32. Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Two
Nik
After appearing unannounced to find Ali in a sexy white gown that hugged her body in all the right places, Nik couldn’t wait for their party to wrap up and for everyone to go home.
He practiced as much patience as he could while serving each guest a cupcake—vanilla with angelfruit filling.
He’d thought dessert would be the perfect way to cheer Ali up, but he was craving something sweeter now.
His mouth watered as he forced his cupcake down, and he wished time would move faster.
On the bright side, Ali seemed to be in much better spirits than when he’d left earlier in the day—something that he hadn’t been able to accomplish on his own. He’d had a hunch that a girls’ day might be just what she needed and seeing her smiling again assured him they were going to be okay.
And then the way she looked at him after Julia and Kaydence insisted he be Ali’s groom…that was a look he’d never forget. It filled him with nervous energy and compelled him to drop to one knee and beg her to spend the rest of their lives together.
Nik didn’t spend a lot of time envisioning the future. He’d always been the kind to go with the flow, focused on surviving day to day. But lately he’d found himself thinking about what their future would look like.
Their future.
Not his future. Every scenario he envisioned featured Ali by his side. And if he was to trust the way she lit up by being described as a bride, her vision was identical to his. There was no Nik without Ali.
He was the first to finish his cupcake while everyone else chatted between bites. It felt like they took forever to finally devour their sweet treats.
“The girls are going to be wired when I take them home to Ms. Carpenter. I blame you for this,” Grace said, pointing a finger accusingly at Nik.
He put his hands up and feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and they’ll back me up.”
The young girls nodded emphatically. They knew they needed to be on his side if they wanted the delicious desserts to keep coming.
Grace shook her head. “Teaching them to lie already. That’s going to bite you in the ass one day.”
“You’re probably right.” One day, when he had kids of his own, karma would come to find him.
“I think it’s time we headed out. Thank you so much for having us.”
Ali stood and leaned in to hug Grace. “No, thank you. This is exactly what I needed.”
They leaned back and Nik watched them exchange a look of appreciation for one another.
“Oh, before you go, I need to give you this dress back,” Ali said, reaching for the intricate laces on the back of her gown.
“Don’t worry about it,” Grace said with a wave of her hand. “I’ll get it from you tomorrow.”
Nik thought he saw her give Ali a wink but couldn’t quite tell from this angle.
“And ours?” Julia asked, twirling so the skirt of her dress rose in the air before falling softly to the floor.
“Those are yours to keep,” Grace answered, and this time Nik definitely caught a wink.
The girls beamed with excitement over their fancy princess gowns. Amazing how such a small gesture of donating hand-me-downs could bring immeasurable joy to their faces.
After what felt like an eternity, Grace rounded up the girls while Heather and Amaya gathered their scattered belongings. Once they left, the room felt eerily quiet.
Nik cleared his throat as he approached Ali. That familiar pink blush returned to her cheeks when she caught him staring.
She spun, offering her back to him. “Can you help me with these?”
“What? Help you take it off?”
Ali smiled over her shoulder. “Yes…”
It hadn’t even been a day since his promise to take things slowly and already he was breaking it. But she seemed like she was in a good headspace, at least for the moment.
Nik gently grazed her bare arms with his fingertips, brushing them over her shoulders and then down her back. He felt her shiver underneath his touch. He whispered against her neck, “What if I like you in this dress?”
She inhaled deeply. Her voice shook as she spoke. “I can’t wear this forever.”
“No,” he said, continuing to run his fingers over her smooth skin, mesmerized by the tiny goosebumps that sprouted on her flesh. “But you could wear it for tonight.”
Slowly, she turned around to face him, eyes glistening with curiosity. “What did you have in mind?”
Nik took a step forward, his chest colliding with hers. He licked his lips and watched with amusement as Ali’s eyes tracked his tongue’s movement.
Step by step, he gently backed her up until her knees hit the bed. She dropped to sit and Nik pressed forward between her thighs. The fabric of her dress restricted his movement a bit, but it didn’t stop him from dropping to his knees before her.
Keeping his eyes on hers, he felt his way to the hem of her dress and slowly lifted the fabric, bunching it up around her thighs.
With a sigh, she fell backwards, allowing Nik to push her skirt up further to her waist. He placed a soft kiss on her thin underwear and her back arched off the mattress.
God, the things he wanted to do to her.
Her breathing quickened as he trailed kisses along her inner thigh, across her belly, and over her panties, humming in approval when she rocked her hips in anticipation.
Fingers twisted in his hair, pulling gently—desperation to experience more of him. He was eager to give it to her, but he loved teasing her more.
Nik peppered a few more taunting kisses over her skin before he hooked his thumbs into the sides of her underwear and slowly pulled them down her legs. He dropped them to the floor and pushed her knees apart, hungry for the taste of her.
With his help, she hitched a leg up over his shoulder and dug her heel into his back.
Nik dragged his tongue along her slit, barely grazing her clit before pulling back.
Her eager panting had his cock throbbing in his jeans.
Taking his time with her, he blew a warm breath against her sensitive clit and watched as she squirmed, her thigh tensing over his shoulder.
“Nik,” she breathed.
It was a plea that he happily answered. He covered her clit with his mouth and caressed her with his tongue, digging his fingers into her hips. Then he moved one hand down to run his fingers along her entrance, groaning with pleasure when he discovered how wet she was.
He eased one finger inside her, rocking his hand back and forth. When he pressed a second finger inside, she whimpered and tugged on his hair again. The sound brought a smile to his face as he continued to devour her pussy.
With his fingers, he stroked her inner walls, applying just the right amount of pressure to that sweet spot that had her knees trembling. It wouldn’t take much longer for her to find her release. She bucked against his face and fingers, muttering unintelligible words of praise.
When Nik sucked on her clit, he felt her pussy clench around his fingers. God, he wanted to feel that pulse around his cock. Ali cried his name, and he released her clit, licking his lips to remove what was left of her arousal. She tasted like heaven.
Ali pushed up onto her forearms, watching to see what Nik would do next.
“Do you know what I can’t stop thinking about?” he asked, pulling his shirt off in one smooth motion. It fell to the floor, and he started to unfasten his pants. “The first thing that popped into my head when I came home to find you in this little dress?”
Ali shook her head, her eyes trailing down his body. He didn’t know it was possible, but his cock hardened even further. He couldn’t wait to drive his shaft inside her and feel her warmth surround him.
But there was one more thing he wanted first.
With his pants loosened, he pushed them down, underwear included, and climbed onto the bed, forcing Ali backward to make space for him. He hovered over her, despite her efforts to pull his body against hers.
“I was thinking…” he said, sliding his cock back and forth over her slit. “That I want to make you mine…forever.”
Ali’s eyes fluttered closed, clearly losing herself to the feeling of his length gliding along her clit. “I am yours.”
“As my wife.”
Her brown eyes shot open, and she made a choking sound. “Wh-what?”
“Will…” Nik kissed her clavicle, peeking out from beneath her dress. “You…” Another kiss on her neck. “Marry…” A kiss to her forehead. “Me?”
The last kiss he saved for her lips, but he didn’t close the distance. Instead, he left the thinnest slice of air between them, waiting for her to answer.
She swallowed audibly. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly.”
“Aren’t you supposed to have a shiny ring?”
He smirked. “I knew I was forgetting something.”
“Nik…”
Nik put his forehead to hers. “Marry me, Ali. Spend forever with me. Since the day you came into my life, you’ve changed me for the better. I can’t imagine…I refuse to live a life without you. And I hope you feel the same way.”
The pause before her answer was painful. For a second, Nik thought she might say no. That he’d overestimated her love for him.
But then she smiled. “Yes, I will marry you.”
“You will?” Even he was caught off guard by the shock in his voice.
Ali chuckled. “Of course. I love you and I want to grow old with you. I want to have your babies and listen to you snore every night. I want you to bring me cupcakes when I’m sad and I’ll massage your shoulders after a tough day. I want my life to be forever intertwined with yours.”
It was enough to close the distance between them. Their lips clashed in a whirlwind of passion and pure bliss. Nik had never felt this level of joy, didn’t know that this level of rapturous ecstasy existed.
Her lips opened for him and he slid his tongue inside, kissing her deeper than ever before, determined for her to feel his love. At the same time, he reached between their bodies and drove his cock into her, delighted by her gasp of pleasure.
Slowly, intentionally, he made love to her, ensuring that every second of this night would hold a permanent place in his memories. He never wanted to forget this moment, because life couldn’t possibly get better than this.
Morning came far too soon. Considering they’d spent most of the night tangled in bed sheets, Nik easily could’ve slept for several more hours, but duty called.
Today was the day—the third and final round of the Rite would take place in just a few hours and Nik needed to escort Grace to the last competition.
To his surprise, he hoped that Eli would emerge victorious. He wasn’t sure when he had started caring about Eli’s happiness, but it had happened regardless. Grace and Eli deserved a joyous life together, just like he did with Ali.
Ali—his fiancée.
That thought brought a lazy grin to his face and gave him the energy to sit up and pull the sheets back.
Beside him, Ali still slept with one arm tucked under her head and the other holding the sheet to her bare chest. The dress had come off at some point during the night.
Though she was sleeping, her lips were curved in a half smile and it broke Nik’s heart that he needed to wake her.
If they didn’t get moving soon, they’d be late.
He leaned over and kissed her temple, brushing back her messy blonde hair. “Ali, wake up.”
She stirred, but after a deep sigh, she returned to her motionless state.
“Ali. You can’t sleep all day.”
She grumbled and turned away from him.
Nik chuckled. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. Leaving the bed and Ali behind, he padded to the kitchen and began cooking breakfast. The sizzling pan and smell of bacon would wake her soon enough. Perhaps he’d make pancakes too, with the angelfruit syrup she liked so much.
Nik had cooked half the bacon and was finishing the pancake batter when Ali emerged in one of his shirts that barely covered her ass.
“Smells good,” she said, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist while he continued to prepare their breakfast.
“Only the best for you, love.” With a flick of the wrist, Nik flipped a pancake skillfully.
“I could get used to this,” Ali said, pressing her forehead between his shoulder blades. “Waking up to find my husband making breakfast.”
Damn if that title didn’t shoot straight to his groin, but they had things to do…places to be…
“I’m not your husband yet,” he reminded her.
Her hands began to wander, lowering from his stomach to the elastic waistband of his shorts. He sucked in a sharp breath as her fingers delved below the fabric.
“Close enough,” she said, wrapping a hand around his cock.
Fuck it. They were going to be late.