m touching her.
Little whimpers and moans that send shockwaves through my body.
I slip a finger into her and watch in awe as her head tips back, a near-silent gasp releasing as her eyes flutter closed. When I add another finger, she pulls me down and kisses all the sense out of me.
“Harder,” she pleads into my mouth, biting down on my lip when I comply.
I nearly come from that alone. The sharp sting of her teeth and the tight heat of her is so close to being my undoing.
I’m fine with that. I am absolutely on board with her undoing me in whatever way she wants.
Her hips rise again, and I lower my own, an involuntary moan leaving me when I connect with her thigh.
If my body is reacting this intensely to her like this, I’m convinced being inside her may actually kill me.
The second she tightens around my fingers, the telltale sparks of my orgasm crest.
“Fuck,” I pant like I’ve been running for miles. I lift my hips so I don’t ruin her pants along with my own with my release. Guess I’ll be wearing my boxers to bed now.
Nancy drops her hips, and I keep my eyes on her expression as I slip my fingers out of her pants. She watches with hooded eyes as I bring them to my mouth.
“Oh my god,” she gasps, dragging me down to kiss me. There’s a deep guttural moan as she tastes herself, and it has me rebounding instantly.
“You’re going to ruin me,” I hiss when she lifts her thigh with a cheeky smile.
She tips her head, looking like the most content woman who ever lived. “In a good way?”
I stare down at her, unsure if she’s being serious, and nod. She wastes no time pushing me off her and going for my pants. “Hold on.” I reach to still her hands. “I'm way too sensitive.” I chuckle.
“But”—she looks down to where I’ve got a visible tent in my pants—“I want to make you feel good.”
“Babe, starting tomorrow, we’ve got the rest of our lives to make each other feel good. And for the record”—I wave toward my crotch—“I feel very good.”
We’re both caught off guard by the laugh that spills out of her, and I watch as she flops back and covers her face. When she pulls her hands away, she stares back, an unspoken question as clear as day.
“What?”
“We’re really doing this thing?”
I sit up and take her hands, holding them between us. “Hell yeah. Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
She shakes her head quickly. “No, it just keeps hitting me that I agreed to marry a guy I’ve known for, like, a day, and I don’t feel anything but excited about it.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” I say, bringing her hands up one by one to set a gentle kiss on the back of each.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of co—” I pause and look down at my crotch, groaning because I’m about to say something very unsexy. “Would you mind if I went to change first?”
She glances quickly down and draws her lips between her teeth, clearly trying not to laugh. “Cold?”
“A bit,” I admit, sliding off the bed and going to my bag. Luckily, I packed a few pairs of boxers despite the fact we’re only planning on staying for two nights. Thank you, Mom, for teaching me that you can never have too many pairs of clean underwear.
When I get back, I lie down next to her so we’re on our sides facing one another. “Okay, shoot.”
“Would it be okay if I took your last name?” she asks like she’s worried I’m going to say no.
“Is that a serious question?”
“Very.”
“I’d be fucking honored if you took my last name, dearest,” I whisper back, smoothing back the hair that’s fallen over her face and relishing in the look of peace that spreads across her face.
We lie there like that, not talking, just looking at each other until our eyes begin to droop.
I don’t want to close mine, though. I'm so afraid I’ll wake up from this absolute dream I’ve been walking through.
In the end, sleep claims me, as it always does, but not before I send her off to dreamland with a murmured message.
“Sweet dreams, dearest.”
“Karl,” Nancy beckons from somewhere near me. “Husband-to-be,” she sings a little louder, and I smile in my sleep. The dream has been so great I want to stay wrapped in it a little longer.
Weight settles on my ass, and hands run up my back. “Mmmm, that feels good,” I mumble sleepily.
Teeth graze my earlobe, and a stuttered sigh slips from me. The dream is vivid. I’ll give it that.
I roll onto my back and feel the weight move onto my thighs, away from—my eyes snap open to find a white robe-clad Nancy sitting on my legs, her damp hair clinging to her head, bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she looks down at my body—part of which is very awake.
“It’s nine a.m. We should get going,” she urges without looking up at my face, clearly very distracted.
I reach up for her and roll us so she’s on her back. “Or, we can have a little fun first,” I purr against her throat, still dewy from her shower. “Then get going.”
“The sooner we do this thing, the sooner we can have fun.” She sits up, her lips meeting mine in an agonizingly slow kiss.
“Okay.” I sit back and then slide off the bed. “You’ve convinced me.” I head to the bathroom for what I assume will be the quickest shower I’ve ever taken.
As I’m lathering shampoo into my hair, the door opens, and I hear a hairdryer turn on. “How am I supposed to do this when I’m in here naked and you’re on the other side of a flimsy curtain?” I shout over the collective noise of the dryer and shower.
“You’re a smart guy, Karl. I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” she calls back.
I’ve got nearly all the shampoo out of my hair when it dawns on me that this is the last shower I’ll take as an unmarried man.
If she doesn’t back out before the vows.
A voice taunts. Which she very well could end up doing.
I’ve been waiting for her to come to her senses since we got in the truck to come here, but she’s surprised me by being more and more enthusiastic about the idea every step of the way.
“This is bananas.” I chuckle to myself. Only my brother knows I’m here, but he has no idea what I’m doing.
I’m going to show up at home in two days, married.
My mother is going to cry, and my dad will think I’m fucking with him, at least until we have our first kid.
Even then, he may be shocked I landed someone like Nancy.
She said she liked the idea of being a farmer. Bananas.
I’m in the middle of worrying about how long it’s going to take for her to realize the idea of being one is far different than the reality of being one.
It’s long days and hard work, and my god, does it stink.
But I can see her hauling bales of hay through the mud or helping me fix a fence.
I can see her in the kitchen, cooking beside me as we figure out how life together works.
I can picture our kids running around the yard with the dogs, one probably with their arms around an overly tolerant cat.
Nancy has been my future since the first day I saw her. “Three days ago,” I mumble.
I’m about to turn the water off when the hairdryer goes silent.
Do I get out like I normally would? It feels wrong, like I’m exposing myself to her without her consent.
Despite the fact that as of tonight, I likely won’t think twice about stepping out of the shower in front of her, right now, it feels wrong.
“Hey, beautiful?” I call out.
“Yeah?”
“Mind handing me a towel?” I stick my arm out and wait. When the soft fabric meets my skin, I turn the shower off and pull the towel inside, do a quick dry, wrap it around my waist, and then step out.
Nancy’s leaning over the counter, putting on mascara, and I freeze when her eyes meet mine in the mirror. They don’t stay there long though, sweeping down my body to where the trail of hair disappears beneath the towel. When those blue eyes meet mine again, there’s an unmistakable fire in them.
“Like what you see?” I ask with as much confidence as I can muster.
She turns to me and leans back, letting her eyes roam freely. “I wouldn’t kick you out of bed for eating crackers,” she muses.
I saunter toward the vanity, resting my hands on either side of her body, effectively caging her in.
“That’s good news because I love eating crackers in bed.
” She laughs as I lower my head to her ear and whisper.
“But it’s you that I can’t wait to devour in our bed.
” Her laugh stops immediately as I push off the counter and head out into the bedroom, leaving her in stunned silence at my very honest admission.