Chapter 23
REID
“I can’t, I can’t.” She’s shaking, and almost liquid in my hands. Her cunt is soft and open for me, even as she continues to twitch and clench around my length.
“You can. You will. You’ll do this for me, my beautiful girl.
My sweetheart. Callie, I love you so much, and I need to know you’re entirely satisfied before I have what’s mine.
” I give that last word too much emphasis.
She’s mine. She’s going to have my baby, be my wife.
She’ll never be apart from me again, if I can help it.
“This is just part of spoiling you, caring for you. I need it.” My voice has gone hoarse. “Please.”
If I’m begging, so be it.
My fingers are still on her clit, and I’ve barely slowed the pace of my thrusts.
I just need her to show me how thoroughly she belongs to me by giving me her third orgasm.
It’s as though I have to feel this to be sure that although I’m a selfish shit who’s as morally grey as I am too old for an innocent angel like her, that she’ll be so well looked after, so well fucked by me, that she’ll never leave.
I release her hip and run my hand up her back, the curve so beautiful, untouched and unmarked, unlike my own body that’s covered in scars and tattoos in a crisscross of time and choices. I don’t regret them, because they brought me to her. But I do appreciate how perfect she is. How unspoiled.
And how much she needs me to be her monster, and take. The demand for her to come for me isn’t enough. I have to insist.
I can feel her trembling on the edge again, her last orgasm never having fully relinquished its hold on her body. I brush her hair out of the way of her neck and sweep my palm upwards. Then I grip.
She lets out a whimper and her eyes flutter closed.
“Give it to me,” I rasp.
And then I tug her head back by her soft hair.
It’s the right thing. In combination with my thrusts and my fingers on her clit, her pussy locks onto me. She cries out, an involuntary sound of pleasure amplified by a tiny slice of pain.
I release myself. Thrusting forwards into her once, twice.
The orgasm is inevitable now. It’s rising up from my balls, ready to paint her insides with my come.
Then a third time and I’m in her as deep as possible, my hips pressed to her arse, my fingers slipping from her clit to hold her thigh as I empty myself.
I must shout. Roar. All the frustration of not just the weeks I’ve been holding myself back, but a lifetime of not having the one woman I didn’t know I needed pours away as I spurt into her, the pleasure wrecking me.
Her hot, wet, tight little pussy holds me perfectly, drawing out every shudder and drop of come.
This girl is my life. My lover, my sweetheart. The person I want to treasure, and build a new life with. Whatever she wants that to look like is fine by me.
And if it has an excessive number of children? I love that idea.
“My sweetheart,” I choke out as I fall forwards, my bad shoulder hitting the tiles as I scoop Callie’s back to my front and press kisses to the side of her face and the top of her head. “I love you so much.”
She puts her hands over mine and grips, pressing my fingers to her chest. Her breasts—oh I haven’t worshipped her breasts yet as those little bundles of delicious softness deserve—are squashed beneath our hands.
As if she’s trying to keep me touching her.
What she doesn’t know is that I’ll never let her go.
The shower is still doing its thing, the steam totally fogging the bathroom now since we’ve been in here for so long. I don’t care.
I can’t find any more words for how I feel. How important she is to me.
I try to show her instead. Turning her in my arms, I lean down to take her mouth in a luxurious kiss, and move us so we’re back under the shower’s stream.
“Much as I want to keep all this inside you to give you a baby.” I slide my hand down her back and then around to her pussy. “I think you’ll feel more comfortable clean.” I grin. “I could do it with my tongue, if you like?”
Her expression goes shocked and almost panicked. “I can’t come again yet!”
“I know, I know. Later.” I smooth my hand all over her, sweeping her arms, and purring as she lets me caress her.
But we’re both going wrinkly from the amount of time we’re spending in the water, so as soon as I’ve washed away the evidence of our lovemaking, I turn off the shower.
I dry us both, and find that Callie is ticklish along her side, which I take advantage of just for the joy of hearing her giggle.
I brush her hair out carefully, then give her one of my shirts to wear, and I slip on a pair of jeans and lead her to the kitchen.
Finally, finally, she’s here with me. She’s in my house. Safe. Protected. Mine.
As I move around, collecting bits and pieces for us to snack on, she looks me up and down, examining my completely sealed wound from the stool I led her to. Sweet thing that she is, she tucked the tail of the shirt carefully underneath her before she sat.
“How’s your arm?”
I glance down at the ugly scar. It’s still red and angry, and clearly didn’t appreciate my muscles being worked out with our against the wall shower sex holding Callie. I don’t care. I’d suffer a hundred wounds like this for Callie. “It’s better now you’re here.”
She smiles and shakes her head, but it’s affectionate. Understanding.
Cheese and crackers, guacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips are neatly prepared in the fridge as I requested.
I fetch the charcuterie board and plates of sliced fruit and place it in front of her.
This is exactly what I anticipated us doing after we had sex.
I just didn’t think there would have been a kidnapping and all that trauma beforehand.
She glances between me and the spread of food in disbelief.
“It hurts a bit, but I do know one thing that would make it better.”
She sits up straight, immediately interested. “Yes? Would you like me to get some painkillers? Or I can dress it for you again?”
“I was thinking of something else, actually.”
Her brow puckers in confusion. “What?”
I nudge the plate of strawberries towards her. “Eat some of these, and I’ll be back in a minute.”
Her gaze follows me to the door, and I return to the bathroom where we removed all our clothes, and find my suit jacket. In the pocket there’s the small item I’m looking for, and my heart lurches.
This is really it. I genuinely never thought I’d be doing this. My breath is shaky as I draw in air. I’m nervous.
“If she says no, you can just tie her up, and convince her until she says yes,” I mutter to myself. Always good to have a back-up plan.
“If I say no to what?”
I spin around to find Callie right behind me, head tilted, nibbling on a slice of strawberry.
I half laugh, half sigh. I should have known she’d make it difficult. She couldn’t just remain where I left her.
A deep breath in, and I lower myself down to one knee. We’re pretty much eye to eye like this, and her mouth falls open.
Reaching into my pocket, I draw out the ring I bought for her this morning.
“Callie…” I didn’t plan this part. Food, sex, bringing her home. Yes. A ring to show I’m so incredibly serious about her, despite my stupid resistance at first. A marriage proposal to tell her that I can’t imagine my life without her.
But the words won’t come out past the lump in my throat. Then they do.
“It’s not often that being shot is the best thing that’s ever happened to a person, but it is for me.” Yes, this is right. “Because it led me to you. I love you more than anything in the world, and I’ve never wanted anyone to touch me.”
“I know,” she whispers, reaching out to stroke my cheek, as though checking I’m real.
“I thought I was destined to be alone, forever. I thought I’d be isolated, and just rebuffing the appreciation of my people.
And then I met you.” I smile wryly. “A ball of sunshine energy that I couldn’t resist. A person whose touch makes me want to lean in.
I love you, and I’ll spend the rest of my life doing anything I can to make you happy, whatever that means. Anything you want.”
“Anything?” A spark lights in her eyes.
“I’m at your feet, Callie.” I’ll beg. I’m not too proud when it comes to my girl.
“And this will make your arm better.” Her lips twitch in a suppressed smile.
“Much better. If you need an altruistic reason, my arm definitely is it.”
She tilts her head thoughtfully. “Or spending all your money on a new hospital?”
“Fine,” I agree. That’s nothing.
“And what would I need to do in return?” she asks playfully. “Just be your wife?”
“Accept orgasms.” I quirk up one eyebrow. “Be loved.”
“Love you in return?”
She’s already said that she loves me, so there’s no reason for my heart to seize up, but it does anyway.
“Preferably.”
“Oh I think that’s essential.” Her smile widens, and my heart leaps as she takes a step towards me. “And what about children? You’ll want some, right? That’s what you seemed to say earlier…”
“Mini versions of you? I’m just a man, Callie. I can’t resist the lure of that level of cuteness.”
She casts her eyes up, pretending to think about it, before meeting my gaze again. “I could manage that.”
“Wear my ring.”
She holds out her left hand. “It’s beautiful. I could definitely wear it.”
“It’s not as beautiful as you.” My voice is an emotional rasp.
“You’re terrible. And I love you so totally, Reid. I’m head over heels about you, so go on.” She waggles her fingers.
I’m grinning, a huge, happy smile that past-me cannot believe as I slip the ring with an outrageously large stone onto her finger.
“Will you marry me?” I hold my breath.
She flicks her eyes down to it then throws herself into my arms, and I catch her. Holding her close, and I think maybe she’s holding me even tighter.
“Yes. Yes.” Her lips find mine and she kisses me like I’m her air, and I feel the same way.
And it’s only much later that I breathe, “My future wife.”