Chapter 28 Reggie
Twenty Eight
Reggie
I’m still naked when he does it.
Which, to be fair, is not unusual in this house. But still. You’d think a man might wait until I at least found my damn underwear.
Blayne doesn’t wait. Not when he wants something.
I’m stretched across our bed, boneless and thoroughly wrecked, watching him walk around the room buck naked like modesty’s never once occurred to him. He’s got a lazy, satisfied look on his face. The one that says, “I just rearranged your internal organs and now I’m gonna make you a sandwich.”
I throw a pillow at his ass. “You really just gonna leave me here dripping and glowing while you go raid the fridge?”
He catches it midair, grinning. “You look good glowing.”
“Uh-huh.”
He doesn’t answer. Just crouches next to the dresser on his side and rummages around in the drawer. Then he stands up and turns, holding something small and black in his palm.
“What’s that?” I ask, propping myself on my elbows. “Tell me that’s not another toy. Because I need a minute here, buddy. And maybe some electrolytes.”
“It’s not a sex toy.” He rolls his eyes, grinning.
He walks toward me slowly, all long, built body, swagger, and unfair handsomeness, blue eyes, tanned skin, tattoos and scars on full display, clouding my mind… Then my heartbeat triples when I realize what’s in his hand.
“Oh, my God… Blayne…”
He climbs on the bed, on top of me, straddling my thighs like a man who has no intention of letting me run. But I’m not going anywhere.
“Baby…”
“I’ve been carrying this around for two months,” he says, flipping open the box.
Simple. Elegant. A gold band with a vintage cut, nothing flashy. Just… beautiful. Like us.
“I was gonna wait,” he says. “Do something big. Get the kids involved. But you…” he leans down, brushing his mouth against mine…
“you drive me fucking crazy, princess. You walk around this house in those little shorts, feeding my kids, sleeping in my bed, stealing my damn heart every time you laugh, and I just…” He exhales. “I can’t wait anymore.”
I blink up at him. “You’re proposing to me naked.”
“You’re naked too.”
“You’re not even on one knee.”
“I’m straddling you.”
“You didn’t even ask yet.”
He leans down, mouth at my ear. “Reggie, marry me.”
My breath catches.
“Let me make you mine officially. Let me give you my name, my whole damn life, everything I’ve got. No backup plan. No escape. Just you, me, the kids and this messy, perfect thing we’ve built.”
God, I should say something… anything! But my throat is clogged with tears of happiness. So instead I whisper, “Okay.”
He leans back a little, studying me. “Yeah?”
I nod, grinning through my tears. “Yes. Yes, you crazy, naked man. I’ll marry you.”
He exhales hard like he’s been holding his breath for years, then slides the ring on my finger with trembling hands.
And just like that, it’s real.
I grab his face and kiss him, deep, messy and joyful, pulling him back down on top of me.
“You know what this means,” I murmur against his lips.
“What?”
“I’m your fiancée now.”
“Mmhm.”
“That means I get to boss you around and complain about seating charts and napkin colors.”
“You already do all that.”
“Exactly. But now you’re legally required to listen.”
He growls and kisses me harder, pushing my legs apart again like we didn’t just go three rounds.
“You gonna keep me glowing till the wedding?”
“Oh, baby,” he says, sliding down my body. “I plan to keep you glowing for life.”
And he does.
God help me, he really, really does.
Blayne’s grin is pure mischief as he kisses his way down my chest, his lips hot and teasing, like he’s got all the time in the world to wreck me again.
I’m still catching my breath, my body humming from the high of his proposal, fiancée, holy shit, and now he’s sliding lower, his hands skimming my hips, making me forget how to think.
“Handsome, you’re killing me,” I say, half-laughing, my voice all wobbly as his mouth grazes my stomach, leaving a trail of goosebumps.
He groans against my skin, his voice rough and warm, muffled on me. He nudges my legs apart, settling between them like he’s staking a claim, and I’m already a goner, my heart doing that stupid flippy thing it does when he looks at me like that, all hunger, love and mine.
I prop myself up on my elbows because no way am I missing this show. His blue eyes flick up to meet mine, and that cocky smirk of his should be illegal. “What?” he husks, all innocent, like he’s not about to wreck me. Again.
“You know what,” I mutter, but my words hitch when his lips brush the inside of my thigh, sending a jolt straight to my pussy. “You’re trouble.”
“Only for you.” He kisses higher, teasing, his breath warm and maddeningly close.
My hands fist his thick, soft hair, trying to anchor myself, but then his tongue flicks through my folds, slow and slick, and I’m done for.
A moan slips out before I can stop it, and I feel his chuckle vibrate against me, low and smug.
“Fuck, baby,” I gasp, my hips twitching as he licks again, firmer this time, finding my clit.
He’s not rushing, not even a little, his tongue moving in lazy, deliberate circles that have me seeing stars.
His hands grip my thighs, keeping me open, and I’m torn between wanting to pull him closer and needing to catch my breath.
“Love those sounds you make, princess,” he says, his voice all gravel and heat, and then he’s back at it, his mouth working me over with a focus that’s almost unfair.
He teases my clit with soft, quick flicks, then slows down, dragging his tongue in a way that makes my legs shake.
My fingers in his hair, tugging hard, and he groans, the sound taking me higher.
“Honey, I…” I can’t finish, my breath coming in short, desperate gasps as he sucks gently, just enough to make my whole body tense.
He pushes two thick fingers inside me, and I’m gone.
My back arches, a loud, shameless moan ripping out of me as pleasure crashes through, wave after wave, leaving me trembling and spent.
He doesn’t stop; his tongue just softens, coaxing me through the aftershocks until I’m a puddle, panting and useless. He kisses his way back up, lingering on my hip, my stomach, before hovering over me, that damn grin back in place. “Still good?”
I laugh, weak and breathless, swatting at his chest. “You’re an ass.”
“Your ass, now,” he says, tapping the ring on my finger, his eyes soft but smug. He drops next to me, pulling me against him, and I curl into his warmth, still buzzing.
“Gonna keep me like this forever?” I ask, my voice all sleepy and sated, my fingers tracing the ink on his arm.
“Forever’s the plan, baby,” he murmurs, kissing my forehead. “But I’m gonna need at least a sandwich before round five.”
I snort, burying my face in his chest.
* * *
“Why do you look like that?”
Nia’s voice floats in from the hallway just as I’m wiping the stupid grin off my face.
“Like what?” I ask, trying to play it cool.
She strolls into the living room with a bag of chips, one brow arched so high it’s practically levitating. “Like you just got off the phone with Beyoncé.”
I glance down at the ring on my finger and casually tuck my hand under my thigh.
Too late. She catches it.
“Oh my God, Mama!” she yells. “You got engaged!”
She drops on the couch next to me, tossing her legs over the arm. “Did Blayne go down on one knee or just grunt it out?”
I laugh. “You know he’s in the kitchen and can probably hear every word you say, right?”
Blayne’s deep voice drifts in from the next room. “I grunted it out, thanks for asking.”
“Ugh,” she groans, rolling her eyes.
Before I can respond, Jaylen jogs in from the backyard, tracking grass across the tile.
“Mom, do we have any more Gatorade? I’m…” He stops mid-stride, eyes bouncing between me and Nia. “What’s going on?”
“They’re getting married!” Nia shrieks.
Jay’s eyes widen. “Wait. Like… for real?”
Blayne appears in the doorway, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Yep. Your mom said yes.”
Jaylen stares at him. Then at me. Then at Blayne again. “Does this mean I can start calling you Dad now?”
Blayne chokes.
I blink.
Jay shrugs. “What? I mean, I’m not gonna say it in public or anything, but like…can I?”
Blayne clears his throat, his voice quieter than usual. “You can call me whatever you want, son.”
My boy nods like it’s no big deal, then he grabs a granola bar and disappears back outside.
Which leaves…
“Did someone say wedding?” Annalise bounds into the room, screaming at the top of her lungs, wearing her princess pajamas and cowboy boots. “Is there gonna be cake?”
Nia laughs from the couch.
“Yes, baby, there will be cake,” I tell her with a huge grin, pulling my princess into my arms.
“I wanna be the flower girl!”
“You’re absolutely gonna be the flower girl,” Blayne deadpans, leaning in to kiss the top of her hair.
“Can I throw glitter instead of petals?”
Blayne glances at me, grinning. “Sure, kid. Let’s make it a glitter explosion.”
“Yay!” She spins in a circle, boot heels clacking against the floor.
Nia lifts her head. “You know she’s going to demand a tiara and a microphone.”
“She can have both,” he says.
“This wedding’s gonna be chaos.” She shakes her head, grinning with all her teeth.
Blayne comes to stand behind me, resting his hand on my shoulder. “It’s gonna be perfect.”