Epilogue
LEO
Standing along the boards, I watch Aria as she effortlessly moves across the ice. Her feet move with perfect precision. Her knees bend slightly as she slows a bit, getting into position. I watch in awe as her skates lift from the slick surface beneath her feet. Her body rotates in the air and time feels like it's suspended for three heartbeats before she touches the ice again.
She lands the jump perfectly, her leg extended behind her body with her arms in front of her abdomen. Her leg lowers and both of her skates move across the frozen surface as she heads in my direction. A smile breaks out across her lips and she lets out a ragged breath as she comes to a halt in front of me.
"I have the most beautiful girlfriend in all the land," I tell her, reaching for her hand as I pull her closer. "I don't think I'll ever grow tired of watching you skate."
A playful grin dances across her face as she pulls her hand from mine and skates in a circle around me, like a shark circling its prey. "There was a time you didn't," she reminds me with a wink.
"That's not true," I argue as I begin to circle around her, both of us staring the other down as we carve lines in the ice. "I grew addicted to watching you, until I was able to skate with you. Now I have the best of both worlds."
Her steps falter for a moment and her toe pick gets caught in the ice. She lets out a gasp as she trips and loses her balance. My hands dart out and I grab her waist, catching her before she hits her knees.
Aria laughs out loud, the sound of her voice lighting my heart on fire as her hands grab my forearms. "Whatever would I do without you?"
"You'll never have to find out."
Her face softens and her smile reaches her eyes as she holds on to me. "I love you."
I love this woman with my entire soul. The way we fell was like two atoms colliding. It wasn’t slow and sweet. There was nothing graceful about it. It was fast. It was brutal, leaving scars on our hearts. It was inevitable. Neither of us realized we were falling until we were colliding into one another with severed brake lines.
I fall in love with her more every single day and I plan on loving Aria Reed for the rest of my days.
"Move in with me."
Aria's eyes widen slightly and her lips part as her breathing momentarily pauses. It's evident that I've caught her by surprise, but fuck it. I'm tired of waiting. "Like move in, move in?"
Chuckling, I pull her flush against my body. It's something we've been dancing around for months. My house already looks like she lives there. She has a few drawers in my bedroom that have her things in it, along with some outfits hanging in the closet. Not to mention the way my bathroom has become hers. "Yes. When is the last time we actually spent a night apart?"
She chews on the inside of her cheek for a second as she lifts her hands and links them around my nape. "Honestly, I don't remember."
"Exactly. So, why the hell are we technically living in two separate houses?" I ask her as I lift one hand and slide it along the side of her neck. She tilts her head back farther to look up at me.
"I've been wondering the same thing," she admits as a fire begins to burn deep in her irises. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
I tilt my head to the side, my nose crinkling as my eyebrows pull together. "I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't what I wanted." My hand slides to the back of her neck and I have her pinned against me. "You're what I want, Aria. You're all I'm ever going to want. Do I need to take you to the courthouse and marry you right now?"
She curls her lip in distaste and raises an eyebrow at me. "I'd rather you didn't do that."
"You don't want to marry me, pretty girl?" I question her as my mouth drops down to hers. I slowly move my lips across hers, just barely kissing her. Her fingers dig into my flesh and I smile against her at her reaction.
"Quite the opposite," she breathes, nipping at my lips. "I want to marry you, but not in a courthouse wearing the clothes I'm skating in."
Spinning her around, her back is to the boards. My legs push against hers and I slide her across the ice until the small of her back is pressed against them. The benches are in front of me, so there's no glass behind her. Sliding my hands down to her thighs, I lift her into the air and set her down on the edge. "So, you've already been planning our wedding day inside your head."
Aria's hands plunge into the hair on the back of my head and she gives a small tug as I tip my head back to look at her. "Possibly," she says with an innocent smile as she wraps her legs around my waist. I'm standing between her legs with my hands holding her hips and blood rushing to my cock.
"Tell me about it," I say as I slide my hands under the bottom of her shirt, feeling her skin beneath my palms. It's late at night and the rink is empty. Austin has it closed for maintenance, but he has Aria and I overseeing things while he's in New York.
Aria’s eyes are glassy and her smile is soft. Her lips are inviting. My gaze drops down to them before looking back into her eyes. “It’s around the time the sun begins to crest the horizon. The clouds are wispy and the sky looks like cotton candy. We’re standing in a vineyard in a valley with all of our friends and family surrounding us.”
She paints the picture of our wedding day and I store it in my memory for future use. I need something to reference so I can make sure she has the wedding of her fucking dreams. I want pictures from that day plastered all through the halls of our home. I want her to look back on that day and never wish it was something more.
“You’re wearing a black tux and your hair has that soft curl it does when you’re freshly showered.” Her smile grows wider. “I’m not going to tell you what my dress looks like because it could be bad luck.”
"Hmm," I hum as I lift one hand to pull her face down to mine. "What can I do to convince you to tell me?"
"Nothing," she laughs softly as her lips brush against my own. She tightens her grip on my hair. "You're going to have to wait until our wedding day to find out."
"What if I can't wait that long?" I ask her as I begin to trail my other hand farther up her back beneath her shirt. My fingers brush against the strap of her bra and I unclasp it in one fluid movement.
"It will be worth the wait," she assures me. Her lips capture mine in one breath. My cock is already fucking hard, pressing against her as her tongue slides into my mouth. I breathe her in, drawing the oxygen from her lungs as our tongues tangle together.
Releasing the back of her neck, both of my hands reach for the hem of her shirt, pushing it up her body. "What are you doing?" she asks me breathlessly as we break apart. She doesn't stop me as I lift her shirt up over her head and toss it onto the bench behind her. "Anyone could walk in and see us."
My fingers hook the straps of her bra and I slide them down her arms before throwing it over where her shirt is. Her nipples instantly grow hard from the cold air. I shake my head as I begin to move my mouth closer to her chest. "I locked the door before we got on the ice."
Her body involuntarily shivers as I draw her nipple between my teeth and suck. I roll my tongue around her pebbled flesh as I knead her other breast in my hand. Goosebumps break out over her skin and I feel her body shiver again.
Abruptly pulling away from her, my lips leave her nipple with a pop. Her legs are still wrapped around me and my hands land beneath her thighs as I lift her into the air once again. She's still topless, clinging to me as I carry her off the ice and walk toward the warm room. I kick open the door, feeling the warmth as we step inside. The heat isn't blasting, but it's definitely warmer than the rest of the rink.
There's a couch along the far wall and I don't stop walking until I reach it. I gently lower her onto the couch and she stares up at me, watching as I reach for her feet. My fingers work quickly to untie her skates before I toss them onto the floor, not giving a shit about the blades hitting anything. They can be resharpened or I'll buy her new blades or skates if I need to.
She wastes no time removing her pants and underwear as I take off my own skates. Aria's completely naked, lying on the couch waiting for me, as I rise to my feet. My eyes only leave her for a second while I remove my own shirt, followed by my pants and boxer briefs.
Words will never come close to describing how I feel about her. I spent so much time convincing myself and everyone around me that I hated her. And in a way I did. I think I secretly hated her because she wasn't mine. I always viewed her as someone I wouldn't have a chance with. I would have spent the rest of my life wondering what could have been with her. Wondering if the stars could have aligned properly, would we have ended up together? But those questions no longer matter. The universe heard my silent prayers and the stars have aligned.
The organ beating in my chest no longer belongs to me. Hell, after that night in high school, I'm not sure it was ever truly in my possession. That moment was the start of my heart falling for her.
Emotion wells in my throat as I push open her knees and lower myself down onto the couch with her. "Can you be like this forever?"
"Like what?" she asks as she wraps her legs around me, pulling me closer. Her hands feel like silk as they slide around the back of my neck. A quiet laugh falls from her lips. "Naked?"
I shake my head as I shift my hips and slowly sink into her. "Mine."
"Always," she breathes as she stares up at me with those breathtaking gray orbs. “I’m yours forever, Leo.”
A groan escapes me and my face drops down to hers as I capture her mouth with mine, sinking deeper into her. Her nails dig into my flesh, holding on to me like her life depends on it as I begin to shift my hips and slowly thrust into her.
This is where I want to stay forever. Right here, with her, irrevocably lost in one another.
My soul has reached its final destination.
And it's her.
It’s always been her.
Keep reading for the first chapter of The Art of Breathing, a brand new emotional new adult romance coming from Cali the end of summer!