by Lauren Dane
Easily enough it turned out as he’d made her so slick. In one hard thrust he was in her so deep, pressed flesh to flesh, it made her mindless, sending her over into a series of slow, rolling climaxes as he began to fuck her.
He took his time, rolling his hips to get as deep as he could, the base of his cock pressing against her clit with each stroke. His abs actually rippled as he moved, driving her crazy.
“Your body is so sexy.” She managed to get the words out, glad when she saw his slight blush and then that cocky smile of his.
He drew closer, she could feel it in the way his muscles began to tense up, the way his smooth thrusts began to stutter here and there and when he came, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered that he loved her.
More than that, he owned her, body and soul. Confidently and with care all at once. They clicked into a new level of connection, bigger than she’d ever imagined. It was good and right. Solid and unbreakable.
Chapter Seven
“I’ll begrudgingly admit that this is really nice. Not as good as you eating pie off my pussy or anything. But as far as Christmas Eve dinners, this one is amazing.” She motioned toward the table between them, filled with all their favorites.
“I’ll keep the pie thing in mind. Still plenty of time left in pumpkin pie season.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. She felt good. Light and filled with joy. The reason for it sat across from her looking delicious enough to take a bite out of. The Inn’s restaurant was beautifully decorated, pleasing the eye, making her feel very much in the holiday spirit.
“I propose this becomes our first Christmas tradition.”
He cocked his head. “Yeah? You don’t miss being with Kelly tonight?”
“I love my family and all. And I love living near them all so we can share great memories with them. But we get to make our own memories too. I like this one. I like having you all to myself and I know I can get you to bend on the midnight thing with my feminine wiles. If we were with Max and Kelly now, you’d have all sorts of backup to make me wait.”
He laughed, taking her hand and kissing her fingertips. “I like having you all to myself sometimes. And I agree it would be a good thing to make this our holiday tradition.”
“We can change it up after we have kids.”
He licked his lips, looking her over carefully. It wasn’t that they hadn’t talked about kids and the future, they had. But he’d been treading carefully, waiting for her to be in the same place he’d been.
She knew it and she appreciated it. But it was time they moved that next step forward and she also understood it was up to her to give him that sign she was ready.
Rori would always have fond memories of her marriage and relationship with Zach. She’d miss him until she died. But he was her past and this man across from her was not only her past, but her future.
He put a wrapped box on the table. Small and square, pale blue and wrapped with a white ribbon.
“I guess you’re right about those feminine wiles getting your present before midnight.”
With shaking hands, she opened the box and found a beautiful engagement ring inside. And then she found a beautiful man on bended knee next to her. The crowded little restaurant hushed as people began to take notice of them in their little corner.
“Rori, I’ve loved you a long time and I’m promising to love you forever. Will you marry me?”
Blinking back tears, she nodded and held her hand out for him to slide the ring on her finger.
“It’s my job to make you happy for the rest of our lives.” He grinned and she couldn’t help it, she launched herself at him, tumbling them both as he sat on his ass right in the restaurant, even as those around them clapped.
“Let’s get out of here.”
He kissed her as they stood and then she waited while he paid the bill. The low light of the restaurant caught beautifully against the diamond on her finger.
They practically ran back to the cabin, laughing and planning.
She stopped once he’d locked the door behind them. “Oh my God, Jude Callahan, you are too good to be true.”
A fully decorated little tree now graced the middle of the room and it even had their presents beneath it.
“I can’t take credit for this. The inn handled it along with that little shop you were in earlier today. I arranged it a few weeks back and seeing the look on your face is worth it.”
“Wait here.” She pressed a kiss to his mouth and then scrambled to where she’d cached the item she’d picked up that afternoon in town.
Jude watched her scamper around the corner and looked the room over. They’d done a great job and he reminded himself to tip them again when they checked out.
She’d said yes. Without a trace of hesitation. Damn he was a satisfied man. Blessed as all get out to have a woman like her love him the way she did.
And she was back, her grin in place still, holding a box his way.
“You see, I had the same idea. It must be fate.”
He opened it and found a ring inside. White and yellow gold hewn together. The feeling of rightness only solidified to his toes. She’d wanted it as much as he had?
“I saw the ring today and thank goodness they had your size. I’d been wanting to ask you for a while. I’d planned to ask you tomorrow anyway, but then I saw the ring and took it as a sign.”
He hugged her tight, breathing her in.
“Shit, all I did was sneak off to get you that cashmere sweater you were drooling over. You got me a ring?”
Her eyes widened as did her smile. “You did? Where? We should open presents now. Since we’re getting married and it’s nearly midnight anyway.”
“It’s nine-thirty. Hardly what I’d call nearly midnight.” He held up his hands to still her argument. “But who am I to deny your wishes? You know I’m helpless against it when you want something.”
“This is going to be an amazing year, you know that?” She settled in at his feet, as he sat near the little tree and handed her the first box.
“Yeah, I do. All because of you. And by the way, yes, I’ll marry you.”
She tore the paper off with vicious glee and cried out when she drew the beautiful red sweater from the box. He’d seen her face when they had been in the shop and the sweater caught her eye. And he’d known she had to have it.
“You spoil me. Oh and you looked so good and taunted me with presents so I forgot to chide you for the comment about how you hadn’t done anything while I got the ring. Hello?” She waved a hand around the room and then showed him her ring again.
“Santa has nothing on you. You planned all this. Every bit and it’s amazing. Such a wonderful present, this getaway. You and me, all the kink we can handle and not a single interruption. The ring? The sweater? The way you planned all the meals and stuff? You take care of me, you make me happy.”
“It’s my job.” He tried to sound tough and nonchalant but it was a lie because no one got to him like she did. He was helpless against it and more than that, he loved it that way. Loved the way she fit inside his heart like she was made to be there.
“New house, wedding and maybe even some work on that baby thing.”
“You mean it?”
“I want to be your wife. I want to have your beautiful blond, green eyed babies. I want to live every day of forever with you at my side. I love you.”
He got to his knees and she jumped back with a laugh. “I know that look, Jude. Presents! Wait until after—” She didn’t get the rest of the sentence out because his mouth was on hers and her arms busily wrapped around his shoulders.
They didn’t get to the rest of the presents until the next day.
About the Author
The story goes like this: while on pregnancy bed rest, Lauren Dane had plenty of downtime, so her husband took her comments about “giving that writing thing a serious go” and brought home a secondhand laptop. She wrote her first book on that laptop before it gave up the ghost. Even
better, she sold that book and never looked back.
Lauren had no idea how fabulously wonderful it would feel to actually make a go of her writing, and she’s thankful every day people actually want to read what she writes! She’s well aware of her good fortune and loves every moment of it, even when she has to edit and put Barbie’s dresses back on over and over again. She still hasn’t managed to figure out how to shut out the sound of the iCarly so she can write a love scene, though.
Visit Lauren on the web at www.laurendane.com or www.laurendane.com/blog. Email her at [email protected]. You can also write to her at P.O. Box 45175, Seattle, WA 9814.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-9088-8
Copyright © 2010 by Lauren Dane
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