Epilogue
TEN MONTHS LATER
CASH
“ C an we get the room?” I ask the stylist team and the other bodyguard, Mike. They all file out of the dressing room, shutting the door behind them to leave me alone with Monroe. I go up and lock it, knowing she prefers a few minutes to prepare herself mentally before going out in front of the cameras.
As her new head of security working alongside Griffin’s company, I travel with her when needed and most of the time because we don’t like being apart. I get special treatment since I’m the only bodyguard on the team that gets to sleep in her room. The other half of the year we live at Redford Ranch together.
She’s all done up, her hair and makeup styled to perfection. Her blonde curls are styled in old Hollywood waves around her face, with extensions added to make them cascade down her back. She’s wearing a red corset dress with a high slit on the thigh and stilettos. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of her since…well, since we met.
She smiles at me in the mirror. Her fingers are brushing over the silky white rose petals of the massive bouquet I brought up for her earlier to celebrate her big night.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she mumbles, eyes shifting to stare at herself in the mirror.
I walk up behind her, bending down until my face is equal to hers, both of us looking at her reflection. I wish she didn’t have the crimson lipstick on her lips, so I could kiss her.
“You deserve this. You’re going to win,” I whisper in her ear. She has silver diamond earrings dripping from her ears and a matching necklace around her throat. “You are incredibly talented, and I love watching you crush it every single day.”
A smile tugs at her lips. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
She stretches her arm up to cup the side of my face. I’m wearing my usual black cowboy hat with a matching black tux for the special occasion. I still have cowboy boots on, because I just can’t give those up, even at the Grammys.
“I wouldn’t miss it, Princess.” I press a kiss to her cheek and move to stand up.
She spins around in her chair, grabbing my hand before I back away. “How much time do we have?”
I look at my watch. “Ten minutes.”
She grins and reaches for my hand. “Perfect.” Her fingers start working to undo my belt.
“Oh, really? Right now?” I’m already getting hard as she unbuttons my pants .
She nods. “I’m stressed. It’ll help me relax.”
I drop down to my knees in front of her. “Okay, but let’s not mess up those perfect red lips, as much fun as that would be.”
She shrugs. “Sergio can fix it.”
“I’m not gonna lie, I already imagined doing this when I saw them put you in a dress with a slit this high up.” I trail my fingers up her thigh, knowing she loves the scrape of my rough skin against her soft, smooth body.
“Not gonna lie, I did too. I’m always thinking about easy access with you.” She spreads her legs for me, revealing a matching red thong underneath. Her lips part as she watches my hands reach up to pull down her panties.
I groan at the sight, my mouth watering. “Fuck, baby. Lift up for me.”
She obeys, lifting her hips so that I can pull down the scrap of red lace to her ankles before carefully removing it from around each shoe. My thumb traces over the edge of her sex, seeing her grow wet for me. She lets out a soft moan.
“I want to tease you more, but we don’t have a lot of time.” I lean forward, swiping my tongue as far back as I can reach all the way to her clit, spreading her wetness as I taste her.
She gasps, her hand squeezing my shoulder muscle while the other scrapes against her seat. She tastes sweet with just a hint of salt. I use my teeth to gently nip her clit, and she cries out.
“You’re so good at this. How are you so good at it?”
I smile into her, but I don’t stop. My tongue swirls around her clit, flicking back and forth quickly while I add a finger to the mix, slowly pushing it up inside her. She moans as I scrape the inside of her with the tip of my middle finger.
“Fuck, that feels so good, don’t stop, please, please…” she pants.
I continue until I start to feel her legs shaking. She whimpers before tightening her thigh muscles around my face. I feel her coming as she lets out another moan, the spasms coursing through her one after another. I stay there until she goes limp, a satisfied sigh escaping her. She looks like a flawless pinup model, sated and draped over the chair. I trail kisses on the inside of her thighs.
Finally, I sit back, licking my lips as I rise. “Stand up and turn around.”
She smiles at me as she complies and turns around, pushing her ass back to me. “Yes, sir.”
She already undid my belt, so I pull my pants and boxers down, my cock already hard and ready to feel her. I lean forward, reaching around her front to grab the skirt through the opening of her dress, pushing it up around her waist to reveal her bare ass to me. My lips brush up against her ear.
“I knew you secretly liked being told what to do.”
She bites her bottom lip, nodding.
Hell, I’m so gone for her.
I grab my shaft and position myself behind her, groaning as the tip brushes her softness. She bends forward, placing her hands on the makeup counter facing the mirror. Once I’m in the right place, I shove myself all the way inside with one thrust. She gasps.
I start to move immediately. The sensations spread through my entire body, igniting a desire in me to feel more of her, to pound her harder.
“I love seeing your face while I fuck you from behind.” I look at her in the mirror, her red lips parted, blue eyes wide as she takes it.
She always has a hard time being quiet, like she just can’t hold back the scream. She bites down on her lip, eyes rolling back. I can already feel myself getting closer to release even though it’s way too soon. She just looks so fucking gorgeous, tits bouncing, skin flushed for me. I can still taste her on my tongue.
“I know you wanna scream, baby. You can scream if you want to.” My hand comes up to wrap around her neck, squeezing just barely enough to let her know I’ve got her and I’m in control here.
She whimpers. “It feels so good.”
I use my other hand to find her clit, putting just enough pressure on it to make her come again. She lets out a scream, her release joining mine as we finish together. I lean against her, feeling the warmth of her body against mine for a few blissful moments, enjoying the subsiding waves of pleasure.
“We’re gonna need another round afterward so I can take my time with you.” I pepper her neck with kisses as I pull out, careful not to get anything on her dress.
I grab a towel left behind from the makeup artist to dry her off before letting her gown fall back into place. I pull my boxers and pants up, buckling the belt. She exhales, standing up straight. She looks at me in the mirror, both of us still breathing heavily.
“I’m gonna mess up those red lips later. ”
She smiles shyly. “Okay, cowboy.”
Someone knocks on the door. “We need to leave in two minutes.”
I clear my throat. “Before we do that, I wanted to show you something.” I pull out my phone. There hasn’t felt like a good time to do this, but with the looming questions from the press about to swarm us, I need her to know about it now.
She looks down at my phone screen as I navigate to the news article I saw a few hours ago. She silently reads the headline.
Zade Byron, 32, arrested on prostitution and sex trafficking charges. Bond held at ten million dollars.
She swallows, eyes traveling up to meet mine. “Thank God,” she whispers.
She’s so strong all the time. I want her to know she can lean on me. That I’m here for her when things like this happen.
“If anyone asks about him tonight, let’s just say ‘no comment,’ huh?” I grab her hand.
She squeezes it and nods. “Okay. Thank you for telling me.”
The door to the suite opens. “It’ s time!”
MONROE
He’s always believed in me. I love him for so many reasons, but him believing in me and never leaving my side are definitely in my top three, along with always keeping me safe and seeing the real Monroe Blue beneath the glamorous exterior and Grammy winnings. He’d want me if I was still the girl with a broken family living in South Texas who’d never set foot on a stage.
I’m not ashamed to admit that his ability to make me orgasm in less than ten minutes under pressure is on the list too.
Cash grips my hand tightly as we walk up to the house he had built for us on the ranch. The exterior is all natural stone and cedar, with big black-framed windows and high gables. It has four bedrooms and three and a half baths. The office is lined with wood-framed bookshelves. He even added a workout room with a sauna for me to do my home workouts in and stay in shape for when I go on tour again.
The front porch isn’t huge. It has a double door with windows on the upper half and enough space for two big rocking chairs on either side of the door. The interior designer who furnished the home selected beautiful outdoor cushions in a deep emerald color. Two eucalyptus wreaths decorate the eight-foot doors. I shiver in the winter cold, already anticipating the warm fire I know he’ll build for us in the hearth.
The back porch is where the real beauty is. I haven’t seen it since it was finally completed and furnished just days ago while we were at the Grammys, but it has a view of the valley and the river below. It’s the most peaceful place on the planet.
As we’re climbing the stairs to the front porch, he turns to me and scoops me up like a baby. I laugh into his neck, wrapping my arms around him. He smells like cedar and leather and home. I inhale deeply, sighing with contentment as he twists the handle.
“Welcome home, Miss Blue,” he mumbles into my ear as he carries me over the threshold.
A gasp of awe escapes me at the sight. I’d seen the 3D mockup drawings of the furniture and the decor from the designer, but in person the rich leather seating, natural wood flooring, abundant greenery in potted plants, and deep mocha wall color feels like a cozy cabin in the woods. A very big, bougie cabin.
“Oh, baby, it’s just…breathtaking,” I say.
He sets me down gently in the foyer. The black iron chandelier above the living room is framed perfectly in line with the stone fireplace that reaches up to the fourteen-foot ceilings lined with natural hewn beams. Stacks of firewood I’m sure Cash spent hours chopping by hand are beside the open hearth.
The tanned cowhide rug on the floor is from one of the steers they butchered for meat last year. My only request for my boyfriend was that he not mount any deer heads on the walls. Duke was flabbergasted that I wouldn’t allow his brother to display his kills, but Cash didn’t mind.
A heavy weight lifts from my shoulders as I spin around. I sigh contentedly, a smile spreading across my lips when I see him watching me. He’s wearing my favorite denim shirt with Wrangler jeans, boots, and his black cowboy hat. He has a five-o’clock shadow across his jawline, where a subtle smile touches his lips. He walks over to the dry bar and pulls out a bottle of Merlot.
“What do you think, Blue? Will it work for you?”
I watch the muscles in his shoulders flex, visible under his T-shirt, as he opens the bottle and pours us each a glass.
“I never want to leave.”
He walks over to me, handing me a balloon wineglass. “You want me to build a fire?”
A subtle sense of peace falls over me as I look up at his handsome face. My muscles are relaxed, and time seems to slow down a little as I step toward the back door to see the view of the ranch from a better vantage point. The back wall of windows doesn’t do it justice.
“In a minute,” I tell him.
He moves to open the door for me. I step out into the cold, sipping from my glass. We both stare out over the land, dotted with cattle, trees, the river, and hundreds of acres owned by the Redfords.
A soft meowing sound reaches my ears. I look around the large porch, studying the red brick flooring and black iron furniture with rust-colored cushions in search of the source.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hmm, yeah, I do.”
He moves over toward the sound behind the outdoor sofa. He bends down, and when he stands up a few seconds later, I gasp at the fluffy white kitten in his arms. There’s a silky pink bow tied around its neck. My heart stops, my mouth drying up as he slowly walks over to me. He’s always sexy, always the hottest man in any room, but the sight of him holding a fluffy kitten in his arms might just bring my ovulation on a week early. I need a camera to permanently capture this moment and frame it for when I’m old and wrinkly.
“Holden found her in the barn last week. Dolly said she’ll help take care of her when we’re gone, unless you want to take her with us, of course.”
He can’t hold back the grin that spreads across his lips. The tear that streams down my cheek cools in the February air as he hands me the little fluffy bundle and takes my wineglass to set it down along with his on the side table. My heart squeezes when she immediately starts to purr.
“I don’t, I don’t know what to say… I can’t believe this.” I sniffle as I look down at her, brushing my hands over her head.
Something in her fur scratches me, so I run my fingers over it. My body freezes when the sparkly cushion-cut diamond blinks up at me. It’s tied around her neck to the ribbon. Tingles run over my entire body as I look down to see Cash on one knee in front of me. He’s not the type of man who cries often, but his emerald eyes are glassy.
“You were so unexpected. When you came into my life, I was wandering. I didn’t even know I needed you until I found you. I thought I’d be a lonely old cowboy who never left this ranch and experienced the world. But now that I have you, I can’t imagine ever going back. I can’t imagine a life without you in every part of it. I was missing out. I was suppressing all the emotions that came with love because I was too damn scared to feel the pain of loss again. But my heart has opened up to a new level, a new range of emotions I didn’t know were possible. I am so in love with you, Monroe.”
Tears are streaming down my face and wetting the kitten’s fur. I’m nodding before he even voices the next words.
“Will you marry me and do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?” Moisture has built in his red-rimmed eyes as he looks up at me.
Words fail me for a few seconds as I try to speak over the lump of emotion trapped in my throat.
“Yes, oh baby, yes! So many yesses!” I wrap my arms around him while he’s still on one knee.
He hugs me around the waist tightly, his face pressed to my stomach right near the fluff ball. He reaches up and pulls on the end of the ribbon to untie it, sliding the diamond ring off. It’s massive, and I already know he spent way too much money on it.
I hold out my shaky left hand as he slides the gold band onto my finger.
I sigh, whispering, “It’s a perfect fit.”
He kisses the ring on my finger before tenderly retying the bow around the kitten’s neck. Seeing him be soft and gentle squeezes my mushy heart in the best way. I wish I could marry him right now. The sudden urge to see him with a baby in his arms surges through my head.
Oh my gosh. Not yet, Monroe! One thing at a time.
He slowly rises to a stand before bracing his hands on the sides of my face and pulling me in for a long, drawn-out kiss. “What are you going to name her? ”
“Hmm, I was thinking Sparkles? She seems to like flashy things.”
“Like her mama.” He kisses my forehead.
I lay my head on his chest, staring out over the valley, feeling Sparkles purr against my chest. And the peace, contentment, and safety I’ve been searching for for so many years in all the wrong places settles over me as he wraps his strong arms around my shoulders and kisses my temple.
“Sparkles Redford or Sparkles Blue?”
I chuckle, pulling back to look up at him. “What about Sparkles Blue Redford?”
He nods. “Deal.”
THE END