Epilogue
L ily
Ethan is nibbling on my neck, his hand grazing over my chest, cupping my breast with gentle possession. A tired groan escapes my chest. “I can’t,” I whimper. “I’m too tired.”
“Sorry, love,” he whispers into the dark of my bedroom. The mattress shifts as he pulls away. “I’ll stop, I promise.” There’s a pause, and his breath is hot against my ear. “Just one last kiss?”
My heart grows light as air. How did my life change so much in the span of a month? Just last week, Mason was finally held accountable. First, he was kicked off the Hawks, and yesterday, the full truth finally came out to the whole campus. My interview about the rape was published in the campus newspaper.
The very evening it was released, a girl DMed me. She didn’t say much, but she told me she had her own story about Mason to share. She asked me to meet with her and said she thought I was the only person in the world who could understand.
My heart swelled with a mixture of relief and sorrow. If only I had shared my story sooner. But at least I did. I finally let go of my longing for the old Lily so that I could become a version of her who’s resilient.
And now here I am. Ready to drift off to sleep in the bedroom that once filled me with restless dread. The only thing left to do is turnaround my grades, but it no longer feels so daunting. Resilient Lily can take on any obstacle, all because of this wonderful man who taught her that pain can’t be run from. It only leads to more pain.
“Okay, one more kiss,” I whisper.
In a flash, he’s on top of me again. His kiss starts slow and soft, but then it grows more passionate. Hungry.
His hips grind against mine. The touch of his thumb against my nipple sends a jolt through me, and I’m pulled out of my dreamy haze.
When his hand slips between my legs, I giggle. “This definitely escalated beyond a simple goodnight kiss.”
Ethan rolls off me, and the moonlight from the window casts a soft glow on the sharp angles of his face. “I guess I got carried away. You’re too delicious.”
“Alright, fine.” I smile. “Now that I’m awake, you might as well wear me out with another round.”
“Are you sure?”
I snort. “Yes, big guy.”
“Prepare yourself,” he says huskily. “You don’t have to do any work, but I want to feel every perfect inch of this pussy.” He pokes his finger inside me. “It belongs to me now.”
I snort at his possessive words. How strange that they don’t make me feel the slightest bit caged. He owns me because I gave myself to him freely. And I own him.
I trace the line of his jaw, and warmth surges through me like an unstoppable tide. He’s my missing piece.
His brow furrows. “What are you thinking about?”
“I think I want to marry you someday,” I whisper.
Ethan’s body stills, and his eyes grow wide. Then, as if understanding dawns, his expression transforms. Happiness blooms across his features, as radiant as the sun sparkling on the ocean.
“Really?” The question is breathless.
“Really.”
“But I thought… I’m okay if you never want to get married.”
I sigh. “I know, but I changed my mind.”
He narrows his eyes, looking so adorably skeptical I want to laugh. “How could you change your mind that quickly about something so huge?”
I smile. “You’re learning the difference between me and you. You’re devoted to your principles and opinions, and I’m a slut with mine. My plan to never get married no longer serves me. Not when I’ve found the love of my life. So it’s gone.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Ethan bursts into laughter, his chest vibrating against mine.
I frown. “I’m sorry? I just told you I wanted to marry you, and you’re laughing?”
His chuckles fade as he stares at me with hooded eyes. He runs his fingers through the hair behind my ear. “I was just thinking I kept my virginity pledge after all.” His eyes twinkle. “I did lose my virginity to my future wife.”
I laugh, and the sound bubbles from deep within me and echoes through the room.
“It doesn’t matter, though,” he says. “I would have ‘lived in sin,’ as Christian’s say, for the rest of my life if it meant keeping you.” His expression grows serious. “I might be moving out of state at the end of the year, so we’ll need to make a plan. If I make it to the NFL, I’ll have plenty of money to fly you out to see me. We can do it monthly, and we’ll have plenty of FaceTime dates and?—”
I silence him with a kiss. “Relax, lord and master. You don’t have to plan out my entire life in one night. You’re making me tired again.”
He grins. “Then I guess I’ll have to wake you up.”
And he does.
He loves me slowly and tenderly, with all the patience of a man who adores me flaws and all. His touch is deliberate, worshipful, as if he’s memorizing the feel of my skin under his fingertips. The steady rhythm of our bodies moving together lulls me into a state of half-conscious bliss.
I called it “another round” earlier. What an understatement.
This is the beginning of forever.