by Stacey Lynn
He adjusts us and slides into me.
“Oh my God.” My head hits the walls as he fills me. His hand presses against the door by my head, arms bunching and flexing. And Good Lord, I’d forgotten how completely perfect he felt inside of me.
“Shit. So damn hot,” he says. Jonas drops his head to mine, sealing us together where an atom of space can’t be found between us, and as he kisses me again, he promises, “We’ll talk about that later, too. But you have to know even if there was someone else, it’s always been you, Caitlin.” As if to prove his point, he pulls back, slams inside of me again, groaning. “Always. Only you.”
I no longer care, no longer know why there’s anything I have been upset about since we walked into his apartment because with his scent of man, the hint of his shampoo, the way his body feels pressed against mine and lodged so deep inside of me, I’m no longer capable of producing another coherent thought besides my response.
“Only you. It’s always been you, Jonas.”
“Jesus,” he says, and kisses me again. He slams against me, hips moving, and then we’re clasping hands, and he gasps and as we come together, my sex pulsing around him as he finds his own release, I no longer care about other women in his life.
I only care that he’s now mine, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep him forever.
Chapter 24
Jonas
The scent of Caitlin’s shampoo and the heat from her petite frame infiltrate my senses before I open my eyes. The sun is coming in through the window, the gentle glow telling me that while it’s morning, I haven’t slept in. It’s really freaking early, but I don’t care. I’d lose hours of sleep if it means I get to wake up with Caitlin cradled in my arms.
I’m on my back, and she’s curled up right against me. My hand is at her lower back, and hers? Her slim fingers are tucked just inside the waistband of the boxers I threw on last night after I cleaned up the last time.
She arches and straightens her legs, groaning as she stretches and wakes up.
“Morning.” I kiss the top of her head and hold her tighter.
“I need to tell you something,” she says, “about why this has been so hard for me. Or at least, part of the reason.”
She doesn’t remember mentioning it before. I’m not surprised with how drunk she ended up being that night, but as much as I want to hear her tell me everything she needs to, the last thing I want marring this morning is memories of that. I’m liable to demand the asshole’s name so I can smash my fist into his face.
She has a lifetime to talk to me about it.
“I already know.”
“You can’t.” Her brows furrow. I slide my thumb over one until she relaxes. “I’ve never told anyone.”
“You mentioned it that night I walked you home, honey.” My hand is at her hair, brushing it out of her face. Caitlin’s eyes widen with surprise, but I continue before she says anything. “But you also have to know that Trey told me after I signed up for the app. He suspected he knew why I did it and wanted me to know the kind of fight I had on my hands. Are you mad at him? Or me for not telling you sooner?”
Her lips press together at that. She’s so adorably cute even while she’s thinking. “Well, no. I suppose it saves me from having to think about it.”
“Someday, I want to hear all about it from you, and more about your parents, but not today, okay? Let’s not ruin this perfect beginning with an upsetting past.”
She’s silent for a beat, turns her head so her lips press against my shoulder. The softness of her lips, the feel of her body, has everything below the waist sparking and sizzling to life. My dick likes the idea of being inside of her so much.
“I’ll let it go for now,” she says, whispering, and her tone has taken that pained one from last night, and I know where she’s going but she says it before I can move us off this subject. “I want you to know, there’s been no one since you.”
I expel a breath, hold her tight, and roll us so she’s on top of me. Her legs spread wide, straddling my waist, and my dick is now so hard it’s already seeking entrance into her.
“Oh,” she gasps, and her hands curl into my shoulders. Her face is so close to mine I slide my hand to the back of her neck and pull her toward me. “I like knowing that, honey. I do, but—”
“Were you safe with her?” She chews on her bottom lip.
“Always.” Every time. “I still want to get tested first.” She deserves it.
“I trust you, Jonas. But this…I want to have this. All of you.”
Oh Jesus. My dick jumps, presses against the crease of her ass, and good God, a woman wanting that from me, I’ve never even considered it. The last thing I’d needed was a little Reeves running around before I was ready, and now I know, I’ve been waiting for Caitlin my entire life.
“Caitlin, we can wait.” I’m losing my fight on my self-control, though. Her ass is rubbing against me, and her nipples, a dark pink and so perfect, are already hardening, showing her excitement. Her wetness slides against me, and damn it all, I’m totally giving in.
“Please, Jonas.” Her tone is pleading. Begging. She whimpers as I grip her ass, rub her against me, and at the same time, I’m already wrapping my hand around my dick. Sliding it through her folds.
“Yes,” she sighs and she presses her mouth to mine.
“Fuck,” I groan, as I take her. Her mouth and her pussy. I slide into her slowly, and there has never been anything more beautiful in my life than this moment.
Caitlin is spread out on top of me, her red hair a tangled curtain around us, and as we make love, it’s only she and I, blocking out the rest of the world.
Her cute little needy sounds quicken, and I roll us. The first time I cum inside of her I want to be able to see every expression of her face. Have my hands on her tits. My mouth on hers, claiming her in a way I’ve never felt so desperate for. We find our rhythm instantly, like our bodies were made to be joined, and I can’t take my eyes off her. The way her lids flutter. The way her jaw clenches as I hit that perfect spot inside of her. And, damn. Ungloved is the only way to go for the rest of my life. She feels incredible and her body was made for me.
Caitlin is made for me.
Her hips arch. Mine roll as I slam deep inside. I can’t get deep enough, and my thrusts become more frantic, like I’m trying to find her soul through my dick. I can’t get close enough, and I fall to my elbows, take her mouth right as her climax hits. She pulses around me and it’s not long before I’m following her, swallowing her cries while she takes my groans and my weight, all of me inside her.
“Goodness,” she whispers. She’s panting. My heart is thundering against my chest. My body is sweaty, and her hands feel so damn good as she swipes them up and down my back. I could stay like this for the rest of my day, my life, and never feel like I’m missing out on anything.
“I love you.” I kiss her with my admission, and she squeezes me from the inside as she wraps her trim legs around my hips.
“I love you, too.”
I slide my lips across her jaw. Her throat. And, damn. With her heat around me, her body beneath me, I can’t think of anything except how much I love her, and so I tell her again, and again, kissing my way across her collarbone, her shoulder, everywhere I can reach, worshipping her the way I’ve wanted to do for what feels like an eternity.
It’s just she and I, cocooned in my bed, the only sounds our breaths and our whispers as we find round two, moving even slower, taking our time, and when we’re done and she’s curled in my arms, tired again already, there’s only one thing on my mind.
And that’s her bare finger I’m sliding a ring on as soon as I can.
Her phone rings, and she cringes as she reaches for her phone. “It’s Trey, and it’s late. He’s probably wondering where I am.”
I cover her hand with mine before she can answer it. “Take the day off. Spend it with me.”
She curls until she’s facing me, blush on her cheeks and a smil
e stretching wide. “All day? Doing this?”
“No.” I take her hand and slide my thumb over her left ring finger. Now that the thought has taken hold, it’s sprouting roots and growing fast. “No, but maybe later. I want us to get dressed and go to a store, pick out your engagement ring.”
It’s not the most romantic way to propose. I’ll think of something better later, but I’m not wasting a minute in making her mine.
“What?” Her fingers curl around mine, gripping my hand. “Did you just say—”
“Marry me, Caitlin.” I whisper it against her mouth. “I wasn’t planning this, but we’ve wasted enough time. Marry me and spend the rest of your life with me. Please.”
Shit. It’s too soon. Her eyes widen and her body has frozen and I don’t care. It’s asking a lot of her, but there’s not a damn ounce of uncertainty in my mind that this woman is the only one for me.
“What do you say?” I ask when she still hasn’t said anything.
A slow smile spreads on her face, and she tosses her phone off the bed. “Yes, Jonas. I’ll marry you.”
Epilogue
Caitlin
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” croons from the Bluetooth speaker on our new mantel. A year ago, I was spending Christmas on the coast with Corbin and Teagan and Trey. and this year, I’m surrounded by my unpacked boxes, piles of wrapping paper, and a tree that has been strung with lights and a star on top, but not much else.
In front of me is my pile of gifts I’ve bought for Jonas, and they have to get wrapped before he gets home from work.
The most important gift I’m giving him? The receipt of purchase that I’ve signed up to start the new year doing what he’s been wanting me to do for almost a full year now. I have resigned from working with Trey after years of being his right-hand woman, and once January starts, I’m going into business with my husband.
That’s right. The girl who never wanted to be married is now married and will soon be a sommelier so I can spend all the time I want with the guy who refuses to leave my side.
Also because there’s a giant swell in my belly that makes him insufferably adorable.
Twins are coming. A boy and a girl, and as soon as we found out I was pregnant, approximately five weeks after our honeymoon in June, Jonas and I immediately began looking for a townhome. Both of our apartments were too small, and thank goodness we did because when our first ultrasound revealed two little gummy bears swimming around in my stomach versus one, I wasn’t exactly sure which one of us was going to faint first.
Fortunately, it was neither, and just like everything else Jonas does when he gets an idea in his head, he’s barreled into impending fatherhood with the same tenacity as he’s done with expanding Dirty Martini’s.
It really is the most wonderful time of year.
I lean forward, groaning at the way my massive belly seems to grow more and more every day. At almost five months pregnant, I have no idea how much larger I can get, but a girl who’s only five-two only has so much room to grow, and most of it’s straight out.
I rip off a piece of tape and attempt to fold the paper, and by the time I’m done wrapping my presents, grunting and maneuvering my body into uncomfortable positions to get the job done, my ankles are swollen, a new and recent and much despised development, and I have sweat trickling down the back of my neck.
“Good Lord,” I groan again and push up from the couch. My hands go to my lower back, rubbing the aches and pains away, and I once again survey our new living room. We closed a couple of weeks ago, in plenty of time to get moved in before Christmas, but there’s still so much to do.
And so little energy. I swear these babies are aliens, sucking all my energy out of me. And yet, they’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me outside of Jonas. Currently, I’m pretty sure the babies are in a UFC match inside my belly. They flip and flop almost constantly, especially loving the early morning and overnight hours to get in their daily exercise.
Jonas tells me my mothering books say I should eat less spicy food at night and they might not be so active. I have no idea why he thinks inhaling a jar of salsa a day is unreasonable.
I have moments of fear, wondering how in the world I’ll be able to be a decent parent when I had such shitty examples, but then I realize all I have to do is the exact opposite of what my parents did, and I’ll be just fine.
The door opens as I’m bent over a box of Christmas ornaments. My goal is to have everything done and decorated by the time Teagan and Corbin arrive in a few days. With me being pregnant, Jonas insisted we not travel this year for the holiday, even though I’m plenty capable of sitting in a car for a few hours.
“What are you doing?” Jonas asks, coming up behind me. His hands immediately go to my waist, and he steadies me unnecessarily as I attempt to decorate the higher parts of the tree first. “I told you I’d help when I get home?”
He turns me and I fall back to my heels, tipping my head back. “I can decorate a tree. I’m pregnant, not incapable.”
He huffs. It’s the same sound he makes every time I mention something along the lines of women doing this since the beginning of time and he has to chill out. Who would have thought laid-back Jonas would go unbelievably caveman protective with babies on the way? It’d drive me crazy if he didn’t look so damn sexy with his stern face.
“You’re working too hard and you have to take it easy.” His hand slides to my belly and stays there. “You’re carrying precious cargo.”
This man. He’s given me everything I’ve desired and so much more than I ever imagined.
“You’re impossible,” I mutter, leaning forward until he kisses me. My belly is so big it’s hard for us to get close. It also requires a bit of creativity in other areas that I have definitely enjoyed exploring over the last couple of months. “And I love you.”
“I’m impossibly in love with you and our babies,” he replies and tugs me closer. “Now let’s get you off your feet so you can rest.”
I grin against his mouth. “I’m not tired.”
“I didn’t say anything about sleeping.” Before I know it, I’m in his arms, one behind my back and one beneath my knees. And right as I think he’s going to carry me all the way upstairs to my bed, he grabs a blanket and tosses it on the floor in front of the tree.
He sets me down gently, adjusts us so I’m cradled in his lap, and then his mouth is on mine again, his hands already lifting off my shirt.
“I missed you today,” he says against my mouth, my jaw, my throat. “This new restaurant is killing me. And all I keep thinking about is this morning when you woke me up.”
He’s been frustrated with contractors. Frustrated with banks. It’s all coming together smoothly, just not as quickly as he wants.
I laugh. “It’s not my fault my hormones get a bit out of control every once in a while.” I’d woken him this morning with my mouth and then rode him before he was even fully awake. Morning sex is our new favorite time. Mostly because I’m passed out on the couch by eight at night.
He’s laughing as he says, “Every once in a while.”
“Shut up and kiss me,” I tell him. His hand is at my thigh, sliding up to my belly and then into my stretchy yoga pants. I’m already wet, and it doesn’t take much until I’m completely ready for him.
“Merry early Christmas, Caitlin,” he whispers as he finds my clit.
“Christmas is a week away.” I gasp as he slides a finger inside.
“It doesn’t matter,” he groans, laying me carefully down on the floor and to my side, moving behind me and shucking off his own shirt and pants. “I already have everything I want for Christmas so I’m ready to celebrate.”
“You say the sweetest things,” I say as we both work to remove my pants. I drape one leg over his, and he slides into me from behind, his hand sliding to my front.
“That’s because you deserve to hear them.”
It’s what we said at the restaurant the night we finally admitted w
e loved each other. And the memory makes me smile. A year ago, I was so hell bent on never falling in love I can’t believe how different this year has been.
If it wasn’t for Trey and committing to using his app, scheduling 28 dates, I would never have opened up my heart and allowed myself to love Jonas.
How much more perfect it is than anything I can imagine, and my life might be incredibly different, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Jonas has already given me more than anything I could ever want, and the best part is that we’re still just getting started. But I certainly can’t wait to ride out this adventure with him.
To my family,
Thank you for always believing in me.
And for knowing exactly when I need to be pulled out of my office for a day off.
I love you all to the moon and back a million, billion times.
Acknowledgments
First, thank you to all my readers who have supported me over the years! You are all truly the best. I love your excitement for my books. Thank you so much for leaving reviews and sharing my social media posts. You’re the best.
Hilary, I would not survive this craziness without you and the rest of the Social Butterfly PR team. Thank you to everyone who works so tirelessly to help promote my work.
To all my favorite people—you know who you are, and I hope I tell you frequently how much your friendship means to me.
Huge, huge, triply huge thank-you to the bloggers and the writing community for promoting books! Your support is everything to me, and I’m so thankful for you.
And finally, to my family. You’ve been so full of love and support ever since the first day I said, “I think I want to write a book.” You have faith when I’m lacking, encouragement when I need it the most, and a listening ear that is always available for brainstorming help. I love you, forever, and to the moon and back.