by Ali Parker
"Speaking of Aiden," Nate turned toward Dana as we all sat at the dinner table, the meal far too much food, all of it delicious," he said he got a chance to talk to you for a second?"
"He did. He seemed like a great guy. Now his assistant, Parks? Not so much." She wrinkled up his nose.
Nate's eyebrows lifted. "Really? I've heard so many good things about him. He's supposed to be the next up and coming surgeon at St. Marks."
"I'm sure he's great at his job. He's just a..."
"Man-whore," I added in as Dana blushed beside me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "They're not prudes, baby."
"Not at all." Denise stood up, reaching for Nate as she did.
He jolted up to help her. "You okay, baby?"
"Oh yeah." She glanced over at Dana. "I made a pie this morning. Come help me slice it and tell me more about this rascal Parks."
We all laughed and the girls walked out. I let my eyes move from following Dana out of the room to Nate. His expression was somber.
"Hey." I reached across the table and squeezed the top of his hand. "What's going on, man?"
"She's got two weeks." He reached up and pressed his fingers to his eyes. "I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do without her."
My heart shriveled in my chest. "You know those prognoses don't come true all the time."
"Don't I know that they do." He wiped his tears away and sat back in his chair. "We told her two years to see if she could push through longer, but I'm such a bastard for doing that to her. She's in pain and she's tired."
"And she loves you." I leaned forward and pinned him with a truthful stare. "She'll hang on as long as you do. Don't give up, man. This fight isn't over yet."
He pursed his lips and wiped at his eyes one more time, trying to collect himself. "I've seen the charts, Kendal. She's got two weeks."
"Tell me what I can do to help you. You've been beside me through the death of my mother and my sister. You've been a staple in my life when I needed someone most."
He sniffled and forced a smile. "Just come when I call you, okay? I don't have kids. You're the closest thing I have."
I nodded and glanced up as the girls walked back in, both of them giggling over something.
We had fun and laughed over the course of eating dessert, but Nate's situation wouldn't let me fully enjoy anything.
After we wrapped everything up, Nate put Denise to bed and walked us to the door. He stepped outside and breathed in deep, and I could feel his pain radiating all over me.
"Thank you for tonight." Dana extended her hand toward him, but he used it to pull her into a warm hug.
"Thank you. I'm proud of you, kiddo. Keep pushing, okay? The future is so wicked bright for you." He glanced over at me and extended his hand. "And for you... make a good choice on where to spend the next twenty years."
"My career?"
"No. Your life." He glanced back toward Dana and smiled. "Can you explain to him what I'm saying?"
She laughed and moved into my arms. "He's telling you to pick me."
"Already done. Now and forever." I leaned down and kissed her only to find Nate gone when I looked back up. His life was ending in so many ways, and mine...
It was just beginning.
Epilogue
Seven Months Later
Dana
"Wow. That was amazing." I turned and looked up at Kendal as Damon and Bethany's limo kicked up dust in the darkness. Their wedding had been the highlight of my week. It reminded me that Kendal and I would find ourselves walking down the aisle before too long.
He had to propose of course, but I knew it was coming. He's casually mentioned it too much lately.
"I agree. Let's help everyone clean up and we'll head back to our place." He took my hand and walked us back into the reception hall.
Matt and Erica were busy cleaning off tables, teasing each other about something or other as they laughed and poked fun.
"Where do you want us?" Kendal called out as Kent, Damon's father leaned out of the kitchen.
"Nowhere! You're a guest. Go home and enjoy the rest of your evening." The handsome older man disappeared behind the door leaving us standing in the middle of the dance floor.
"Alright. My kind of night." Kendal turned to me and smiled. "You wanna give me a quick dance before we get out of here?"
"I'd love to." I smiled and clasped my hands in front of my waist as he jogged over to the DJ booth. He'd been working for Damon at McKenzie and Bryant for almost six months, all of it done out of the comfort of the house. We'd moved in together shortly after Christmas and my graduation was coming up in three weeks. Life couldn't be better.
Soft music played from the speakers above me, and I glanced up, admiring the lights and decorations. The place was beautiful. Majestic.
"Can I have this dance?" Kendal's voice caused chill bumps to break out all over my exposed arms.
"Every dance." I slid my arms around his neck as he stepped closer, pressing his body to mine.
"How many times have I told you that you look heavenly tonight?" He leaned down, whispering his words along my neck.
"Several, but I'd never refuse you." I turned my face and kissed his cheek. "We should be dancing at home in the living room. Naked."
"We should, and we will, but first..." He moved back and I glanced around, noticing that most of Damon and Kendal's friends were gathered around the edge of the floor. The only people missing were Damon and Bethany, but knowing them, I could guess what they were up to.
"What's going on?" I turned to find Kendal on his knee. His dark suit looked so damn good on him, and his expression was filled with a perfect blend of love and lust.
"I'm done waiting."
"On what?" I was breathless, my heart racing, my knees shaking slightly. Was he really proposing? Surely not.
"On the right to call you my bride." He pulled out a small box and lifted it toward me. "I love you with the depths of my heart, baby. I'll spend forever proving how much you mean to me if you'll just give me the chance. There's no mountain I won't climb, no obstacle I won't beat, no rule I won't break to have you beside me as my wife. Tell me you'll say yes and be my girl forever."
Tears burned my eyes, and I knelt down with him, wrapping my arms around his neck and knocking him over. "Yes," I cried out and kissed him as we lay tangled up on the floor with confetti all over us.
Laughter filled the place, and ours soon joined it.
"I love you, Dana."
"I love you more." I leaned in for another long kiss and let the moment sink in deep. He was willing to change for me, to give up everything, and I was willing to do the same.
Rules be damned.
***
"Take it off." He reached out and pulled the clip out of my hair, causing my thick curls to fall all over my shoulders and back.
"Say please." I teased him as I backed up, forcing him to let me go.
He sat on our couch at home, completely naked, his cock thick and hard, twitching as if stuck in the middle of a mating call.
I reached down and grabbed him, stroking him once as he lifted his hips and groaned loudly.
"This ring looks good on my finger."
"And your fingers look good on my dick." He gripped my wrist and pulled me closer as I fiddled with the back of my dress.
"I can't get it." I turned and sat down in his lap, enjoying the pressure of him against my ass.
"I kinda like it on." He sat up and unzipped the dress before pulling it off my shoulders and forcing me to stand. It slipped off and he reached up and tugged my panties down. "Turn and face me. I wanna hold you."
"Me too." I turned and crawled into his lap before pressing myself to his chest. "God, I need you."
"Then have me." He pressed down on my hips, impaling me as we moaned in tandem. Nothing felt better than having him buried deep inside of me.
"Don't stop, okay." I pressed my hands into his shoulders and lifted up, working
him nice and slow like he liked it.
"Never." He moved forward, sucking one of my nipples into his mouth as he gripped the top of my ass and set the rhythm of our love making. "Delicious, baby. So fucking wet."
"I've been turned on all night." I pressed my breasts to his chest and tucked my face in the crook of his neck as he ran his hands all over me.
"Come for me," he whispered against my hair. "I need to feel you lose control tonight."
"Take it from me then," I shifted enough for him to press his lips against mine. I whimpered as he ran his hand up my back, gripping the base of my hair tight. His other hand was wrapped around my ass, using his grasp to use me for his own pleasure.
He nipped at my lips before sliding his tongue deep into my mouth. The last pressure point was all I needed. He pressed a finger into my ass and the world exploded.
I cried out and tried to move, but he held me in place, fucking me so deep in every available opening. I was in lust. I was in love.
I was his.
Forever.
The End
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About the Author
Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.
She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and types of writing.
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Copyright © 2016-17 by Ali Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
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Editor: Nicole Bailey, Proof Before You Publish
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