Epilogue
SEVEN YEARS LATER
“Honey, you can’t be serious.” Karina looks down at me, my face buried between her legs.
I suck on her clit, glancing up at her and watching her eyes roll to the back of her head. I release her and kiss it. “Oh, I’m very serious,” I answer, my breath hot against her sensitive skin.
She shivers, her fingers tangling in my hair. “It’s the twins’ birthday; we need to be out there with the rest of the family,” she says, her voice trembling between words. But her body betrays her, arching toward me, seeking more. I love how she is always so greedy for my touch.
I chuckle softly, my tongue tracing a slow path that makes her gasp. “They’re busy with their presents, trust me. A few more minutes won’t hurt.” My hands grip her thighs, holding her steady as I deepen my attention, savoring the way she trembles under my touch.
Karina’s breath hitches, her fingers tightening in my hair. “You’re impossible,” she whispers, but there’s no real frustration in her voice, only a desperate want that mirrors my own.
I take my time, teasing her with slow, purposeful strokes, drawing out every little sound she tries to suppress. Her hips shift restlessly, and when I finally slip a finger inside her, she lets out a sharp moan that she quickly muffles with her hand.
“Don’t,” I say, pulling back just enough to make eye contact. “I want to hear you.”
“Vulcan, we are in the pantry. Someone is going to hear us.”
The way her body clenches around my finger tells me she’s far from wanting me to stop. I smirk, leaning close, my lips brushing against her inner thigh as I speak. “Let them hear.” I nip her skin. “Let them know how much you’re mine.”
Karina’s eyes flutter shut, a soft whimper escaping her lips as I slide another finger inside her, curling them just the way I know she likes.
“Vulcan, it’s our sons’ birthday party. Everyone here knows I’m yours. We are with family.” She’s trying to plead her case. “I—fuck, baby—” Her words become a breathless moan as I suck on her clit.
Her body arches off the counter, her hands scrambling to grip the shelves behind her, knocking over a jar of olives that rolls toward the edge. I catch it with my free hand and set it aside with a low laugh.
I suck on her clit faster before pulling back. “Careful, love, you don’t want to get caught, remember?”
Karina groans, half in pleasure, half in exasperation.
I stretch her slowly, savoring the way her breath hitches and her body trembles.
Her skin is warm against my lips as I trail kisses up her round stomach.
Karina is pregnant with our fourth child, and her belly is just beginning to show a soft curve.
“Vulcan,” she gasps, her voice trembling. “Thalia is probably looking for us. God, don’t stop—”
Karina is probably right. Thalia, our three-year-old, could be looking for us or, more likely, she’s looking to make sure we aren’t around so she can sneak some cake.
“Lia’s probably with Val,” I whisper against her skin, my lips brushing the curve of her breast through the thin fabric of her dress.
“And even if she isn’t, my mother has eyes on her.
You’re mine right now, and nothing or no one will change that. ”
Her hands fist in my hair, tugging lightly, nails scraping gently against my scalp.
I continue to finger fuck her faster than before and I can feel her getting close, her body tightening around me, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps.
I press my lips just below her ear and whisper, “Come for me.”
She does, with a muffled cry that she buries in the crook of my shoulder. Her body trembles as she falls apart, and I hold her through it, my fingers slowly easing their pace until she slumps against me.
“My sweet, sweet wife, you’ve deprived me. I wanted to hear you scream my name until your voice was raw.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue as she straightens up.
She smooths her dress down over her hips, but I can still see the outline of her nipples pressing against the fabric, hard and begging for my mouth.
She reaches for the jar of olives I’d saved from disaster earlier.
“We should get back out there before they start wondering where we are.”
“Yeah,” I agree, though I don’t move right away. Instead, I lean in to kiss her, but she pulls back quickly.
“Go,” she says, pushing me toward the door with a smile. “Before they come looking for us.”
I catch her hand before she can pull away entirely and press a kiss to her palm.
“You owe me later, and tonight, I want you gagging on my cock until tears are streaming down your face. I want to fuck your throat so hard you can’t speak for a week.
And when I’m done with your mouth, I’m bending you over the bed and burying myself so deep inside you, you’ll feel me for days. ”
I can see the way her thighs clench together, like she’s already imagining it. “Come on, babe, just go.” This time, it’s a plea, not a command.
I smirk, giving her one last lingering look before I finally head for the door. But not before I promise myself and her that tonight, I’m going to wreck her in the best possible way.
I walk out of the pantry first, and Valkyrie walks into the kitchen carrying a sleeping Thalia.
“There you two are. I was starting to think you two ran off to have s-e-x.” Valkyrie’s eyes bounce between Karina and me.
“Here, take her. I have to go back out there and make sure my husband doesn’t teach the boys bad words.
Can you believe yours are already six? Time flies. ”
I laugh and take Thalia from Valkyrie’s arms, her little head lolling against my shoulder as she mumbles incoherently in her sleep.
She smells like lavender baby shampoo and the faintest hint of chocolate cake, probably from the cupcake she’d snuck earlier.
As I adjust her weight against me, her tiny hands clutch my shirt.
“Wait, you didn’t answer… were you two having s-e-x?” Val probes.
“You don’t have to spell it out. Lia is asleep, and no, we weren’t. And if we were, that’s none of your business. It’s my house and my wife,” I respond.
“Ya nasty.” Val smirks and leaves the kitchen.
Karina stands beside me, reaching for Thalia. “I can put her to bed.”
“How about we both put her to bed?” I wink.
“No, because once you get me upstairs, I know I’m not coming back down.”
She’s right, of course. If I get her upstairs, there’s no way I’m letting her slip away before I’ve made good on every promise I just made.
“Fine.” I place a kiss against Karina’s temple as she gently takes Thalia from my arms. The little one stirs slightly, her dark lashes fluttering against her cheeks before she settles back into sleep.
Karina cradles her with that natural ease she has with kids, something that still surprises me, given how much of her life she’s spent in the sterile chaos of an ER rather than the warmth of a home.
“Be quick.” I trail my fingers down her arm. “Or I might just come up there and fuck you senseless.”
Karina’s cheeks flush a deep crimson, but she doesn’t falter.
She gives me that look—the one that’s half challenge, half surrender—before turning on her heel and heading toward the stairs.
I watch her go, and the sway of her hips in that dress makes my dick rock hard.
My fingers twitch with the urge to follow her, but I force myself to stay put. For now.
I look through the patio door to see all our friends having a great time.
Our twins, Sebastian and Nathaniel, are in the pool with their cousins and Val’s husband.
They’re having the time of their lives, not worried in the slightest about Mommy and Daddy.
My eyes move over to see Valkyrie hovering near the pool like the concerned mother hen she is.
Our friends are managing to mingle despite their kids running around.
Everyone is enjoying themselves, and I don’t see why I can’t.
I turn on my heels and make my way upstairs.
My dick is begging to be buried in Karina.
My appetite for Karina is and will forever be something I could never get enough of.
Karina quit her job at St. Mary’s a year after the twins turned one.
I retired officially from all things FDNY once Thalia was born.
With the money from my inheritance and some fundraising expertise from our old friend Sarah Fletcher, Karina open two shelters and her own practice.
She wanted to spend more time at home with the children, but also still give back to the community.
The sound of Karina’s soft humming drifts from Thalia’s room, and I pause, leaning against the door frame to watch her. She’s bent over the toddler bed, smoothing the blanket over our sleeping daughter with tender care.
I can’t help but think how fucking lucky I am to have her.
Karina straightens and turns, her eyes widening slightly when she sees me. “I thought I told you to wait downstairs,” she whispers. “I don’t know who is more hard-headed, you or the boys.”
“You did,” I say, gesturing for her to come here with my finger. “And you know I’ve never been good at following instructions.”
She steps out of the room, closing the door softly behind her, and I’m on her in an instant. My hands grip her waist, pulling her flush against me. Her breath hitches as I pin her to the wall, my lips finding hers in a kiss that’s all hunger.
“For a man pushing fifty, your sex drive is insatiable,” she murmurs against my mouth, but she’s already arching into me.
“And you love it,” I slide one hand up to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. Her nipple hardens under my touch, and she lets out a soft moan that goes straight to my dick.
“We have to go back downstairs,” she says, but her hips are already grinding against mine.
“No one’s going to miss us.” I nip at her neck. “Val’s got the kids, and everyone else is too busy drinking and laughing. Let me have you. Today is your special day, too. You birthed those little boys, so you deserve another push present.”
“The last time you said that was on Thalia’s birthday, and look. I’m pregnant.”
“At least you know this push present won’t get you pregnant.”
She hesitates momentarily, pulling me down the hallway toward our bedroom. “Fine, make it quick and do not leave marks where the guest can see.”
I don’t need to be told twice. As soon as the door closes behind us, I’m on her again.
Ten years ago, I never would have thought I’d be here, bound in marriage to the woman who sets my heart ablaze.
All it took was one look from across Riley’s and Karina Montgomery has become the keeper of my soul, mine to cherish, mine to adore forever.