Epilogue – Jules
Icrawl out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. I need coffee, right now.
When I drag my achy carcass to the kitchen, I notice an open box of doughnuts and a note next to the coffee machine.
Jules.
If you skip breakfast again, I’m going to string you up at the entrance to the funhouse.
Naked.
During business hours.
Yours,
Elias
I snort. He would never—he’s way too possessive to share me with outsiders. Still, I grab some powdered goodness and bite into it.
Oh my god, so good. I might just cancel my embargo on sugar in the morning.
I make my coffee one-handed while nibbling on the fried dough. The digital display on the microwave lets me know I slept in, but didn’t sleep the whole day away like I sometimes do when Elias is particularly… vigorous.
What happened in the Big Top last night… Shit, I’m getting wet just thinking about it. I’ve become an insatiable hussy.
Shoving the last of the doughnut in my mouth, I open the door with sticky fingers, balancing the coffee in my other hand so the hot liquid doesn’t spill onto my fingers.
“There she is,” Elias hums, his low, content voice making my heart skip a beat.
“Here I am,” I agree as I set the coffee down onto the porch table. He has a weird look in his eyes today. Does he regret anything that happened last night?
“What?” he asks when I keep staring.
“Nothing,” I breathe, getting onto his lap. “Uh, did you want coffee?”
He raises a dark eyebrow. “I’ll just borrow yours.”
I shake my head. “Um, no, you won’t! That’s blasphemy!”
Elias’s shoulders shake with his quiet laughter. “You realize we shared our cum last night, right? Is coffee more sacred?”
“Hell yeah, it is. Especially if it’s mine. Actually…” I tap my fingers against my mouth. “What mine is mine, but what’s yours is also mine.”
He’s still laughing. “Fair enough, Little Sapphire.”
Finally, I press my lips against his, no longer resisting the urge to kiss that handsome grin. When we pull apart, he’s the one searching my face.
“Any regrets?” he asks as if he’s reading my mind.
“None,” I breathe. “You always find a way to give me things I didn’t know I wanted, Elias.”
“And make you beg for it in the end,” he adds with a wink.
I punch his shoulder. “Don’t get too cocky, mister. It’ll be your downfall.”
“You said Master wrong,” he corrects me with an infuriating smirk.
I try to pull free of his hold, but he won’t let me, his hands tightening around me.
“Stay,” he purrs. “I’ve got something for you.”
I roll my eyes. “If you say your dick…”
He scoffs condescendingly. “Then what? You’ll say no?”
“I’m not always going to…”
Elias pulls a small jewelry box from his pants pocket, and I trail off.
“Is that what I think it is?” I breathe.
“And if it is?” he asks just as quietly.
I roll my lips together, my eyes locked on the innocuous velvet container.
“We’ve known each other for a blip of time, Elias.”
Someone has to be reasonable here. Right?
The smile doesn’t leave his face. He’s completely unbothered.
“You know everything there is to know about me. I know everything I need to know about you. The small things? We’ll explore that together.
” His gaze turns serious. “Because we will grow old together, Jules. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m never letting you go.
Whether you wear this ring on your finger or not, you’re mine. Forever.”
My heart is beating so fast, I’m worried it’ll burst out of my chest like something out of an alien movie
“God, Elias.”
“Say yes,” he whispers, opening the box.
Inside, resting on a black pillow, is a gorgeous platinum ring with a princess-cut sapphire surrounded by small, round rubies.
I gasp, my hands flying to my mouth. “It’s amazing. But how can we get married when we haven’t even—”
“Said I love you?” he asks, interrupting me.
“Well… yeah.”
Elias purses his lips. “I wanted to say something. But you kept stopping me.” He changes his tone to a higher-pitched one, mimicking me. “Not in front of your brothers, Elias. Not while my ass is hanging out, Elias.”
I punch his shoulder, gasping when he almost drops my ring.
Wait, my ring? Am I already thinking of it as mine?
“It’s not like you didn’t have ample opportunities to say something literally any other time,” I grumble, my face on fire.
“What about you?” he teases. “You could have said something.”
“You’re an asshole,” I mutter immaturely.
“An asshole who loves you,” he replies.
His words hit my heart with the precision of one of Cole’s knives hitting the bullseye.
“You do?” I breathe.
He closes his eyes as if asking God for patience.
“Haven’t I shown you, baby?”
There’s a hint of vulnerability beneath the bravado, and it tugs on my heartstrings.
“You have,” I admit. “And I love you too, Elias. A whole fucking lot.”
His shoulders shake with laughter again. “You have a way with words. Almost like you don’t write them for a living.”
“Tell me again,” I order him.
His eyes settle on mine, soft but serious.
“I love you, Jules. I adore you. Will you marry me?”
Tears blur my vision, obscuring him behind a watery veil.
“Yes,” I say with a sniffle. “I’ll marry you, Elias Vale. Today, tomorrow, whenever. I’m yours.”
His smile seems a bit shaky as he takes the ring and gently slides it onto my finger. I admire the way the light catches in the sapphire’s facets. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at this ring. It’s us.
“Thank you,” he says after a moment.
I furrow my brow. “For what?”
“For sticking your nose into my business,” he answers matter-of-factly.
I punch his shoulder for the third time. “Fucking ruining the moment. Such a man.”
His eyes sparkle with mischief.
“Your man.”