Chapter 30
The cake with candles and the whole birthday song had tears sliding down her cheeks. Marcus had known it would. Flynn had a soft heart, and that was fine with him. Preferable actually.
In the space of a few days, he’d realized you always knew where you stood with her. She didn’t hide anything. Her emotions played out on her face. She led with raw honesty, and it was refreshing. There was no guessing with Flynn, and he loved it.
In fact, watching her surrounded by all the most important people in his life, he knew he wasn’t crazy. He was in love with her.
People might say it was fast, but he didn’t care.
Like Pop always said, “When you know, you know.”
And Marcus knew. This was the future he wanted. With her.
As Ma cut the cake and Pop scooped ice cream onto paper party plates, he was suddenly grateful for every moment in his whole life, even the shitty ones, because they had all led him here. To now. And this was everything.
His heart felt too big for his chest, and he watched in silence as Flynn took a bite of her first homemade chocolate cherry birthday cake.
“Oh my goodness,” she groaned. “This is amazing. How did you do this? And just today?”
“It’s easy, honey. I’ll show you.” Ma glanced at him for a beat. “I’ll show you how to make Marcus’s favorite too. Lemon coconut.”
With Ma’s comment and the look on her face, he knew he had her blessing. She approved. And with how sweet and open and down-to-earth Flynn was, he had known it would only be a matter of time. It was impossible not to love her.
“I can’t believe they brought gifts,” Flynn said as Marcus carried the bags of her presents as she carefully held the cake plate with the remains of Ma’s chocolate cherry masterpiece.
“You’re easy to love. No surprise there.”
Flynn’s gaze cut to his as her heart thudded. “I am?”
“Yeah, baby. Super fucking easy. Watch your step. You’ve got precious cargo there.”
Did that mean … did he …
Flynn couldn’t help but wonder as her heart skipped along at the possibility of what that could mean.
She knew what she felt. It seemed insane to think he could feel the same, especially after only a few days.
Flynn dropped her gaze to the asphalt in front of her, focusing on her footsteps.
They reached his house, a place she already loved and felt more at home in than her own fancy apartment. If Flynn could, she would trade her life for this one in an instant. And he had room for her babies.
“Cake on the kitchen counter. Definitely having some more of that later.”
Flynn grinned, hoping later meant after some more really great sex. She definitely wasn’t missing out on that for her birthday.
She set the cake on the counter and noticed she’d left her phone. Tapping the screen to wake it up, she saw a name that made her stomach clench.
Antoinette.
Marcus must have noticed her stiffen because his hand landed on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Mom called and left a voicemail.” The enchiladas and cake flipped in her stomach as she said the words and stared at the phone screen.
“You want to leave that for tomorrow? It’s been a great day, and to be honest, you deserve the entire thing to be awesome.”
It was too late, Flynn knew. She focused on letting go of the panic that rose in her at just the sight of her mother’s name.
Every trigger is a gift, Flynn reminded herself.
“It’s fine. I won’t let her ruin this, no matter what she says.” She turned to face him. “But you’re right. Not tonight. That can wait until tomorrow.”
She wrapped both arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him.
“Thank you for the best birthday of my life. It has been incredible.”
He kissed her back. “I’m glad. You deserve it. Every day. All the time.”
She tasted his lips and whispered, “I know how to make it more fabulous … if you’re up for it.”
“I turned down seconds and ate light. I am so fucking up for it.”
“Oh good. Because that seems like the best possible way to cap off an already-amazing day.”
He reached for the hem of her shirt and slipped it over her head. “Damn right. Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
He slid a hand behind her back and under her legs before lifting her into his arms.
“This way, birthday girl,” he said as he carried her into the bedroom.
She’d been surprised earlier to see it neatly made, but she appreciated that Marcus wasn’t a slob.
Not that she had expected any less. Every time she saw him, he was always perfectly put together without a hair out of place.
His calm, collected demeanor had always been one of the most attractive things about him. He was steady. Reliable. Capable.
And it didn’t hurt one tiny bit that he was awesome in bed.
He paused as he set her down on it. “You sure you’re good? This morning …”
“I’m fine. All good. Promise.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“Whatever the birthday girl wants, right?”
His lips found hers. “Your wish is my command.”
“Then my wish is you. Now. Here. All night.”
He lifted up to strip off his shirt. He flicked open the buttons of his jeans and shoved them down his hips.
She loved that he went commando. His cock was already thick and hard.
“Bring that over here,” she said quietly. Her shyness hit at the strangest times, like now, when she wanted him in her mouth.
“It’s your birthday, baby.”
“And I know what I want.”
“Far be it from me to argue.” He kicked his jeans off and came toward the bed. “How?”
“Above me.”
“You sure?”
She nodded, legs squeezing together automatically.
He paused as his dark gaze locked on her center. “Drives me wild when you do that. Like you need to be filled with me.”
“I do.”
He shut his eyes and said something under his breath before climbing onto the bed to straddle her.
She reached for his hips and drew him toward her face. He’d already given her so much today. Now, she wanted to give to him.
“Baby,” he said as he let her guide him toward her lips.
“Shh. I want to,” she said before she closed her lips over the head of his hot, hard shaft.
Marcus groaned, and his ass flexed beneath her fingers. She could tell he was holding back.
Flynn didn’t mind. She just set to work on enjoying herself and driving him crazy.
Marcus was going to lose his fucking mind.
When he could no longer take another moment of the sweetest torment imaginable, he slid out of her mouth. Her lips were pouty, and he slid his thumb across them.
“Not coming here. Not tonight. Tonight is about you.”
Her smile was so entrancing that he needed to be inside her because that was the closest he could get to her. It wasn’t just about sex or pleasure. It was about the bond cementing them together. He wanted something real with her. Something that could last a lifetime.
He stripped off her jeans and groaned at her glistening lips. She was so fucking sweet. Every bit of her.
He couldn’t help himself. He had to taste her. He licked along her slit and slid a finger inside. She’d practically strangled him with her tightness last night. And if that was the way he was destined to meet his maker, he’d go happily.
“Please, Marcus, hurry.”
He didn’t want to. He wanted to take his time. Leisurely make her scream his name over and over and over again before he sank inside her.
But tonight wasn’t about him.
“Whatever you want, baby.”
He moved up her body and slid the head of his cock against her entrance.
“Please,” she whispered. Her brown hair thrashed from side to side, like she was already on the edge. And maybe she was.
She was a firecracker in bed—quick to go off—and he loved it.
He pressed inside, and she widened her legs to make room for his hips.
She was snug and slick, and sinking inside her was the closest thing to heaven he’d ever felt.
“Marcus!”
His name on her lips was intoxicating. He sank deep before pulling back and thrusting slow and steady.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Her nails dug into his traps, and he focused on the sharpness to keep himself from coming.
He slid a hand under her ass to tilt her hips and pushed inside again. He hit her sweet spot, and she screamed before her body let him know that he found it. Her orgasm ripped through her, and her inner muscles clamped down so tight on his cock, over and over again, that he could barely move.
She was raw and wild in her pleasure, and it was the most exhilarating thing Marcus had ever witnessed. He wanted to see her come undone again and again, but as he thrust, her body locked down on his, and he couldn’t stop himself.
“Fuck,” he groaned as his balls seized, and he poured into her … without a condom.