Chapter Thirty-Two
THREE MONTHS LATER
Kinley
Tossing the empty box toward the front windows, I set the last of my painting supplies on the shelves Rhys installed for me yesterday. The new floor to ceiling windows run the short length of the front of the former pool house.
Knowing I would spend the afternoon unpacking boxes and arranging everything, I dressed in yoga pants, a long-sleeve t-shirt and my slip-on Uggs. My hair is in a messy knot on my head, and I barely put on any makeup. Nothing about how I look right now is sexy.
We ended up gutting the inside of the pool house and installing more windows on the other three walls for natural light, and Rhys has installed every type of shelving and storage I’ve asked for.
Where the wet bar used to be, he put in custom storage racks for my canvases based on a picture I showed him on Pinterest.
He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
The past couple of months have been tense for him at work. He’s been the interim AD while the investigation into Dunn and Sanders is active, which means late nights and some weekends.
He’s been working so hard.
They brought in agents from the field office in Oklahoma City to go through all the evidence. Rhys has been cooperating with them and proving just how perfect and indispensable he really is. But I think I might be biased.
Turns out, Dunn’s been straddling the line of corruption for a long time. His reports over the last twelve years are falsified, with missing money. Rhys says it coincided with the illness and death of his wife, but it looks like he just got greedy after that.
I pegged Sanders right from the first. He’s just a dumbass, but once Dunn caught him stealing, he put a noose on him and blackmailed him at every turn.
The glass door slides open, and Rhys steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around me from behind, his spicy scent and familiar warmth cloaking me, to look at my progress. “Looks good. Is that the last of the boxes?”
Looking down at his exposed forearms and tattoos to his wrists, I immediately think about how good he looked yesterday in his jeans and t-shirt. His back was to me most of the time as I watched his muscles move and ripple as he drilled in brackets and lifted wooden planks.
He had me so hot, I was on him like a monkey in heat as soon as we got in the house.
“Mm-hmm, I’m officially moved in, you’re stuck with me now.” I hug his arms to me and let my head fall back on his collarbone. “You’re home early, easy day?”
Dipping his head to kiss my neck under my ear, I tilt my head to give him access as his lips brush against my earlobe, his warm breath moves across my cheek when he asks, “You’re the one who’s stuck, I’m never letting you go. You up for going out tonight for a nice celebratory dinner?”
I squeal as I turn in his arms and grab his shoulders. “You got it?”
His smile splits his face, and his arms snake around my middle. “You’re looking at the new official Assistant Director Abbot.”
Jumping in his arms, he grabs my ass as I wrap my legs around his hips and pepper kisses across his face.
“I knew you would get it! I could have told them in the beginning you were a shoe-in!” Sliding my fingers through the short hair on the back of his head, I kiss him again.
He smiles when he moves his head back. “You did, huh?”
Lifting my eyebrows, I nod. “I did. I’m so happy for you.” Grabbing his face, I kiss him again.
“Mmm.” He leans his head back again. “You mean happy for us?” His dark eyes are glued to mine.
“You put in all the work; I only kept you up too late after long days, pleasuring myself with this perfect body and big dick.”
His face softens, and his eyes shine with affection. “It was those late nights with you that kept me going through the long days.”
Rubbing my nose against his, I give him my most mischievous smile. “I’m always happy to help.”
Turning serious, his smile falls as his eyes volley between mine. “I’m serious, baby, you’ve become my reason behind everything. I don’t want to ever be without you.”
Shaking my head with a chuckle, I say. “Like I said, I’m not packing that stuff back up again. You’re stuck with me.”
“I’m serious.” He pauses, his eyes holding mine captive and his hands tight under my ass. “Marry me.”
My hands freeze on his neck, and my heart is beating so hard, it feels like my chest is shaking with each thump. To be honest, in the past three months, I’ve wondered more times than I could count if Rhys is the one for me, and every time I’ve answered that question with a solid yes.
“Are you sure?” The words flow over my lips in a whisper with no thought behind them. I don’t even know why that came out instead of one of the thousand ‘yeses’ that are making a wave in my head like they’re in a baseball stadium.
Disappointment flashes in his eyes, but he answers my question anyway. “That first night I kissed you, I knew you were different. I didn’t know what it meant then, but I felt it. I know what it means now, I would go to the ends of the earth for you, babydoll. You’re it for me.
“I don’t have a ring yet. I was waiting until the investigation into Dunn was over to buy one and ask you over a nice dinner, but fuck, Kinley, I want to start our life together now.”
Tightening my legs around his hips, I cup his face between my hands, and he slips his arms around me to hold me tight against him.
“I’ve known for a while you’re the one for me, I just need you to be sure because if you ask me to marry you, Rhys, and I say yes, that’s it.
There’s no going back. You can’t decide a few months from now that I’m too much and change your mind. ”
His lips tip up, and he softly brushes them across mine.
“Oh, you’re too much, baby. You’re almost a slob, you eat too much junk food, and you snore through your nose like a purring kitten.
But you’re my slob, and I don’t think I could sleep without hearing you next to me every night.
I wouldn’t want you any other way.” He pauses, and his gaze moves over my face before his deep voice softens. “Say yes, baby. Say you’ll be my wife.”
I smile and slide my thumb down his beard. “Yes, Rhys, I’ll marry you.”
His lips crash onto mine, and he spins us to pin me between him and the wall. His tongue slides through my lips, his hands are tight around my ribs, his hard body pushes against mine, wedging me as he kisses me throughly, his tongue sliding over mine.
Every synapse in my body comes alive as his large palm cups my breast and pinches the pebbled nipple through my shirt, the sensation sending a shudder of pleasure over me.
Clenching my legs around him tighter, my fingers digging into the skin between his shoulder and neck, a small moan escapes my lips when he grinds his hard length against my wet center.
“Fuck, you feel so good.” I breathe into his mouth, swiveling my hips against him.
Moving his lips across my jaw, kissing every inch before he gets to my neck, he sucks the skin between his lips. Tipping my head against the wall behind me, I can’t focus on anything but the tingles swirling around my core as he rocks his hard cock against my clit through our clothes.
“Rhys.” I want to feel him inside me. No, I need to feel him inside me.
“Yeah, baby.” He nips the skin under my jaw and then slides his tongue over the sting.
The heat of arousal is warming my body, my skin tingling all the way to my toes. “Stop teasing me. I need to feel you.”
Lifting his head to bring us eye to eye, his obsidian orbs locked on mine, he slides his rough hands back to my ass. I suck in a breath when I hear the material of my yoga pants tear, and cool air kisses my skin.
His lips tip up on one side, his voice is husky. “No panties today.”
Slipping my fingers between the buttons on his expensive shirt, I pull it apart, and buttons pop off and scatter everywhere. He lifts a brow and I say, “These were my favorite pants.”
Humor fills his eyes as my fingers trail down the dips and planes of his muscled front and unbuckle his belt.
Pressing his hands against the wall under my arms, he gives me space to unbutton his pants and slip my hand into his boxers, making him hiss through his teeth when I curl my hand around his length.
Setting his forehead against mine, his eyes are heavy as I stroke his length, the skin hot and silky against my palm. A growl rattles up his chest. “Baby, I’ll buy you all the fucking pants you want.”
The inferno burning between my legs has burned up all my patience, and I press his tip to my entrance as I seal my lips over his. He pushes into me in one long thrust, seating himself inside me, and we groan in unison, our breaths hot against our lips.
“Fuck, this pussy.” He mumbles into my mouth as his hands palm my ass again, pulling me open wider.
The heat radiating off him is heavy with his cologne. The spice of cloves wraps around me, making me even wetter, my pussy salivating like Pavlov’s dog.
My fingers dig into his shoulders as I look between us. I watch as he slides into me, making us one with each thrust. His cock head sliding against my sensitive G-spot is winding my insides up like a spring about to snap.
Lifting my eyes, I meet his dark ones full of love and lust, and see my future. And my heart beats even harder as emotions flood my senses.
“I love you.” I pant, pressure pushing against the edges of my core, threatening to detonate.
He presses his forehead to mine again and then his thumb to my clit. “I love you, too, baby. Now come on my cock.”
He slides his thumb in little circles over my clit before pressing again, and I see stars as I cry out. “Rhys!”
“Fuck.” He growls, and he thrusts into me faster and harder, his hips grinding into my skin as he rides out the pulsing of my orgasm. One, two, three more pumps and I feel his release heating my walls.
Sagging against me, our breaths come hard and fast. He brushes his lips against mine. “How about that dinner?”
I smile and tip my head. “I’m starving, Assistant Director.”
His smile brightens his face, and he kisses me again.
My phone buzzing on one of the shelves interrupts the kiss, and he pulls out of me as I slide down his front. When I get closer, a picture of Gray and Lainey Rai is on the screen of my phone, and I pick it up to answer. “Hey, big brother.”
“I hope you’re not too busy tonight.” He says, his voice is low, almost like he’s whispering, and worry pulls my eyebrows together.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” I can hear the smile in his voice, and I let out the breath that lodged in my chest. “I want you to meet someone.”
The baby!
Sucking in a breath of excitement, making Rhys turn to me in alarm, I almost shriek into the phone. “Elly had the baby!”
His deep chuckle vibrates through the phone. “She did. A healthy baby boy, he’s seven pounds eight ounces and twenty-one inches long. I’d like everyone to come meet him.”
Smiling at Rhys, I lift my shoulders in excitement. “Of course, we’ll be there soon.”
An hour later, we walk into my family crowded into Elly’s hospital room. She doesn’t have family here. After her father used her to try to take our land a few years ago, she cut ties with him, and we’ve adopted her as our own.
Marley is standing next to her bed, holding her hand, and they are talking and laughing.
Lainey Rai is sitting on her other side, holding her hand.
She glances at me, and I give her a big smile.
We didn’t have the best beginning since she was the enemy sent to take our land, but since then we have developed a comfortable friendship.
She looks tiny in her hospital bed. She’s only five feet tall, and all the blankets over her make her look like a little girl, especially next to Lainey Rai, who might be taller than her now.
Next to her bed is an empty plastic bassinet, I look around to find the newest addition to our family tucked into my dad’s arm.
Dropping Rhys’s hand, I walk right to my dad and look at the peaceful little face and slide my finger along his soft little forehead. “It’s my turn, Dad.”
Gray steps up beside us, his chest puffed out, pride in every line of his face. “Meet Dawson Gray Harlow.”
As Dad gently hands him off to me, I tuck his head next to my cheek and smell him. I love the smell of babies, and I close my eyes as I get to know his scent.
Unintentionally swaying my body, I slowly rock and turn, my eyes meeting Rhys’s across the room. He’s leaning against the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest and his head tilted as he watches me, affection and love burning in his eyes.
I’ve always told myself that I don’t want children, especially knowing that my mom died because of childbirth. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, she got an infection after they took Breanna home from the hospital, and it spread through her body. It happened so fast that everyone was shocked.
But as I look at the man who means everything to me, something inside of me sparks to life.
Something that I didn’t think existed for me.
My mind pictures a little boy with Rhys’s dark eyes and hair running to me, and my desire for that slams into me hard, almost making me suck in a shocked breath, and I blink back the moisture seeping into my eyes.
An unspoken agreement, a promise for a future I never saw coming, passes between us as we smile at each other.