Epilogue - Adrian
The skyline of Paris glitters beneath as the plane passes over.
She has her face glued against the window, talking excitedly.
“I can’t believe we’re actually here! I can’t believe I’m going to have dinner in Paris!” she squeals happily.
I laugh, enjoying her enthusiasm.
She has a way of bringing life and color into everything. She makes things shine. Even when they are small and insignificant. In fact, the small, insignificant moments become the most precious moments when I am with her.
I reach out and pull her onto my lap. She giggles and grins at me, her cheeks glowing pink.
“How long until we land?” she asks, raising her eyebrows.
“We’ll be setting our feet on solid ground within half an hour,” I tell her, stroking my hand down her back.
These past few months have been the most amazing months of my life.
In fact, every morning that I wake up with the most beautiful girl in the world at my side makes me happier than I was before.
Every time I think I can’t possibly fall more deeply in love with her, she does something so thoughtful and caring that I slip another notch into the realm of hopeless adoration and obsession.
In the beginning, the first few weeks after the second attack on the warehouse, things weren’t perfect.
We had each other, and that was amazing.
But she was struggling with a lot. It took time for her to process and grieve the loss of her father.
It took time for her to openly talk about the shock of taking the lives of two men at the warehouse.
For that, though, she made it clear that she has no regrets.
It was still something that haunted, though.
She had nightmares that left her crying and drenched in sweat, and I would lie awake in the dark holding her tight against me until she was able to sleep peacefully.
We worked through things together.
That was what mattered the most. Out of everything we went through, the important thing was that it brought us closer because we were open about it. We spoke about it.
Athena has no idea that my entire family is meeting us in Paris. She has no idea that my sisters have been hard at work planning a ceremony. A real wedding. She has no idea I have a ring in my pocket and that as soon as we land, we are getting whisked away to our own celebration.
Yes, we will have dinner in Paris. We will honeymoon in Paris. and Rome and Italy, and on some tropical island, when I take her wherever she wants to go over the next few months. I’ve taken time away from work, and the next few months are for us.
I wanted to do this with her earlier, but I had to settle things with regards to the rivals. Rodion and Rat had a third brother. Of course, he was plotting to come after us in search of revenge. We had to hunt him down and give him one chance to change his mind about that choice.
Now he’s in hiding.
And Athena is safe.
Athena is beside herself with excitement when the plane lands. She springs out of her seat, ready to burst out into the Paris air before I’ve even unclipped my seatbelt.
“Wait for me,” I tease.
“Well, hurry up!” She jumps up and down.
The door opens, and she skips down the steps to disembark. When she gets to the bottom, she stares in disbelief.
“Anka?” she blurts out. “Sofie? Raya? What are you doing here?” she asks, turning to look at me in confusion.
Anka grins but speaks to me instead of Athena. “The limo is over there waiting for you. We’ll see you in a little while,” she says.
She takes Athena’s arm and explains as they’re walking away from me.
“Your dress in the car. We’re going to do a quick hair and makeup thing on the way there.”
“On the way where!?”
“To your wedding, sweetie. It’s Paris. And you’re about to get married… again,” Sofie laughs.
Athena’s mouth drops open, and I catch a glimpse of her face just as they push her into the limo.
My heart somersaults with happiness.
A second limo pulls up next to me. “Get in, bro. The tux is ready,” Trifon says, hanging out the open window.
“Did you remember the ring?” Matvei asks.
“Of course, I remembered the ring,” I roll my eyes, still grinning.
The drive to the Eiffel Tower isn’t long, and I have to get dressed in a hurry, shifting and maneuvering in the back of the limo while my brothers laugh at me.
The limo parks, and Matvei hands me a shot of whiskey. “To your happiness, man. And to getting married in the most romantic city in the world,” he says.
“Cheers to that!” everyone shouts.
My stomach is tense with nervous excitement when I climb out of the limo.
The entire area beneath the Eiffel Tower is empty. I arranged it that way. I had to pull some serious strings to make it happen, but it’s all been cornered off and is not open to the public for the next few hours.
In front of the Eiffel Tower is an archway built from white roses. My sisters are standing on either side of it. And Athena is standing in the middle, looking like she fell from heaven in the most beautiful dress of pure white and glimmering jewels. For a moment, I can’t breathe as I stare at her.
The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
My wife.
My lover.
My life.
She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her as I walk toward her down a long red carpet laid out on the ground.
My brothers walk behind me and stand in a semi-circle around the archway while a priest waits patiently.
When I’m standing in front of her, I drop to my knee. Behind the Eiffel Tower is the symbol of our strength together, of our infinite love.
I flick open a black velvet box, and her eyes fall to the ring I had specially made for her.
“My love, my princess, my kitten. Athena, will you marry me again?” I grin.
She dives onto me, knocking me off my haunches as she shouts yes and wraps her arms around my neck. I scoop her up into my arms and laugh as she shouts, "Yes, yes, yes," in excitement.
When she’s finally calmed down, I slip the ring onto her finger, grinning from ear to ear.
The priest begins by talking about love and strength, and about overcoming everything together.
We say our vows, and my heart is overjoyed when I hear the words, “You may now kiss your bride.”
I don’t waste a moment before I step forward and tilt her back in my arms. My lips press against hers as she arches backward with her dress blowing around us in the gentle breeze and the iconic tower above us.
My brothers and sisters erupt in cheers, throwing rose petals over us.
It’s the perfect moment to celebrate my perfect wife.
After the ceremony, the priest leaves, and I stand beneath the tower with Athena in my arms. I whisper against her ear. “Were you surprised?”
She giggles. “Shocked. But so incredibly happy!”
“I have another surprise for you,” I tell her.
Matvei clears his throat, pulling my attention away. “We’re going to head to the hotel to unpack, and we’ll see you guys at dinner tonight to finish these celebrations?”
“Perfect man, thank you, see you all there,” I say.
“Where are they going!” she asks.
“We’ll meet up with them soon. But there’s something that is just for you and me.”
“That is the most mischievous grin I think you’ve ever had,” she says, scrunching her nose.
I take her hand and walk her toward the tower.
She shivers with excitement as we climb into the elevator.
“To the top?” she asks nervously.
“To the top. The views will be ours and us alone for as long as you want them,” I tell her.
She steps into my arms and kisses me.
“You are amazing, Adrian. I can’t imagine ever being happier.”
When the elevator stops, I lift her in my arms and carry her into the viewing room.
The views stretch in every direction and could easily take my breath away, but I can’t tear my eyes off her.
She wiggles free of my arms, and I set her down, noticing for the first time that she’s wearing sneakers beneath her wedding dress.
“Are you!” I blurt out, laughing.
She giggles and mischievously winks at me.
“Do you like the view?” she asks, slipping one of the thin straps off her shoulder.
“Oh. Well. It might be better if there wasn’t so much in the way of my view,” I mutter huskily.
“We can fix that, I think,” she says, turning her back to me, showing off the low dip of the dress design. My eyes trace over her spine, down to the curve of her hips.
She slips the other strap off her shoulder and lets the dress fall forward.
“Are you sure we are completely alone?” she asks, glancing at me over her shoulder.
“Totally,” I growl, my cock growing harder.
She sways her hips as she walks closer to the windows, the top of her dress hanging down so that all she’s wearing is the long, flowing skirt.
I can’t stay away from her. My hands reach out and grab her narrow waist as she arches her back and pushes her ass against my cock.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” I growl, brushing my fingers over her shoulders, down her arms, across her back, and then cupping them over her hips.
She rocks her ass back and forth against my cock, which is aching to be freed from my pants.
My fingers toy with the zip on the dress. The last thing holding it in place.
I pull it down slowly, over her hips, over her ass.
The layered skirt falls heavily away from her body.
And she’s wearing pink cotton panties with red hearts.
She looks over her shoulder at me and bites her lip. “I didn’t have any warning, ok. I didn’t know I was going to get married today,” she says defensively.
“Are you kidding? These are the sexiest panties I’ve ever seen in my life,” I say, slapping her ass and hooking my fingers under the elastic to snap it against her ass cheek.
She giggles, blushing pink.
I lift her away from the dress, so we don’t stand on it. She still has her back to me.
Naked except for those cute panties and her sneakers.
And I mean it when I say I’ve never seen anything sexier in my fucking life.
“Bend over, kitten,” I demand, and she leans on the railing in front of her. “Arch your perfect little ass up toward me,” I say.
She does, and I brush my fingers between her legs, teasing them briefly over her pussy with nothing but soft pink cotton between us. She moans in pleasure and spreads her legs wider.
“That’s my good girl,” I mutter darkly as I tug my belt free, snapping it out of my pants with one sharp flick.
She jumps a little at the sound.
I tug my pants open, and my cock springs free. The veins are pulsing along it, throbbing and desperate to be thrust into her tight little pussy.
With one hand stroking my cock slowly back and forth, I use the other to dip my fingers beneath her panties again. I slide them down, slowly, teasing, as I pull her panties aside.
Her pussy is already swollen and glistening with honey.
Her hands tighten on the railing as I rub my cock over her exposed pink pussy.
She takes in a sharp breath and arches even more, trying to rub herself against my cock.
“Do you want me inside you, kitten?” I whisper.
“Please,” she murmurs.
“How badly do you want my cock?”
“I want…”
But before she answers, I shove my entire cock into her. The force of my thrust has my hips slamming against her ass, and she screams from the pleasure of the sudden and rough intrusion.
Athena gasps for air as I pull out and plunge into her again, driven by my desires for her, unrestrained as I claim her as my wife all over again.
My cock comes out of her pussy slick and soaked with her juices. I thrust in again, fucking her in a steady rhythm as she leans against the railing over an impossible height with Paris stretching out beneath us.
Grabbing both of her hips in my hands, I pull her against me, and she moans and gasps in pleasure, her pussy tight around me, and her hair falling from the beautiful hairpin she wore to our ceremony.
It spills like dark silk down her back, and I reach up to twist it around my wrist and pull her head backward as I ride her.
Her back is perfectly arched, her hips are perfectly round, and her sweet, beautiful little pussy is all mine.
I keep a firm grip on her hair as I slip my other hand around the front, pushing it between her legs. My fingers press against her clit. Her swollen pleasure.
She shudders as I flick it and play with it while my cock continues to plunge into her.
It doesn’t take long before her legs are shaking and she’s struggling to stay standing. I have to release her hair to wrap my arm around her waist to hold her up when her legs become too unsteady.
She cries out as the pleasure builds.
Her pussy tightens, convulsing over me as the muscles begin to spasm.
Then she explodes.
And she soaks me in her juices as her orgasm squirts all over my cock, soaking me, covering me in her perfect scent.
I come inside her instantly at the sight of it.
Every time it happens, it breaks me.
I lose all control.
I push deep into her until our bodies stop shaking, and she is breathing normally again.
She stands up with my cock still inside her, her back against my chest. I run my hands over her breasts and kiss her neck.
“You are perfect in every possible way, Athena,” I whisper against her ear. “I will spend today, and every day for the rest of my life, showing you what you mean to me and worshiping everything about you.”
She turns her head to the side, and I kiss her. My heart is swollen with happiness. I didn’t think it was possible. And my life is flooded with love that only exists in fairytales. Except this one is real. And she’s in my arms.
*****
THE END