A Year in His Life

by Eunice Hart

  “Do you love me or not?

  ’cause my heart’s about to rot…”

  Why hadn’t he given her a response yet? She’d been expecting him to since the night he promised to give her one. The longer he took, the more questions filled Elena’s mind. Why was he taking so long? Was he considering breaking up with her somehow? What in the world was going on?

  She and Justin were still cool with each other – they went on dates, had lots of sex, played with Madison – not to mention that living with him was a breeze – but the topic of marriage still hung in the air between them – unspoken, unaddressed, but still there. And Elena could not stop thinking about it, no matter how much she tried. Every time she saw Justin or thought of him, her heart gave a leap and she began wondering what his response was.

  “…is it yes or no?

  Will you kiss me or let me go?

  Is it yes or no?

  Will you kiss me and let me go?”

  Maybe he was planning to break up with her but wasn’t sure how to go about it yet. Maybe he was being so quiet about the topic in the hopes that she would somehow forget about it completely. There were so many possibilities swirling through her mind.

  But just how much good would it do to her if she kept on worrying like this?

  She brought the strumming to an abrupt end and rose from the stool, trying to suppress the lump that was forming in her throat. Almost immediately, applause rang out in the bar. Elena gazed up, past the many empty seats, at Giselle and Martha, who were leaning against the counter, beaming at her as they clapped.

  “Perfecto!” Martha said, as Giselle whistled appreciatively. “I have to hand it to you, you did really great on that song. How long have you been working on it?”

  Elena grinned at them forcing the lump to dissipate, and approached her friends. “Less than a week.”

  “The customers are going to love you tonight, girl,” said Giselle, shooting her a wink. “Say, what inspired you to write that song?”

  Her question nearly made Elena freeze. How was she supposed to tell them that she’d written a song because her boyfriend was being mute about their marriage? Even if she did try to tell them, she’d probably break down before she got to the half of it. Elena wasn’t sure why all of this bothered her so much. It had been a long time since a man made her feel so emotional.

  “The idea came to me while I was doing the dishes at home,” she told them.

  That was part of the truth.

  Giselle looked as though she wanted to say something, but before she could, Elena’s phone rang. Setting her guitar down, she fished the phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.

  “It’s Justin!” she exclaimed.

  Giselle and Martha exchanged looks.

  “You sound awfully surprised,” Martha said, looking at has though she thought she might have lost her marbles. “What’s so mind-blowing about Justin giving you a call in the middle of the day? He does that nearly all the time.”

  “I preferred it months ago when you guys would scream with me,” Elena said with a roll of her eyes. She put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  Justin’s voice was soft and sweet to the ear. “Hey, babe. What’s up?”

  “Oh, nothing much. Just hanging out at the bar with my Giselle and Martha, working on a new song I wrote.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Giselle miming something that looked like a smitten girl to Martha, who burst into uncontrollable giggles. Elena smiled and turned away. “How are you?”

  “To be honest, I feel pretty great.”

  “That’s nice to hear.”

  “Yeah.” There was silence on the other end for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Justin said, “Hey, would you like to go on a date this Saturday?”

  Elena’s heart began fluttering rapidly. There was normally nothing special about him wanting to take her out, especially since they’d been dating for months, but this…something about this sounded different. And she was nothing if not willing to go on that date.

  “Sure thing,” she said. “Where are we going?”

  She could almost sense him grinning from ear to ear as he said, “It’s a surprise.”

  A thrill raced through her. “I can’t wait to find out what it is.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, come on, it’s only a couple of days away. I’m sure you can wait that long.”

  It took her a few seconds to realize that she was smiling like an idiot. By the time she finally hung up, Giselle and Martha were looking at her like she might have a contagious madness.

  ***

  Their date was at Long Island. On a yacht.

  Elena had to remind herself nearly a hundred times that she wasn’t dreaming. She really was going on a date with Justin on a yacht! She couldn’t help beaming as she let herself be led towards the majestic white vessel, their white linen clothes fluttering in the breeze sweeping onto the shore. She gave his hand a tight squeeze as they climbed aboard and Justin motioned to the captain, a squat man with a big beard to start the engines.

  She was even more stunned when he led her below deck. It was brightly lit, with plush seats circling a small round table on which several dishes sat. Elena stood rooted to the spot, certain that if she moved, she might collapse.

  “You like it?” Justin asked with a chuckle.

  “Like it?” She looked at him like he’d just said something incredibly stupid. “I love it! When you said you were going to surprise me, I thought it would be some other way, but this…this is insane! Gosh! Do you own the yacht?”

  He shook his head. “Want me to buy it?”

  “No, it’s unnecessary.” She waved her hand dismissively and clutched his arm, allowing him to lead her to the table. They sat down and uncovered dishes laden with more food than Elena could measure. Grinning at him, still finding it hard to believe that all of this was real, she dug in. While they ate, they made small talk every now and then.

  “There’s something I need to talk to you about,” he said suddenly, looking very serious.

  Elena’s pulse quickened, but somehow she managed to maintain a calm expression. “Spill.”

  Justin sucked in a deep breath. “A couple of days back, an ex-girlfriend, Alicia, paid me a visit at my office.”

  She froze with her fork raised to her mouth, staring at him. Why had an ex visited him at his office? And why was he telling her this now, while they were on what might’ve been the greatest date of her life?

  “Okay,” was all she said.

  “We talked a little,” Justin said. “But also, a lot. And then she tried to get into my pants.”

  The fork slipped between Elena’s fingers and clattered onto her plate. Her eyes grew wide with horror and, she soon realized, rage. “She did what?”

  She was surprised to see how calm he still was after saying this. He raised both hands to calm her down. “Don’t worry about it, I didn’t give in. I would never give in. I sent her out of my office and made sure she never gets in again.”

  It took her a moment to realize she was breathing hard. She closed her eyes and counted to three, then picked up her fork, thankful for this Alicia person that she wasn’t standing within striking range right now. That fork would have otherwise been covered in something that wasn’t ketchup.

  “Good,” she said, having finally calmed down. She didn’t want to talk about the matter anymore, but her curiosity got the better of her. “So, what did you wanted to talk about?”

  Justin bit his lip. “Me, her, you.” He was quiet for a moment, then he added, “Us.”

  “Us?” Why was Elena’s mind suddenly screaming, “Threesome!”? “And?”

  “I’m getting to that. How’s Madison?” Justin suddenly wanted to know. “I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  How did this correlate with what they’d been talking about? “She’s fine, she’s at her grandmother’s place for the weekend. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she finds out that I was on a yac
ht with you.”

  He gave a small smile. “She won’t be impressed for long.”

  Elena frowned at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means –” Justin stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back “– that I’m going to be around for a very long time, and I’m going to make sure both of you enjoy every second of it.”

  With that, he went down on one knee and her heart nearly skipped a beat. Was he about to do what she thought he was about to do?

  “Elena,” Justin said, “I love you. I don’t know if it’s too early or too late –”

  “Justin, what –?”

  “– and I don’t care, either. I’ve come to realize that you are the one I want to be with for the rest of my life. That is, if you’ll let me.”

  Was it just her or was her breath seizing? This man gave the words “you take my breath away” a literal meaning. She watched, her heart pounding harder than ever, as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a little white box.

  “Elena Matthews,” he said, opening it slowly; inside was a diamond ring that gleamed so brightly it nearly blinded her, “will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Elena stared at him, unable to say a word. She really couldn’t breathe.

  Okay, something was definitely wrong with her.

  “Yes,” she finally managed to gasp. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Justin.”

  Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the deck.

  ***

  Elena came to on a bed in a lit compartment, with absolutely no idea how she’d gotten there. She blinked several times to gain focus, then looked around. The compartment was a fairly large cabin. Looking out the portholes, she could see that it was dark outside. Elena turned her head. Justin was standing over her, a big smile on his face.

  “What happened?” she said groggily.

  “You fainted,” he told her. “I guess the shock of getting proposed to really got to you.”

  And then the memory of everything that had happened came rushing back to meet her. Justin had proposed to her right before she lost consciousness. She raised her left hand and was delighted to see the gleaming diamond ring on her fourth finger. He must have slipped it on while she was unconscious.

  “Oh, my God,” she gushed, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. “Giselle and Martha are going to lose their minds when they see this. I can’t believe you and I are actually going to get married.”

  It all still felt like a weird dream. The very thing she’d been worrying wouldn’t happen for weeks had finally happened. Not only were she and Justin not breaking up, but they were also going to get wedded! More than half of the entire female population would give up their most prized possessions just to be her for a second.

  “I love you so much, Elena,” Justin said, settling down on the bed beside her and stroking her hair. Elena’s heart gave a leap.

  “I love you, too, Justin,” she replied.

  He bent to kiss her forehead. A shiver raced through her entire body as his lips made contact with her skin. The next thing she knew, her own lips were crashing against his and she was kissing him like she had never kissed anyone before and he was kissing her back. She wound her arms around him and pulled him closer so that he was directly on top of her, and was pleased when she felt his arm slide underneath her and cup her buttock.

  Justin broke the kiss and stared into her eyes. “Is this really happening?”

  She nodded. “It’s happening.”

  “You sure you’re medically okay to –”

  “Just shut up and kiss me!” she grabbed his head and pulled him down, crashing her lips against his and letting him part hers. His tongue flicked against the entrance of her mouth and made its way inside, exploring. At the same time, his hands did some exploring of their own. One snaked its way up her body and grabbed a breast, squeezing it gently. Elena could feel him through the linen as though it wasn’t even there.

  Their kiss deepened, and she felt her clothes gently sliding off her. By the time they broke the kiss again, she was completely naked. She looked at Justin and was pleased to find that he, too was gloriously nude. His member swayed before him, long and hard, poking her entrance. Elena felt a rush; it took her all of her willpower to keep from thrusting her hips upward to get him inside her. Oh, what she wouldn’t do to have him filling her again, sending wonderful sensations through her body!

  She let out a gasp as he bent low and began to suck on her nipples, teasing them with the tip of his tongue. In retaliation, she reached down and grabbed his throbbing shaft, stroking it gently in her hand, relishing the way he shuddered and moaned. Then, without warning, she positioned him at her entrance and jerked her hips upward, taking all of him into her at once.

  Their eyes widened at the same time, and their moans filled the cabin. Elena threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down, encircling his waist with their legs. Justin leaned down and planted a hot kiss on her neck, causing a moan to part her lips. Oh, how she loved the feel of his lips. She gasped as he began to move, sliding in and out of her in a slow rhythm. She loved the way he filled her, touching her in all the right places. With each slow, deliberate movement that he made, Elena felt her pleasure build up.

  Justin cupped her cheek in his hand and stared at her, with awe in his eyes as he pushed into her. Elena could only imagine what thoughts were going through his mind right now. Was he thinking of how wonderful the sex was? Was it the fact that she thought she was absolutely marvelous even if others didn’t? Or was he just mighty excited that she’d accepted his marriage proposal? Elena couldn’t be sure. She hoped he would say something, and her heart thudded against her ribcage when he finally did, stroking her hair and running his hand along her cheek.

  “You’re greater than anything I could ever ask for,” he said, and from the look in his eyes, she could tell he meant it. Her chest swelled with emotion, rising at the same pace as the sensations inside of her.

  All of a sudden, he quickened his pace, slamming into her so that she cried out in surprise and pleasure. Justin braced his hands on the bed on both sides of her as he jerked his hips, his breathing becoming harsher than ever.

  I’m having sex with a gorgeous billionaire on a yacht. The thought rolled through Elena’s mind at a speed to match Justin’s thrusts. I’m in bed with the man I love with all my heart.

  “Harder! Go faster!” erupted a cry. It dawned on her that it had come from her.

  Justin was definitely willing. Before the words were even out of her mouth, he’d begun jerking his hips more rapidly. He slammed into her with the force of a battering ram, easing himself out and giving her just enough time to blink before he drove right in again. Elena didn’t hold her moans back; her sounds filled the room, coupled with the sound of Justin’s testicles slapping against her derriere. Her breasts jiggled between them, rather wildly, his harsh breaths hitting her just below the jaw.

  Suddenly she decided she’d had enough. With surprising strength, she shoved him off her. Justin’s eyes widened with shock for a second, but that was all the time Elena needed. Without warning, she sat stride him and grinded her firm bottom against him, relishing the way he stiffened and pulsed beneath her. Having teased him to her satisfaction, she positioned his rock-hard cock at her hot, dripping entrance and, without a millisecond’s hesitation, impaled herself on him.

  Elena had experienced thrills and gotten bored with them before long. This – being with Justin – was not one of them.

  With a soft whimper, she began to move, rising and falling back onto his shaft. Beneath her, Justin’s eyes widened, then narrowed, then widened again. Elena let out a soft sigh and rocked her hips back and forth, allowing him to stretch her even more. When she clenched her inner muscles around him, Justin nearly howled his pleasure. She quickened her pace, splaying her hands on his chest. Justin grabbed her hips to steady her as she rode him for all she was worth. She could feel her pleasure mounting, and from the way his
jaw clenched, she could tell that he, too, would soon find his release.

  She stared down at the glorious looking man that lay beneath her, looking back at her, his eyes reflecting the passion that she knew must fill hers as well. God, he was so beautiful, so sexy, so…perfect. How she’d even managed to score a man like this was still a bit of a mystery to her.

  But he was hers now. He’s proposed to her, slipped a ring into her finger. He’d made love to her like no other. Justin was no doubt the one for her. And she was sure she was the one for him. This was her fiancé. This was the man she was going to be with. This was the man who made her happiest.

  This was the love of her life.

  She couldn’t afford to lose him, no matter what.

  Elena barely registered the feeling of his hand trailing a path from her hip to her wet core. Justin placed his thumb at the spot where they were both joined and stroked her, softly at first, then with some more pressure, and Elena knew her moment was upon her. She felt her insides tighten around his cock as her pleasure reached its peak. Justin stroked her nub harder and she dug her nails into his chest as her orgasm rolled out of her with the force of a tidal wave. Elena threw her head back and let out an unearthly scream, filling the cabin with the sound of the name of the man she loved.

  “Oh, shit, I’m close,” Justin gasped, and he began jackhammering into her, both hands back on her hips, his expression a mixture of amazement and ecstasy. Elena decided to help by clenching her inner muscles around him again and he let out a loud groan that reverberated from the walls of the cabin. Both lovers felt the sensations flow through them. Justin’s seed began to erupt into her and she leaned down and kissed him, muffling his sounds. They held each other as they reached their peaks. Elena was sure this wonderful feeling would never stop. She would give anything to remain like this. Heck, the entire world could go up in flames and she wouldn’t even be fazed.

  And then it was over. Elena broke the kiss and lifted her head. Justin was smiling.

  “You nearly woke the entire world with your screams,” he told her.