My Only Reason (Men of Monroe Book 2)

by Rachel Brookes

  I sighed with contentment and felt myself begin to fade.

  “Oh and Freckles, I didn’t need to make you mine again because that’s a title you’ve always owned,” he murmured, leaning in and kissing my forehead softly before his breathing evened out.

  As I smiled against his chest, my eyes grew heavy with fatigue. My arm tightened around his middle, and the last thing I remember thinking before falling into a field of dreams was how right he was.

  I’d always been his, just like he’d always been mine, and I couldn’t wait to watch Austin and Marnie 2.0 bloom.

  Twenty-Seven

  Austin

  “How do we do this?” Marnie’s voice asked in barely a whisper, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I wouldn’t have heard her. “You and me?”

  I’d woken up to Marnie’s warm, naked body curled around my side, her leg over mine and her arm laying over my belly. Her head rested on my chest, allowing her hair to fan out over me and inviting me to run my fingers through it. I’d missed falling asleep with her in my arms and hearing her cute little noises. I woke up thinking I was dreaming, but then memories of last night became clear as day. Having her protect me, then kissing her, fucking her, reconnecting with her. Absolutely perfect.

  I sifted my head slightly to look at her. “What do you mean?”

  “Uh, do we start from where we left off, or are we brand new again?”

  My fingers left her hair and traced along down her spine. “Well, I’m still crazy in love with you, so in my eyes, we are a bit further along than brand new.”

  “You still love me?” Lifting her head, she rested her chin on my chest and gazed up at me with a lazy smile.

  I tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. “I never stopped.”

  Her cheeks flushed before she buried her face back into my chest and tightened her arms around me. We laid in silence as the morning sun burst through her sheer curtains and washed the room in soft orange. Waking up next to her in a tangle of limbs and feeling her soft breaths on my naked chest could only be described as incredible. I’d woken before her and counted the breaths she took until she began to stir. As soon as she realized where she was, she froze for a second before sighing and snuggling into my warmth.

  I had her back.

  Everything I’d said to her was true. I’d never stopped loving her, and I didn’t want us going back and starting new again. Yes, we’d both grown, and we were different in so many ways, but the most important thing was that we were still Austin and Marnie, and that was something we’d always have, and something you could not go back and start again.

  “I never stopped loving you either.” Her fingers traced my chest, and I sucked in a stuttered breath at her words. “Even when I tried desperately to forget you and move on, I still loved you. At one stage, I even tried to convince myself I hated you, but I was lying to myself and my heart. Even when my heart was shattered, every piece still belonged to you. And it always will.”

  I’d been waiting seven years to hear her say these words and I’d never imagined they’d feel as spectacular as they did.

  I lifted her body up over me and crashed my lips onto hers. Her moans flooded my throat as I devoured her mouth while she settled on top of me. She kissed me back with a fierce intensity that told me my girl still got off on kissing like she did when I first called her mine.

  She took control. Her tongue slid into my mouth, tangling with mine as she began to grind on top of me. My cock thickened beneath her, and I was desperate to slide into her pussy and claim her in the morning light. Digging my fingers into the flesh on her hips, I rocked up, and she ground down. She was pure perfection. Tantalizing and tempting and all mine. She continued to kiss the absolute fuck out of me with breath-stealing and lip-bruising kisses.

  “I want to fuck you.” She panted against my mouth as she lifted her hips slightly and rocked the entrance of her pussy over the head of my cock, coating it with her wetness. Fucking hell, that was sexy.

  “My cock’s yours, so use it how you want.”

  I hissed when she wrapped her hand around my cock before she sank down, taking every throbbing inch of me deep inside her tight, warm pussy. Fuck, I missed this feeling. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes as she planted herself on my lap, full of my cock, and sucked in desperate breaths. I stared, drinking in her beauty and consuming the sight of her heaving chest and the heaviness of her perfectly round tits. Every single thing about her was intoxicating, and just as I did years ago, I became a drunk man because of her. She began to rock slowly, then began to ride me. Slow and deep at first, then my girl lost control and slammed down on me, hard and fast. She took what she wanted while giving me everything I needed. Her pants sang in harmony with my groans.

  “You want me to come inside you again?”

  “Mmmhmm.” She panted, leaning back and resting her palms on my thighs and taking me even deeper. “I’m close.”

  Moving one of my hands from her hips, I rubbed my thumb on her clit, and instantly, I felt her pussy clench around my cock, gripping me tightly as she hissed my name. I pressed firmer, and within seconds, her body shuddered on top of me, and her pussy clamped down on my cock as she rode through her orgasm. Mine followed shortly after, flooding her pussy as I groaned her name and grabbed her hips, holding her down on me as I continued to unload within her.

  “You can fuck me anytime you want, Freckles.” I pulled her down until our naked chests molded together. I buried my face in her neck as we both caught our breath. “And we are continuing this naked bedtime routine. No clothes allowed.”

  She giggled and snuggled in close. “Sounds like a perfect plan to me.”

  “You going to snooze for a bit longer?” I murmured, playing with her hair.

  “Mmmm, yeah, got to clean up first.”

  She scrambled off my chest and stumbled into the bathroom, and I couldn’t help my smug grin, knowing her sex legs were brought on partially by me. Once she was done, she walked back into the room, still completely naked, and looking royally fucked.

  “You’re staring.”

  I lifted the blankets when she reached the bed. “Oh, you better believe I’m staring. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those sexy little freckles of yours.”

  She crawled in next to me and wrapped herself back around my side and snuggled in after I covered both of us with her blankets. “My freckles missed you.”

  I chuckled and started running my fingers down her naked back again. “Been waiting for this day for so long. You being mine, and knowing I was yours again. I missed calling you my girlfriend.”

  “So, I’m your girlfriend?” She smirked up at me.

  I pinched her side softly. “Fuck yes, you are.”

  “I guess I can handle that.” She winked, then laid a single kiss on my chest. “So, boyfriend, what do you have going on today?”

  “Well, girlfriend, I have a doctor’s appointment after lunch, and then the rest of the day is clear.”

  Her head flew up from my chest, and her eyes shot wide with worry. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just final clearance to go back to work.”

  Her face blanched. “Austin, shit, were we too rough? Are you okay? Oh god, did I hurt you?”

  I wrapped my hand around the back of her head and pushed it back down to rest on my chest. “I’m fine. I’ve been fine since I left the hospital, and you fucking me like you just did was definitely fine.”

  “Okay.” She snuggled in next to me and hitched her leg over my hip, resting her arm over my belly. “Hey, Austin?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Thanks for not giving up on me or on us when I tried to push you away.”

  I squeezed her tightly and gently kissed her forehead. “There was no chance of that ever happening.”

  My heavy eyes closed, and I began to drift off into dreamland where Marnie and I were together, happy, sated, and in love. Just before I fell into a deep sleep, I realized, that’
s the world I was living.

  “Oh, my freaking god!”

  Marnie and I had just walked hand in hand into the diner, and Missy’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets at the sight of us. I squeezed Marnie’s hand, and she beamed at Missy, who followed us toward a booth.

  “Hey, Missy,” Marnie dropped my hand and slid into one side while I slid into the opposite side.

  Missy gawked down at us, her eyes still wide. “Do not hey Missy me. Is this what I think it is?”

  “Did we just spend the past sixteen or so hours having sex and getting back together? Then yes, it is what you think it is.”

  “Austin!” Marnie laughed, swatting my hand, then grabbing a menu.

  “Ahh! Yes! It’s about damn time.”

  Just then, Ben and Sasha walked through the door and strolled toward us. The first thing I noticed was Sasha’s beaming smile, the second was the massive rock sitting on her left hand. I looked right at Ben, and he looked like he’d just struck gold. Fuck me, he’d proposed.

  As soon as Sasha got to the booth, she lifted her hand and squealed right in the middle of Missy’s Diner.

  “What?!” Missy squealed even louder and grabbed Sasha’s hand and lifted it to her face. Marnie slid out from the booth and joined the girls. “You’re engaged?”

  “Yes! Ben proposed last night. I’m getting married!”

  Ben looked away from the girls and toward me. I slid out and hugged him tightly. Fuck, I was happy for him. “Congrats, man.”

  He nodded, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Thanks. It’s about time I got my ring on her finger.”

  Once the girls stopped squealing, Ben and Sasha joined us. Marnie and Sasha sat on one side, and Ben and I on the other. The two of them constantly talked about the ring, and how Ben proposed, and ideas for weddings. Ben and I discussed the game, me returning to work, and we touched on Marnie and me starting up again.

  “You two good?” Ben asked softly, nodding toward Marnie.

  We were way better than good. I hadn’t felt like this in seven damn years. Having her back, sharing her bed last night and this morning, and having her scent lingering on my skin, fuck, it was phenomenal. But hearing her tell me she’d never stopped loving me, that was the game changer. Hook, line, and sinker.

  Ben’s low chuckle next to me hauled me out of my thoughts. “I’m thinking by the satisfied look that just hit your face that you two are more than good.”

  “Fucking fantastic.” I scratched my chin and looked across at Marnie. When she felt my eyes on her, she glanced up, and the sweetest smile hit her lips.

  “You’re staring,” she mouthed, and I winked in reply.

  “Oh shit, you two are going to be sickly cutesy again, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, mister propose to his girlfriend in their special spot with a picnic and a cake he baked. Yeah, there’s nothing sickly cutesy about that at all,” Marnie taunted, rolling her eyes. “Benji, you’re a big softy who’s always been Mr. Romance.”

  “Jesus, what have you been smoking?”

  Sasha then decided to join in while I just sat back, enjoying the show. “Ben, you are pretty romantic. Remember the time you—”

  “Can we please get off this topic?” He cut her off and grabbed a menu. “How about we order some food? I’m sure everyone is famished.”

  “Are you implying that we’ve all been doing strenuous activities this morning?”

  Marnie was notorious for pushing Ben’s buttons, and the smug look on her face and the devious twinkle in her eye told me she was getting ready to press them hard. I buckled in for the show after tapping Sasha’s foot under the table and nodding toward Ben and Marnie, silently telling her to get ready for the show.

  “MJ, I’m not falling for this.” Ben didn’t look up from the menu as he scanned the options that he’d already had memorized, seeing we’d been coming here for years.

  “Falling for what? I’m asking you a simple question. I know for a fact that Austin and I haven’t been to the gym, or running, hell, we haven’t even gone out walking. So I’m just trying to figure out why we’d be famished.”

  “Control her,” Ben shot at me, and I just gave him a shit-eating grin in reply.

  “Wait, are you saying you and Sasha have been physically active this morning? Oh, I didn’t have you two as workout buddies. Did you work up a sweat? Really work those deep muscles that need a lot of stretching afterward, maybe even a massage? I bet there was a lot of groaning and panting, and maybe even some Ben, yes, right there when Sasha asked you to go deeper. You know deep with the massage.”

  “I’m really beginning to regret being excited about having you back in Monroe.” Ben threw a napkin at Marnie’s head. “Now, can we please order some food?”

  “Okay, Benji, but just so you know.” She held his gaze and smirked. “I went riding this morning. A satisfying, long, intense ride. That’s why I’m famished.”

  The whole table erupted in loud laughter. Sasha smacked the table, Ben shook his head, and I beamed with pride while Marnie sat back looking very damn proud of herself.

  Marnie-1

  Ben-0

  Twenty-Eight

  Marnie

  It honestly felt like no time had passed between Austin and me, which was scary, awesome, and mind-blowing all at the same time. And the weirdest thing was that everyone just acted like we’d always been together. Yes, there was the initial shriek of excitement from Cora and the misty eyes from Mom, but then he just slid right back into the Lavender family like he’d been there every day for the past seven years.

  And for me, you guessed it, he slid right back into my heart and fit perfectly into the hole he left seven years ago.

  “Can we call in sick?” he murmured against my neck, his hand traveling over my body as he spooned me from behind. “You’re warm and snuggly.”

  For a big guy who was ridiculously stubborn, and wasn’t afraid to take what he needed, and gave me what I wanted repeatedly, he sure was cute when he first woke up. I spun around on the bed until I faced him and pressed my naked body firmly against his. Being in his arms again and falling asleep to his soft breathing was all I remembered it to be, yet so much more. My body fit perfectly with his, and his with mine.

  “Do you think we’ve changed?”

  One of his eyes opened. “Yes.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t expecting him to answer so quickly, so it surprised me. “Um, how?”

  He opened both of his heavy eyes, and amusement stared back at me. Running his fingers through my hair, he pushed it back from my face before resting an arm over my waist and commencing to drawing circles on my bare back.

  “The biggest and most shocking change about you, and it was almost a deal breaker, was that you’re now a wine drinker. My girl is a whiskey girl. You never liked that shit when we were first dating, but now you’re chugging it back every chance you get. You’ve changed, Marnie. You’re practically a stranger.”

  I stared at him for a beat before bursting out laughing and slapping his chest. “You’re an ass!”

  His body shook against mine, and his arm tightened around my middle.

  “I’ll have you know that I’m still not a huge fan. I was just trying to impress your friends, and I didn’t want to be the girl who asked for whiskey at Wine Time Wednesday. I was trying to make a good impression.”

  “The funny thing is that Sasha and Missy probably would have joined you and had whiskey.”

  “You tell me that now!”

  “Well, you were avoiding me and giving me the Marnie Lavender cold shoulder while pretending you didn’t love me back then. Plus, I did point out where the whiskey was at Ben’s. You were just too stubborn to do anything I suggested.” He raised a brow and waited for my comeback. But I had nothing, so I did the only thing I could think of.

  “Pfft!”

  His deep chuckle vibrated through my body, and I closed my eyes for a moment. This was nice. God, I missed this. Early morning cha
ts before the day started, laughter and being in his arms.

  “And just so you know, yes, I think we’ve changed. We appreciate each other more because of the time we spent apart, and for me, I truly understand what having your love is now that I lived years without it. And I am never ever fucking that up again because I refuse to live without it again.”

  “Never apart again.” I lifted my mouth to his and kissed him softly. His arm pulled me in closer, and I molded against him.

  “Are we pretending we’re sick, or what?” he mumbled against my mouth. “Because if we’re not, I’m going to be inside you in about 2.5 seconds so I can enjoy you for as long as I can before we have to be adults and go to work.”

  I giggled and pressed myself up closer. “Time’s up, slide on in.”

  And he did just that, and yes, even though it was hot, fast sex, I was still late for work.

  “Hi, can I help you?” Finn’s cheery voice greeted a new customer as I finished up collating today’s online orders next to him. I was making notes on what extra supplies I’d need to order in for the week when a sense of unease trampled down my spine. The obnoxiously loud click of heels hitting the wooden floorboards grew closer and pulled my attention from what I was working on, and the moment I looked up, I dropped the pen and rounded the workbench.

  This was not happening.

  “You are not welcome here,” I hissed at Austin’s mother who observed me with a look of disdain. “Turn around and leave. Now.”

  She picked up one of the bouquets Finn had just finished putting together and lifted it to her nose. “You cannot turn me away. I’m a paying customer.”

  “I can, and I will.”

  I hadn’t seen her since I told her exactly how I felt about her at Hamilton’s. At the time, I was slightly embarrassed by how I behaved, but it seemed to work out for me in the end because Austin and I become us again, and I’d never been happier.