And The Beat Goes On (18 page)

She stared at me, her mouth slightly opened. A tear finally emerged then fell down her cheek.

I lowered myself to one knee then pulled the box out of my pocket. As soon as I did, she covered her face and gasped. The tears fell uninhibited. “I was worried how I would feel after we were finally together. That doubt is gone. I know exactly how I’ll feel. I’ll fall more in love with you. I want to make love to you knowing I’m the last first time you’ll have. I’ll also be your very last. Because I love you, Athena. And I want to give you everything you deserve, including my heart.”

“Jeremy…” She wiped her tears away with the back of her hands.

“Athena, will you marry me?” I opened the box and held it out to her. Inside was a princess-cut diamond. I knew it was the perfect match for her as soon as I saw it.

“Yes,” she said through her tears. She held out her hand and I slipped on the ring. “Of course I will.”

I stood up and saw the happiness in her eyes. Even though her face was covered in tears, she still looked full of joy. She stared at the ring, watching it dance in the light, and then looked back at me. “I can’t believe this…”

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her, giving her a
tender but powerful embrace. I felt her tears touch my cheek, and that only convinced me she loved me more than I could understand.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“And I you.”

“I wasn’t expecting this…”

“Good,” I said with a smile.

“You’re so sweet. You really are my dream come true.”

“And you’re mine.”

She cupped my face and kissed me again. “Why here?”

I grabbed her hand and led her to the front of the house. “Does it remind you of anything?”

She stared at the house for a moment. “My painting.”

I nodded. “And it’s our new home.”

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “What?”

I loved seeing the happiness enter her face. “It’s true. This is yours.”

“Oh my god! It’s beautiful.”

“You’ll be able to paint everyday, and I’m just a short drive from work.”

“Wow. I wish we could go inside.”

I pulled the key out of my pocket. “We can.”

She covered her face again. “I can’t believe this…I’m living a fairy-tale.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. My decorator already designed the place based on Athena’s taste. I had pictures of Athena’s house for direction. And the woman did a wonderful job. I could tell by the joy on Athena’s face.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said as she looked at everything. She looked at the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room. “I love everything.”

“You haven’t seen the bedroom yet,” I said with a dark voice.

She looked at me, catching the look.

Now that she was mine and I gave myself to her completely, I wasn’t so chivalric. I wanted her, and I wanted her now. Nothing would be more meaningful to me.

She came back to me and grabbed my hand. “Why don’t you show me?”

I carried her upstairs and into the master bedroom. It was already lit with candles. I prepared for everything. After I sat her on the bed, I kneeled before her and kissed each of her hands. I worshipped her and the ground she walked on. She was mine and I would always treat her the way she deserved.

She watched me then grabbed my tie, loosening it. Our eyes were locked the entire time
. She undressed me and pulled my clothes to the floor.

I couldn’t hide my excitement. I wanted to be inside her the moment I saw her. Now this beautiful woman was mine forever. No other man would touch her, not in the way her husband, me, ever would.

But I was excited for a different reason. I wanted to rock her world and feel that physical connection that makes sex so enjoyable, but I wanted to feel emotionally close to her. And that was a first for me. And I never made love before. This was my first time. I’ve never had sex without a condom, so that was new too. I wanted our first time together to be perfect, and I was determined to give that to her.

When I was naked, I removed her dress and undergarments. Her naked skin was flawless and perfect. I didn’t want to cut to the chase right away. I wanted to take my time and cherish the woman in my arms.

I lay her back on the bed and crawled on top of her. Her legs automatically wrapped around my waist, never wanting to let me go.

And I liked it.

I cupped her neck and placed kisses along her jawline. She sighed happily while I treasured her body with infinite kisses. I moved down her chest and to her stomach, sucking and licking. I moved between her legs and kissed her inner thighs and knees. I even kissed her feet.

My cock was leaking and twitching, excited to be deep inside her. He was excited to make her writhe and shake, screaming my name in her ecstasy.

I got excited just thinking about it.

My fingers massaged the area between her legs while I sealed my mouth over hers. Strategically, I applied the right pressure and made her moan into my mouth. I brought her to the edge of an orgasm but didn’t let her take the plunge. I wanted her to come when I was inside her.

“Jeremy…” She was begging me.

I separated her legs and moved between them. I didn’t kiss her but pressed my face close to hers. Her breathing fell on my face. It was warm and had a hint of mint.

My head found her entrance then moved inside slowly. I wanted to stretch this out as long as possible, making sure she’d never forget this night. When my head was inside, she moaned loudly, staring into my face.

Then I moved all the way. She was wet and slick so there wasn’t much resistance. Her body stretched for me, trying to accommodate my larger than average size. I was gentle with her, wanting her to feel good.

I rocked into her slowly for a long time, but I already knew she was inches away from finding her bliss. We gripped each other tightly as we moved in sync. The connection I wanted was there. The distance between us was negligent. My heart poured into hers, giving her everything I could possibly give. I was hers forever, and she was mine.

She dug her nails into my skin as she clenched around my throbbing cock. “Jeremy…”

I stared into eyes, excited to watch the pleasure flood her face. I never held someone’s gaze during fucking. It was always dark and intimacy was never shared. I got in, came, and then got out. But Athena was special to me.

“Jeremy,” she said again. “Oh god…”

She was so tight that my cock wanted to release. I kept moving and held my own pleasure back. I never felt the skin-to-skin slickness. It felt so wonderful and good. I couldn’t wait to make love to her every night, to feel this same emotion over and over.

She breathed heavily while she rode the high of her orgasm. I kept up my pace so it would last as long as possible. When I started to feel her loosen around me, I knew she was done.

Now it was my turn.

I’d never came inside someone before. A latex glove always separated us. But knowing Athena would be my first was too sexy to control. My cock had it’s own desires and it couldn’t hold on much longer. “I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you…”

I released myself inside her, saying her name with ending grunts. It felt so good. It was definitely the best orgasm I ever had. I did a lot of dirty things with a string of women, but it never felt as good as this.

Because I’d never been in love before.

When I finished, I stayed inside her and cuddled her to my chest. My breathing was deep and shallow and so was hers. We clung to each other, never wanting to let go.

I gave her a gentle kiss and breathed into her mouth. “Thank you for curing me.”

A slight smile formed on her lips. “I didn’t do anything, Jeremy. Your heart did all the work.”

“My heart only beats for you. You’re its master, Athena.”

“And you are mine
.”

I rubbed my nose against her and snuggled close to her. “I’m so happy to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Me too.”

I stared at her in the darkness, seeing the details of her face in the glow from the candles. I didn’t need to say anything and neither did
she. We found each other in an unlikely place, but our love grew despite our control. My heart only pumped for hers, and hers for mine.

Finding the one person in the world who could make me a better man was exactly wha
t I needed. She was the light in the darkest places of the world. She was the reason when I had no logic. She was the hope when I suffered in despair. She was everything to me, a partner I could trust, a lover who could satisfy me, and a friend that always made life worth living.

A
dream come true.

Check out the new series by Abby Reynolds

UNBREAKABLE

Click to purchase on Amazon

This is a
stand alone novel. It is not a cliffhanger. And it is the first novel in the Forehead Kisses Series.
Can there be too many pieces to piece back together?
This is a question Keira faces every day. It’s impossible for her to go anywhere unaccompanied by her cousin, the only person who knows what happened on that horrific night a year ago. The guilt and pain weigh her down every day. Unwilling to open up to anyone and give someone a chance, she lives in solitude.
For her, that’s the only way to live.
Liam struggles with his own demons. After losing someone who means the world to him, he combats his anger and pain on a daily basis. He dives into violence and sex, losing himself more and more. But as soon as he meets Keira, he recognizes the same pain he suffers every day. And he pursues her, wanting to connect to someone who understands.
Keira can’t put herself back together, and neither can Liam. But can they do it together?