“Marry me?” I thrust again.
“What?” Her eyelashes flutter as I start a hard rhythm, giving it to her the way she needs.
“Marry me, Pandora.”
She digs her nails into my shoulders, her back arching. “Finnegan.”
I groan at the sound of my name on her lips, my body already wound tight as my treasure opens before me, her body only part of the fortune she offers me. She’s a wealth of contradictions, but I will never want another.
“Marry me.” It’s not a question, but I still need her answer.
Reaching down, I stroke her clit, then fasten my mouth to her breast, sucking her hard nipple into my mouth.
She moans and runs her fingers through my hair as I lave each stiff peak and continue giving her every inch of me.
When I return to her mouth, she’s panting and nodding.
“Yes?” I thrust harder, our bodies slapping against each other, the friction so good.
Her hips freeze, her eyes locked with mine. “Yes,” she moans as she comes, her tight cunt squeezing me so perfectly that I release along with her, coating her with me as she promises to be mine forever.
My treasure.
Epilogue I
Pandora
“I don’t know.” I pace around our room, my veil flowing out behind me as I walk. “I mean, what if there’s something bad inside?”
“Would your grandmother leave you with something bad?” Mrs. Pettyford watches as I etch a dent in the floor with my continued steps.
“No, of course not.” I eye the box, my key still stuck in the lock. “But she said that my future is inside, that it’ll show me my destiny. And I don’t think I can handle it if it has some other man’s name or something like that.” I add hand-wringing to the pacing.
“Well, leave it. You’ve gone this long without opening it. Go a while longer. Opening it on your wedding day seems to be unnecessarily upping the ante.” She steps into my path and grabs my shoulders.
I meet her gaze. “I know, but I just have this feeling. It’s like my grandma is telling me it’s time. That this is the moment when I’m supposed to open it. Maybe the key will finally work.”
She sighs. “A feeling?”
I tap the white lace over my heart. “In here.”
“I’m not one to ignore feelings. Not anymore. The day my husband left on a job--the one he never came home from--I told him I had a bad feeling, that I wanted him to stay. He didn’t listen. And then I never saw him again.”
I cock my head to the side. “What sort of job was it?”
“That’s another story. Let’s just say that my family has long had dealings with the Clevenger family, not all of them good.”
“You mean Finn’s family got your husband killed?”
“No. The job got him killed.” She shakes her head. “We’re getting off topic. Now, the box. Either we open it now or we’ll have to wait. We were supposed to be downstairs for the ceremony ten minutes ago. Finn will be looking for you, and if we don’t show up, he’ll come barreling up here and take you down himself. He’s not letting you go.”
Those words warm me so much that some of my anxiety fades. I stop wringing my hands and take a deep, calming breath, then turn to the ornate box that sits on my dresser.
“I’m going to try it.” I steel myself, then walk over to it, my heart thumping with each step.
Mrs. Pettyford moves to the side of the dresser, her eyes fixed on the emerald inlay and the mother of pearl top. “There must be something priceless in there, don’t you think?”
“That’s what my grandma always said.” I reach for the key with a shaking hand and send a silent prayer to my grandma to finally let me open it this time.
Gripping it, I hesitate.
“What?” Mrs. Pettyford whispers.
“I’m just making sure I’m holding my face right.” I take a deep breath and turn the key.
It gives.
Then stops.
And I realize it didn’t really give at all, it was just that the box shifted a little across the top of the dresser.
“Ugh!”
I shake my head, then jump when I feel someone at my back.
“There’s a trick to it,” Finn says in my ear.
A pleasant shiver goes down my spine as his arms come around me.
“You shouldn’t see me before the wedding,” I chide.
“All I saw was your perfect ass, mostly hidden by a veil. I think we’ll be all right.” He kisses the shell of my ear, and I decide that as soon as the ceremony is over, I’m going to climb him like a tomboy on an apple tree.
He reaches out and places his thumbs along the side of the box where the two largest emeralds sparkle. “I researched the mechanism quite a bit before I realized there was simply no way to get into the box without the key. I could have forced it, of course, but ruining this beautiful item is something I’d never do.”
“I know.” I always thought he was a thief, but really, he’s doing good. In the short time we’ve been together, we’ve traveled to several countries to return artifacts. He’s as good as his word. Better, in fact. But there was always one piece of unfinished business. A stone in my shoe. A bur under my saddle, as my grandma would’ve called it. This box and what it holds.
“Ready?” he asks and moves his big hands farther back, touching and turning gemstones with his fingertips.
“Yes.” Am I, though? I hope so. Because I’ve decided that no matter what lies inside the box, I’ve already chosen my forever, and he’s standing right behind me.
“Turn it.” He releases the box and rests his hands on my hips.
With a wince, I twist the key. This time it gives. For real. The mechanism clicks as the key comes to a stop at a ninety degree angle.
I blink. “It’s unlocked.”
“It’s yours. Open it.” His voice in my ear is a sexy whisper, and I can’t deny it. I desperately want to see what’s inside Pandora’s box.
“She said it’s my treasure, my destiny, my future.” I grip the lid on both sides and slowly lift it.
When I see what’s inside, I can’t stop my smile. Rueful though it is.
“It’s a good thing she’s dead or I might just strangle her.” I laugh as I inspect the box. The inside is completely mirrored. Every angle reflects the image of Finnegan and me, both of us looking into the box.”
“Mirrors.” He snorts.
“It’s a mirror.” I would cover my face with my hands, but I can’t risk ruining my makeup. “She wanted me to see myself.” I flick my gaze to Finnegan in the mirror. “And you. Both of us together.” My smile returns. “You’re my treasure. The two of us together--my destiny.”
He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his lips to my neck. “I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever.” I lean into him.
“But I believe there may be yet another surprise.” He leans farther over my shoulder, peering at the mirrored interior. With a flick of his thumbs against the back corners, the rear panel drops inward.