Chapter Fifteen
Emma rolled over and groaned when she saw Damon on his side, facing her, and his head balanced on his hand. What got to her the most was the broad smile on his face. She couldn’t deal with this kind of happiness so early in the morning and certainly not before coffee.
She tried to roll away from him, only to have him yank her back against him. A gasp tore from her mouth at the sudden movement.
“Jesus, Damon. You’re going to give me whiplash doing that shit,” she grumbled.
He chuckled. “I want my morning kiss, fiancée.”
Emma’s snort was cut short when he took her lips in one of the devastating kisses that always took her breath and every thought from her head. Damon lifted his head and glanced down with a smile. He chuckled when she tried to pull him back down to her.
“Oh, not yet. I want you awake next time I take you.”
“But I am awake.” She almost cringed at the whiny tone of her voice. The fact that he chuckled because of it made a red tide of embarrassment cover her face.
“We need to get up, baby. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”
She squinted up at him. “Why?”
“I thought we were going to find some furniture for our house? We also need to look into the basic things like towels, utensils, a marriage license, and appliances. Hell, we’re going to need everything,” he said.
It took her a moment to catch on. “Wait. A marriage license? For what?”
“For our marriage, silly.”
She could see by the look on his face that he was up to something, which made her nervous. “Why now?”
“I thought we could fly to Vegas, get married, and then plan a housewarming/wedding reception in a few months. Unless you’ve always dreamed of having a wedding, we can wait for that.”
She thought about it a moment and then shook her head.
“No, I haven’t ever really thought of a wedding.
I’m not one of those girls who start planning one when they’re in their teens or even younger.
I have a friend with a large scrapbook of everything she wants in her wedding, and she isn’t even dating anyone. ”
Damon laughed. “Girls really take it that seriously?”
She nodded. “Some do.”
“Are you sure about Vegas?” he asked.
“I’m positive,” she said. “One thing I’d like to know is why we’re talking about a wedding when you’ve never asked me to marry you.”
“I don’t have to ask you, because we already are.”
Emma scowled. “If we’re engaged, why did no one tell me about it?”
His grin widened.
“What?” she snapped.
His gaze went to her hand. She glanced down, and it took her a moment to realize a ring with a large diamond was there.
“Wait. What? Where did this come from?” she stuttered.
Damon rolled his eyes. “Who do you think?”
“But ... you didn’t ask me.”
“I didn’t have to,” he said arrogantly.
Her eyes narrowed on his smug look. “It’s customary to ask a person to marry you.”
“Tell me this. If I had asked, would you have said yes?” he asked.
“Well...” She acted like she was thinking about it, making him growl. She bit her lip to keep from smiling.
“Emma,” he warned.
“Okay, fine. I would have said yes.”
Hell, if he didn’t look smug again. “I saved us time doing it my way.”
Her mouth opened to argue with him, but his lips interrupted her thought process, and when his tongue delved into her mouth, her whole being concentrated on how he made her desire rise and heat her body.
Damon tore his mouth from hers. “Jesus, baby. You burn me up. I’ll never get enough of you.”
Her arms tightened around his neck. “I hope not.”
He bent back to her but didn’t let up until she was writhing beneath him and begging. His hands and mouth touched and caressed every part of her body.
Emma didn’t even notice when he pulled her legs apart and settled in between her thighs. One of his hands cupped the back of her head, and the other gripped her hip to keep her from moving.
“Easy, baby.”
Her heart lurched inside her chest when she glanced up at him and caught the almost feral need in his eyes and the way he gritted his teeth, telling her how hard it was for him to hold himself back from her.
When Damon started to push his hard length into her, every molecule in her body’s attention was on the place on her body he invaded with long, jabbing thrusts. Like always, a mild panic would start to build inside of her because she had no control over her body at that moment.
She vaguely wondered if it would always be like that, because it never got easier for her. She never seemed to get overwhelmed by his loving because he was always so thorough, making her come a few times before he took his own pleasure.
Emma concentrated on calming her heart and breathing when Damon groaned, and she felt him come deep inside of her.
He let her rest for a minute.
“Woman, we need to get going. I want to drive to Ogden.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s over two hours away.”
“I know, that’s why we have to get going. I still have to meet your brother at the house after he gets off work today.”
“Why that far?”
“Because they’ll have a bigger selection for us to choose from,” he said, like she should have known that.
“You know we can buy everything online if we want,” she told him.
“I know, but I want to be able to sit in the chairs and sofa to see if they fit my large frame.”
That made sense. “Okay, I’ll shower quickly.”
He nodded and pressed another kiss to her lips. “I’ll go make coffee.”
“Oh, thank you, God.”
“Babe, you can call me Damon.” He chuckled.
She rolled her eyes before maneuvering off the bed.
They were on the road thirty minutes later.
Seven hours later, they were exhausted as they drove to the new house to meet Trent.
“Who would have thought shopping could take so much out of a person?” Emma complained.
Damon chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Just think, we might have to do this a few more times.”
He laughed when she groaned.
She sat up straight when the house came into sight.
God, so much had been done since she was there a few days ago.
All the siding was done, the roof shingles were completed, and the front porch, which they both loved, was stained a dark wood that would contrast well with the stark white of the house siding.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a porch swing installed at one end of the large porch. They had both talked about putting one up, but she thought it would be a while since they had so much to do.
Damon stopped the car. “By the look on your face, I’m guessing you like the swing?”
She turned toward him. Emma didn’t think her love for this man would grow, and then he’d do something like this for her, and her feelings deepened into an emotion she hadn’t known existed.
“I love it. Thank you,” she said.
He unbuckled her seat belt and lifted her over the truck console and onto his lap.
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, and I will show you how much I love you every day.”
She blinked a few times to dispel the tears that threatened to overflow. “I love you so much it scares me.”
“Ah, baby. There is nothing you need to fear because you have me. I’ll be here for you for the rest of our lives.” He bent down and gently kissed her several times before he turned his head and deepened the kiss.
A pounding on the truck window made them both jerk. When they saw her brother with a huge grin on his face, she wanted to kill him.
Damon slid out of the truck with her in his arms, then set her on her feet.
“Man, you have the worst timing,” Damon growled.
Trent laughed. “It was taking you guys forever, and I have places to be.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Guide us to what you want to show us.”
Trent waved them to follow. “Fine. Come this way.”
Her head swiveled right and left, taking in the changes as they followed her brother into the house. “Wow, Trent. You guys got so much done.”
Trent nodded. “My guys are good.”
Some of the flooring had to be finished, but the painting and baseboards were done.
She followed the guys into the kitchen and gasped. The stainless-steel appliances were in, and the cupboards were painted a creamy white, but the granite they had picked out caught her attention the most.
“Oh, wow. That’s even more beautiful than I thought it would be,” Emma said as she ran her hand over the smooth surface. They had chosen the granite slab with soft greys, creams, and small veins of dark red and black. It went perfectly with the cupboards, walls, and wood floors.
Damon wrapped an arm around her waist. “I think we picked a good one. I didn’t know if I’d like the red and black, but it just makes the other colors pop.”
“I thought you guys would be plenty surprised. It wasn’t supposed to come until next week, but the cupboards were installed early, so I called the stone place.”
She smiled brightly at Trent. “Aren’t you the sweetest brother ever?”
Trent snorted. “Or it could be I’m sick of running into you guys making out and want you to move as soon as possible.”
Emma rolled her eyes, and Damon chuckled.
Trent glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to run, so I’ll meet you at home.”
Damon patted his shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
Trent waved on his way out, leaving the two alone.
“Let’s go sit on the swing,” Damon said.
He tugged her out of the house and relaxed on the swing with his arm around her. They sat silently for several minutes, enjoying the sound of birds and the slight breeze.
“This is perfect,” she said and smiled up at him.
Damon ran his finger down her cheek. “Yes, it is, because you’re here.”
Emma wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but she could tell Damon was serious and showing his emotions, which was hard for him to do.
“I couldn’t ask for a better life,” she murmured. “It’s everything I dreamed of and more.”
“Several times when I was in the military, I thought I’d never see you again, and the pain was worse than being shot. I love you so much. You’re my world.”
She couldn’t fathom a life without him, so she put it out of her mind. The important thing was that he was there, and they were together. That’s all that really mattered.
“I love you, too,” she said before she lifted her chin. “Now shut up and kiss me.”
Damon laughed. “There’s my girl.”
He bent his head and kissed her, and it felt like the most magical time in her life, and then all she felt was him.