Epilogue #1
EPILOGUE #1
ELIJAH
Six Months Later...
“ O h, God,” Ava moans, body arching as she rides me. Her hips are picking up speed with each gyration, while a beautiful flush sweeps across her chest. She’s simply breathtaking every day, but when lost in her pleasure, my little baker is ethereal. A motherfucking goddess. “So good. So close, baby.”
Her thighs shake on either side of me, tightening against my hips while those blue eyes remain on mine. They’re heavy-lidded and full of so much love that my chest aches. That my cock throbs against her walls, and my hands clutch her hips, fingers digging in deep.
Her want mirrors my own.
Her hunger is felt down to my bones, and I crave it. That spark. That pulse that flows from our bodies, cocooning us in a battle of love and lust and happiness that I never thought I’d be a part of.
She’s mine, and I am hers. End of.
“ Fuck , Ava. That’s it. Squeeze me just like that,” I hiss between clenched teeth, one hand guiding her movements while the other lands a sharp spank. Then another. I alternate each strike in intensity—reveling in the heat coming from her soft skin as each slap blooms and spreads. Moreover, my girl likes it. Loves the bite of pain as my cock grazes her cervix with each upward thrust.
Her hips move faster.
My strokes are harder.
The sound of skin meeting skin is obscene in its beauty, just like her little whimpers. “I’m so close, Papi. God, you own me.”
“I feel you, my pretty love.” I smack her right cheek a final time and then grind her against me, keeping a tight hold—not letting her move—so I can fuck her with brutal pumps of my hips. She lets out a cry, shaking, but I don’t stop. “You feel so good, Ava. I can feel you clench with each stroke—tighten around my cock to keep me buried deep. Is that what you want?”
“Never want this to end.” It’s a breathy whisper. A low, keening sound that settles on the tip of my cock and causes my balls to tighten. I want her full of my come. Soaked in my essence and, hopefully soon, giving me a child.
She’ll be carrying my name. Attached to me for life.
Becoming the mother of my child.
The only woman I swear to love for the rest of this life and any that follow.
“Always.” Slipping a hand between us, I place my thumb over her clit and put just enough pressure that she shakes and throws her head back, a desperate cry slipping past her lips. It’s her tell. That sound gives her away; it’s a delicious warning I revel in each time we’re together. “Look at me.”
At my demand, those beautiful orbs focus on mine, and I see everything I will ever need in them. There’s not a single ounce of doubt in my body that this woman was made for me. A true gift.
My other hand leaves her hip and grasps the back of her neck, pulling her down to me, chest to chest now, as my hips never stop pumping into her. She tightens and tries to match my thrust, to chase the bite of heaven within her reach, but I’m relentless as I circle my finger over that tiny bundle of nerves.
We share a breath.
Lips hovering.
Eyes on each other.
“I love you.” Ava’s tone is just above a whisper before she kisses me, slow and sweet, with every ounce of the love I’m drowning in. “You make me so happy, Elijah. You’ve given me everything.”
“You’re wrong. Not everything.” Adding a bit more pressure, I circle her clit twice and hold still. Her walls pulse, she shivers, and I raise her off my dick until just the tip sits at her opening.
A tease. A wicked promise of what I’m going to do.
“What’re you...fuck!” Without a word, I slam her down, giving my girl that last bit of pleasurable pain she needs to fall over the edge. My hips are relentless, fucking up into her with a steady and hard stroke.
“Please.” One word. Desperation. Her need.
A light sheen of sweat gleams across her forehead, and her brows pucker. Those lips I love part, and she exhales; her warm breath is a caress across my mouth, and I take hers once more in a hard kiss.
Each swipe of my tongue over her bottom lip is an I love you. Each groan that leaves my chest is an oath to always protect and cherish.
“Come for me, Ava.”
“I’m...shit!” she whimpers as my fingers tighten their hold on her neck, not letting her move an inch. She’s in my control. Taking what I gift her.
“Now, baby. Give me what’s always been mine.” No sooner has the last words slipped past my lips that she tightens—chokes on a silent scream. Her orgasm rocks me, a vice-like grip so hard and warm that my release quickly follows. It’s hard and messy, and I don’t stop thrusting as she milks every last drop from my cock.
Not even after she lies on my chest, completely spent and satiated, do I pause. Not until I feel the last tremor pass through her tired limbs and her pussy eases its hold.
Then, I close my eyes as we just lie there in her small bed back in Dallas, surrounded by boxes and memories of her old life—a life she’s transferring to Los Angeles to build a new one with me. No more rentals while my apartment was sold. No more never-ending searches for the perfect place to start this new stage of our lives. Now, we get it all. I will give her that fairy-tale life she deserves and then some.
There’s no denying that the road here has been difficult, full of complications and tears.
And while I wish we would’ve met under different circumstances; we both agree that it’s the ending that matters.
After Lyle’s death, Ava dealt with a hurricane of emotions and guilt—regret and total despair—but through it all, she never pushed me away. I was her constant.
She chose me. Always.
And I was there for her through each therapy session and then the tears. Through all the hurt and the years of anger, she let go of. It was hard. Still brutal at points, but it has brought us closer together. We’ve both had to deal with the aftermath and have come out stronger because we have each other.
For better or worse. In sickness and health.
I don’t know how long we lay there with her body on my chest before I feel her stare. And fuck me, it’s hard to hold in my smile when I hear her impatient huff.
Cracking open one eye, I watch her watching me. “Something on your mind?”
“You could say that.”
“Speak up or forever hold your peace.” Yeah, I’m baiting her.
Ava’s eyes leave mine for a split second to look down at her left hand. “Funny you should use those words.”
“Funny that you’re making me wait for that three-letter word.”
“Is there a question I’m missing?”
“No.”
“No?” She cocks her brow and purses those succulent lips, yet I see the hint of a smile there.
“Yes.” My mouth quirks up into a cheesy grin, and she rolls her eyes. “You know I’m right.”
“So cocky.”
“Exactly.”
Ava’s eyes fill with unshed tears, and her lips tremble while stretching wide into a smile. “Then, in that case, who am I to argue? Yes.”
“There was never a doubt, baby.” Rolling us over, I thrust deeper, causing her to let out a low moan. I’m hard again, always for her. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life worshipping you. Loving you. Making sure that you never doubt just how important you are to me.” Lifting the hand wearing my ring, I kiss it while never taking my eyes off hers. “Thank you for trusting me with your heart, Ava. It’s a treasure I’ll always keep safe and protected. I love you, sweetheart. Always will.”
“I love you, too. So much,” she says, voice thick with emotion before arching up to kiss my lips. This kiss is different than all the ones before; it’s the start of a new beginning. Of our family, and as I pump my hips slowly, another warm thought comes to mind.
I’m not waiting another second to start this next stage of us.
Not when I can fly us to Vegas tonight and make her fully mine.
Not when I can fall asleep tonight with her as my wife.
“How do you feel about getting?—”
“Yes,” she moans out, eyes rolling back when I tilt my hips, changing the angle of my thrust. “I don’t want to wait either.”
“Tonight.” That’s all I say before getting lost in my fiancée’s touch. In her scent. Her love.
Because the next time I take her, she will bear my name.
She will be my wife.