“Ready?” he asks.
I nod, sitting up, I maneuver my body to where I’m on all fours and look over my shoulder at him. “Take me, Eli.” The words are barely past my lips when he grips my hips, aligns himself at my entrance, and thrusts inside. He doesn’t stop and ask me if I’m okay. No, instead, he builds a steady rhythm, taking care of both of our needs with each thrust of his hips, over and over again. He’s relentless, and all I can do is grip the sheets and hang on for the ride.
“Eli,” I pant, when I feel the pressure start to build.
“Come for me,” he grits out. “Now, Mar,” he says, never losing his rhythm. And his words, the grittiness in his voice is all I need to push me over the edge of bliss. White lights flash behind my eyes as I scream out his name while jolts of pleasure soar through my veins.
Moments later, we’re both sweaty, gasping for air, holding each other tightly, and my heart feels full. The emotions of the night are catching up with me as my eyes grow heavy.
“Is that what I have to look forward to the next fifty years?” he asks.
“What?” I ask, not following him.
“Our make-up sex. I might have to make you mad more often,” he teases.
“Let’s not push it,” I say over a yawn.
“I love you, Marley.”
“I love you too,” I mumble as I drift off to sleep, sated, and my heart full of love.
Epilogue - Eli
Eli
Six months later
“We’re going to be late!” I holler toward the closed bathroom door. She’s been in there for an hour, which is crazy. My Marley is the most beautiful woman in the world and doesn’t need all that makeup and stuff. What could she possibly be doing in there for an hour?
“Hold your horses, Morrison,” she says as she opens the door.
My tongue falls to the ground.
“Fuck, you’re wearing that?” I groan, my cock already getting hard in my black trousers.
Her face falls, and she glances down at the short black dress. The phrase “little black dress” doesn’t do it justice. What she’s wearing is a heart-attack-inducing scrap of lacy material that hugs her curves in all the right places.
I’ll never survive this dinner party.
I move before she even has a chance to doubt her selection for another second. “You look absolutely stunning in this dress. I’m a little worried I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
She beams up at me with a blinding smile and slides her hands up my chest and around my shoulders. “Yeah? I kind of like it when you can’t keep your hands off me.”
I groan a second time, right before I claim her lips with my own. My tongue delves deep in her mouth as she wiggles against me, frying my brain cells. “We’re going to have to stop this or we’ll never make it on time.”
She gazes up at me and smiles. “You know, we don’t really have to go.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’re the guest of honor, my love.”
Marley rolls her eyes, making my dick twitch. I fucking love it when she’s sassy. “I don’t know why we’re even having this little… thing.”
Running my hands down her bare arms, I reply, “It’s not every day you turn twenty-three.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to do this big party. We could have stayed here with a lot fewer clothes on,” she says, stepping out of my arms and retrieving her clutch from the dresser.
Our dresser.
There was never an official invitation to move into the penthouse with me, but about a month ago, she just stopped going back to her parents’ place. Her clothes slowly shifted from her closet there to mine here, which was fine by me. In fact, I like it better this way, knowing she’ll be here after a long day at the office.
“Tempting, but if we don’t show up, you know our families will just converge on us here, and there’s nothing romantic about your brother and my grandpa busting into this place when I’m eating you for dessert.”
Her eyes flash and darken, her breath hitches in her throat. “Then we should get going before the party moves here.”
Reaching for her hand, I lead her to the elevator. The moment we step inside and the doors close, I pull her into my arms once more and kiss her pink lips. “I may have to share you with our families right now, but later tonight,” I whisper, nipping at her bottom lip, “you’re mine.”
Her smile is slow and sexy. “You’re on, Morrison.”
Epilogue - Marley
Marley
“Have we been here long enough?” I ask Eli as he approaches me and slides his arm around my waist.
“You not having a good time?”
“I am.” I nod. “But you know we were going to do that thing.” I widen my eyes, making him laugh.
“We have the rest of our lives to do that thing. Tonight is about you.”
“That’s what I was hoping for,” I reply with a hint of mischief in my tone.
He leans in close, causing a shiver to race down my spine. “It’s happening, baby,” he says huskily, his lips next to my ear. “I’m a sure thing.” He chuckles, pulling away.
“All the more reason we should leave. Now.” I bat my eyelashes at him, trying to get him to cave.
“You take my breath away.” He grasps my hands in his and smiles down at me. I see nothing but love in his eyes. “I don’t know what I did in this life to deserve you, but I’m grateful that you’re mine.”
Moving in close, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss the corner of his mouth. “I’ll always be yours.” I’m not just spouting off words. I mean them. Since we’ve been together, I’ve discovered that my heart is so deeply entwined with his that I don’t know where he ends and I begin. I know there will never be another man in my life who could make me feel as cherished and loved as Eli. I feel him in my soul.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that,” he tells me. “About you always being mine.” I open my mouth to say… something, but I’m frozen when I watch him drop to one knee and stare up at me. “Marley, I don’t want to live this life without you. I want to work side by side with you during the day and come home with you every night. I want a house, and a dog, and as many babies as you’ll give me. I want you. Forever. Always.”
Tears race down my cheeks, and my smile is wide as I watch him reach into his pants pocket and pull out a small black velvet box. There is a slight tremble in his hands as he opens the box and presents me with a heart-shaped solitaire diamond. “Eli,” I breathe.
“Marley, will you spend forever with me? Will you be my wife?”
“Hell yes!” I hear shouted, and I don’t have to turn around to know it’s Cameron. He’s been supportive of us from the beginning. I didn’t know that this is where we would end up that night in the restaurant when Eli told him we were doing this. That we were dating.
Eli chuckles. “I think he approves.”
“Wouldn’t matter,” I say, over the lump in my throat. “I love you.”