Chapter 33 #2
My favorite times, though, were when he carried me to our bed and laid me down, spending hours worshiping every inch of me while letting me do the same to him.
Each time, I fell in love with him a little more.
Kolton clamped his thumb down over my clit and squeezed, and I barely stopped my scream as I slapped my hand over my mouth. I was panting, sweating, shaking as aftershocks of that powerful orgasm shot through me. And he was… grinning at me like he was proud of himself.
“Alright there, Diva?” he asked, laughter in his voice.
“Fine.” It was all I could manage, though that single word couldn’t come close to explaining how I really felt.
He bit the side of his lip, and his nose scrunched up. Next thing I knew, he was dragging me away from the wall and carrying me through the house, his wet fingers against the bare skin of my ass.
“I don’t know what it is,” he murmured while he carried me down the hall. “Every time I have a major breakthrough, all I want to do is come home and make love to you.”
That brought me back to myself. I shook my head, trying to clear away the haze of lust. “You had a breakthrough?”
“Yeah.” He paused, glancing at me before one corner of his lips turned up.
He shrugged before starting up the stairs to the second floor.
“Today was a rough one. Even though Mom and Dad are trying, it just doesn’t feel like enough.
They go to visit Kendra every weekend, but it’s been, what?
Three months since they’ve done more than call me? ”
He slipped into our bedroom, then lowered me slowly to the bed. For a moment, he did nothing but stare at me. Then he dropped a quick kiss to my lips before curling his arm underneath me and pulling me against his chest.
“Your family, on the other hand, is always here.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No!” He glanced over at me, pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose.
“No, it’s not bad. That’s the thing, Diva.
Your family is… a family. Skylar and I can talk like old friends or play video games for hours.
Your mom is attentive and kind, and more than anything, she’s present.
And don’t even get me started on your grandma. ”
I giggled, then cuddled closer. “You and my grandma.” I swore, the old woman had a crush on my boyfriend.
She was always making up reasons to swing by with this or that—tamales or crab cakes, or one time an entire sheet cake.
She took it upon herself to make sure Kolton was well-fed, as if I didn’t have a perfectly capable chef living with us.
My grandma, my chef, and Kolton’s therapist had been instrumental in helping him live a healthier life.
They’d worked with him on his food aversions, helping him through the trauma Kendra had subjected him to his entire life.
Nana even joined him in dancing every week—he was teaching her the moves to every music video I’d ever made—and seeing them grow closer and do something together made my heart swell every time I thought of it.
“I realized today,” Kolton said, his arms tightening around me, dragging me close, “that they’re what family should be.
We don’t have to get along all the time.
We don’t have to agree on everything. But they’re supportive and kind and have your back no matter what’s going on.
And it’s nice to have that, instead of worrying about what the monster is going to do to me today, and what I’m going to have to do to protect myself. ”
Pain pierced my chest, an ache I felt whenever he talked about his past. I cupped his cheek, pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m glad you get along with them so well.”
“Me too.” He shrugged, like he was brushing it off.
“And I just decided today, I don’t need to open myself up to that uncertainty like I did before.
If my family going to continue to support Kendra—after what she did to me and what she tried to do to you—then I can’t be held responsible for their feelings when I choose not to be there with them.
I’m done living in fear. I’m done hiding who I am.
I want to be right here, with you and your family, with my friends and coworkers at Bridgewater.
You’re the ones who make me happy, and that’s what I’m living for from now on. ”
“I love that,” I whispered, my emotions stealing my voice.
“And I love you, Diva. More than anything in the world.” He gripped my hand and brought it to his chest. “I’d always dreamed of meeting you one day. I figured I'd bumble my way through a greeting and make myself look stupid.”
“Hey!” I slapped his chest, but he just grinned.
“I never imagined I’d get to talk to you,” he said, his voice growing soft. “That I’d be one of the lucky ones you spent more than a few seconds with. That you’d offer to take a selfie with me, or that you’d kiss my cheek.”
A smile pulled at my lips, and my eyes started to leak.
“This past year with you has been the most amazing time of my entire life. I love you, Diva. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. Your beautiful voice, your gorgeous face and, mmm…” He shook his head and tightened his arm around my waist. “This body. I love every last bit of you.”
“Aww, baby—”
“And that’s why,” he said, fingering the promise ring I’d been wearing since the week after his sister had tried to kill me, “I’d love it if you’d be my wife.”
He kissed my hand, right on my ring finger. I blinked, because the heart-shaped pink sapphire that had adorned my finger was gone. In its place was the most stunning princess-cut diamond I’d ever seen.
“Kolton.”
“Marry me, Diva?” His voice was just a whisper, though in it I heard the plea that he always had when he didn’t believe in himself and his worth. “You already make me the happiest man in the world. Give me the chance to make you happy, to show you what true love looks like.”
“Kolton Ashton Johns.” I leaned forward and kissed him. Got lost in his lips for a moment or two. When I pulled back, he had tears welling in his eyes. “You already make me the happiest woman alive. And it’s because of you that I know real love, and I will never, ever let it go.”
“Diva.” He hugged me close, buried his face in my neck. He let out a long, shuddering breath. “Is that a yes?”
Laughter tumbled through me, and thankfully, it was matched by his. I edged back and wiped at the wet streak on his cheek. “Of course, it’s a yes, you silly man. I would love nothing more than to be your wife.”
“Oh, thank god.” His face lit up, his smile so wide it stretched from ear to ear. “Weston told me I was an idiot for thinking you’d say no.”
“You’re not an idiot.” I gripped his cheeks and held his face so he’d look me in the eye. “You’re not an idiot, Kolton. You are smart and sweet and sensitive, and you’re the best man I’ve ever known. I love you.”
“I love you too, Diva. Thank you for loving me.”
“I’m never going to stop.” I leaned forward and kissed him, a hard press of my lips that soon turned into more.
He opened his mouth, nipped at my tongue before stroking into me like I was a treat he couldn’t get enough of.
I reached for his pants, tearing his shirt out of them before zipping through the button and pulling the fly apart.
I had just covered his dick with my palm when the door slammed open, startling us both apart.
Winnie dove for the bed, all golden fur flying and pink tongue flapping. She licked both of us in one swipe, then spun in her place before plopping down between our bodies and putting her head on her paws.
“Winnie,” Kolton said sternly, his serious face almost comical. “This is not the time. Go find Lynn and see if she’ll give you a treat.”
At that word, Winnie hopped up and was off the bed in a second, her body zipping off like some sort of cartoon.
“Really gotta teach her to shut the door,” he mumbled before turning back to me. That serious look disappeared, and the crooked smirk he gave me had parts of my body tingling in anticipation. “Now, where were we?”
“You were about to show me how a husband takes care of his wife.”
“Oh, Diva. You have no idea.”
We reached for each other, coming together like the two of us always had—with enough passion to heat up the coldest night and enough love to last a lifetime.
Thank you for reading Tell it to My Heart!