“Remember, keep your body weight evenly balanced or you’ll tip over,” I reminded, resting my hand on Luna’s kayak to steady her.
She was flushed red with frustration and breathing heavy from the effort it took to paddle our way across the lopsided lake. “Just a little farther,” I urged, navigating us toward the private beach area that sat on the opposite end from my cabin.
We came out here for the weekend to get away. This past week would have been Cooper’s trial if the fucker hadn’t been killed. Luna’s parents were hovering a little harder, pushing the limits of her patience, so I figured a trip up north would give us a chance to breathe.
I was pissed about Cooper getting out of being charged, stealing away Luna’s chance to put the issue to rest. My only solace was that this whole trial bullshit led her into her therapy sessions that seemed to be working out pretty well, although she’d never talk to me about them. I knew the rumored plea deal wouldn’t have exposed anything to the police that could get the Reapers in trouble. This was just their last “fuck you” for walking out unscathed. No one understood why Frank let me go without a fight, and I wasn’t going to indulge their petty asses.
“You’re done,” he declared, his tone offering no room for argument.
That was just how Frank talked. I never realized it before, too blinded by my own selfish ego to realize how threatening he was. Although, I supposed watching him murder his only son could have contributed to my newfound fear of him.
“Just like that?” I questioned, my voice cracking on the last word, giving away my terror. We were out in the open, having lunch in some shitty diner and the close proximity had me feeling a little vulnerable. I hated being within arm’s reach of him.
He nodded once. “If I find out you have your hands in any of our business, I’ll cut them off myself. Tell your friend the same thing.”
I couldn’t believe it. Niko was going to shit his pants when he heard he was out, too. He had a hard time transitioning back into the derelict side of life since he’d returned home from overseas. I knew this news would ease his mind about finding a way back into normalcy.
I bit my lip, waiting for the catch. He just sat there, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth while my plate remained untouched. When the silence continued, I shook my head at him.
“What about Cooper? They’re talking about offering him a plea deal for giving up information.” I didn’t want to ask anything more of him when he was already giving me so much, but I had to—for Luna. “He needs to pay for what he did.”
Frank set his fork down and met my eyes again. “He has nothing on us. If you want him, he’s yours, but I can guarantee that judge isn’t going to punish him the way you want to. You better watch out, boy. We can’t protect you if you find yourself in any trouble now.”
“I know that,” I said, my brows pulling together in a scowl. I didn’t need this warning.
He lifted his arms and rested his elbows on the table, so he could use his hands while he spoke. The sudden motion had me flinching, which got an eye roll from him.
“I know you don’t understand it, but I loved your mom more than anything else in this world. You’re the last piece of her that remains, and I promised her I’d take care of you. Don’t think this is a favor to you, though. I was going to pull you from the Reapers at her request, we just hadn’t gotten to that point yet. But if I find out you do something stupid, like using Reaper resources to illegally harm a man for attacking your bitch, I won’t hesitate to bring you back in. And you’d better bet your ass, you’ll never come back out after that. I’m already laying my ass out on the line for you. Are we clear?”
Part of me thought it was Frank who sent the order down, offing Cooper before I got the chance to do anything stupid. Regardless, Luna seemed relieved, so I moved on. I left that lunch with a bittersweet feeling, knowing I was no longer tied to the one thing that was keeping me from being with the love of my life, but also feeling like I lost the only family I’d known for the past decade. Joe and Niko assured me that wasn’t true, and the look on Luna’s face when I told her the news dissolved any reservations I had about leaving the Reapers. This was my chance to start new, and I wasn’t going to fuck it up. Now, we were traveling across the lake I grew up on, so I could do something I wanted to do the moment I met her.
The problem was, it was about forty-five minutes straight of kayaking, and Luna was quickly losing her patience with the little boats. Her complaining was only adding to the weight of the rock that was sitting in the pit of my stomach from anticipation. I just needed her to go a little farther and I would make it worth her while.
“How much longer?” she whined, digging her paddle into the water more angrily with each stroke. If she kept that up, she was going to be too tired to move by the time we made it to the beach.
“Not much. I can see it from here,” I encouraged. Shit, that’s so close. Was I ready for this?
Five minutes later, we pulled onto the sandy shore and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re going to have to paddle back alone and come get me with the car,” she half-joked, still refusing to stand up and step out of her boat.
The beach was surrounded by tall trees sprouting from each side and sat far away from the main road. Technically, it was private property, but the owners of the land never bothered to build on it and rarely visited. As a teen, this was where everyone snuck beers and hung out away from their parents’ prying eyes. Most of my first hook-ups happened right here, but I wasn’t going to tell Luna all that.
“It’s been nice to get away from my mom’s nosey stare for once,” she commented from below while I dragged our kayaks up the beach and secured them to distract myself.
The little piece of metal in my pocket was burning a hole into my skin. Breathe.
“I don’t know how I survived living with her so long,” she continued animatedly, finally lifting her body to step out onto the sand.
It was an uncharacteristically warm day for September, and the lake water was still heated from the long, hot summer we just had. Luna was wearing skimpy shorts that her ass cheeks hung out of and a tank top with her bikini peeking through underneath. She had my suit tightening around my dick every time I caught a glimpse.
It’s only been a few days since we fucked, but I twitched like a hormonal teenager every time I was around her. I couldn’t help it—that girl owned every part of me.
“What are we doing over here?” she asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
“I just wanted to show you the other side of the lake,” I replied, buying myself some time.
I reached into my bathing suit pocket and played with the little halo. The pressure and meaning it held seared my skin.
Luna nodded in understanding, leaving my side to walk toward the shoreline and sink her feet into the sand while the waves crashed into her legs. Her gaze lifted from her feet out toward the water, and a small smile played on her lips at the sight before her. It was beautiful, but nothing compared to the view I had from the spot I took beside her.
“Are you happy it’s over?” I asked, referring to what would have been Cooper’s trial and the attention it attracted to her.
The stress from it all weighed heavy on her mind for months, and while everyone back at home thought she was brave for the part she played, both in preparing to testify and fielding allegations that she was involved in his murder. I knew the toll it took on her just to get to this point. Brave didn’t even begin to describe what she was for getting through it.
Her lips lifted higher into a full-on smile. “Definitely. I’m ready to move on.”
So was I. She deserved to have a happy life now that she got through this hump, and while I still didn’t think I was worthy of it, I planned to be by her side until she decided otherwise.
The day I read Mom's letter was a turning point for us. I didn’t want to submit her to the life of misery I was so accustomed to, but she refused to leave me alone. I was glad she was so stubborn. She encouraged me to pull myself up off the ground and throw away the shitty hand life had dealt me, replacing it with a whole new deck of cards. She'd try to say it was me who saved her, but that was bullshit.
The next day, I took a chink of the money I had saved from my time with the Reapers and bought her the biggest diamond ring I could find. It’d been taunting me every day since, waiting for the perfect opportunity to finally pop the question.
I knew everyone at home would give us shit for not doing it with them present, but this was a private moment for us, and I wasn’t willing to share it with anyone else.
Silence fell over us, and while Luna didn’t seem to mind, I was exploding with anticipation. My sweaty hands reached out to grab hers and pull her over to one of the logs that sat around the fire pit, discarded beer cans littering the bonfire area.
Maybe this isn’t the most romantic place to do this.
Just before I was about to back out, her beautiful autumn eyes locked with mine and eased the tension gripping at my chest. I kneeled between her legs, resting my arm on each one for support while I spat out the words I needed to say before fear stopped them.
“Luna Marie, you own every piece of me. The second your big eyes met mine in your bakery and you tried to intimidate me with pink frosting in your hair, I was done for. I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am of you for getting through this hurdle and coming out the other end more beautiful and strong than ever before. I feel so lucky to have you in my life, and I want you to know I’m here for every single moment you’ll allow me to be. You’re the sunshine that chased all my storm clouds away, and I can only hope that one day I’ll be able to support you as much as you’ve supported me.”
I stopped to clear my throat, taking the opportunity to escape her expectant stare and glance down at the ring I held between my fingers. It looked dwarfed in my hands.
“When we first met, I told you I don’t believe in marriage. But I had no idea back then what it felt like to love someone with my entire being, so much that I wanted to commit myself to them for the rest of my life. So, today I’m asking—no, I’m begging you—to please do me the pleasure of becoming my wife and allowing me to worship you every single day, from now until the day I die.”
I awkwardly presented the ring to her between my two fingers, fumbling to hold it in place. Dammit, I should have saved the box.
She stared at it silently, her brows pulled together in confusion. I wilted with every second that ticked by without a response. Shit, she’s going to say no. I didn’t even consider what the paddle back would be like if she denied me. I'd rather jump into incoming traffic than deal with her rejection.
“Luna,” I urged, pushing the ring further toward her, my smile completely gone. This was getting awkward now.
Just say no so I can stop holding this damn thing in front of you.
Finally, after what felt like years, she opened her mouth to respond. “Hell yes,” she whispered, lifting her eyes to meet mine.
Her fingers plucked the ring out of my grasp and slipped it on, then she held it up and admired what it looked like against her soft skin. “Yes, Liam. Yes, yes, yes,” she repeated, and through the shock of the earthquake that was ripping through my chest, I noticed tears flowing down her face.
She wrapped her arms around my neck in an excited leap, nearly knocking us over into the garbage pile that was the bonfire pit. I watched her in disbelief as tears streamed down her smiling face, fighting the instinct to believe this was all a dream, and Luna was a figment of my fucked-up imagination. For months, I’d waited for the shoe to drop and shit to go south, but she’d loyally stuck by my side, pushing my doubt away with a force that extended beyond what I thought she could handle.
I wouldn’t let this moment get clouded in any more negativity. With a smile so wide across my face it nearly cracked my skull, I pulled her in and smashed my mouth against hers, devouring every part of it, swallowing her moans and striving for louder ones.
In the beginning, I had to be gentle with her. Every touch came with the risk that she would be pushed over the edge, disappearing into her mind and taken back to the night that started this whole thing. I didn’t even give a fuck. It forced me to slow down and enjoy the moment instead of simply taking what I wanted and moving on like I always had before. She had me exercising self-control I had no idea I even possessed, and over time, it paid.
My hands snaked up through her shirt, deftly reaching for the strings of her bathing suit and tugging them gentle enough so she could barely feel it until the entire thing was undone, falling into the space between us. Her hardened nipples perked up against the light fabric of her tank top, and I couldn’t resist the urge to lower my mouth toward them, sucking right through the cotton.
Her back arched into me, granting me easier access as she grabbed the hem of the shirt and yanked it off in one swift movement. Everything after that happened in a frenzy.
Hands blindly felt for each other, ripping at clothes and tugging at skin while our mouths stayed connected, exploring. I reached over into my kayak and grabbed the blanket I had tucked between my legs the entire trip out here, spreading it with one arm while the other held my hungry fiancée as she ground against me, her naked flesh rubbing against mine and creating an intoxicating sensation.
Wrapping both arms around her, I roughly guided her body toward the blanket, only separating from her skin long enough to slide down and meet my mouth with her pooling center. I fucking loved it. How wet she got for me every time. How hard I got for her. The effect I always had on her body with one single touch. It was euphoric, enough to send me over the edge without much effort. But there was always effort.
I spent a generous amount of time with my face between her legs, lapping her up and tasting the sweetness of her arousal. Once her orgasm hit, sending shockwaves through her system and igniting an earthquake through her entire body, she tugged me up to meet her mouth. She explored me once again, licking the remnants of her sweet fluids from my chin before she moved farther down, nipping at my neck and leaving marks I knew would make her blush later, when her parents noticed and gave us disapproving stares.
Unable to take any more teasing, I sat up, lifting her body against mine so her legs straddled my lap, her opening hovering right above my throbbing erection. She grabbed my face in her hands, the leaves in her stare blowing around as she took in my face, her thoughts apparent.
“I love you, fiancée,” I growled, grabbing her lower lip between my teeth and gently tugging. “Mm, that title has a nice ring to it.”
Her lips spread with her smile, slipping through my grip. “It does,” she agreed. “I love you, Liam. Forever.”
Those were the last words we spoke, which was fine with me. We were always better at communicating through our actions. I liked it that way. Words were what destroyed me my entire life. They held me down with their deathly grip, convincing me I was nothing. That was why I chose mine so carefully, just as my grandparents always had. Mom slung words around carelessly, never bothering to check where they ended up hitting, so long as they hit something.
Luna shifted in my lap, her hands anxiously scratching against my scalp as she nipped at my lips, punishing me for taking so long. I chuckled at her impatience, easily lifting her just enough for me to grab my erection from behind her and guide it inside her, then roughly pulling her body down against mine. My hands squeezed her hips, tight enough to remind her she was mine to possess, yet light enough to leave no trace behind. She let out a moan that echoed over the expanse of water, probably loud enough to reach the cabin, but at this point, we didn’t give a fuck.
It didn’t take long for us to find our release, sweaty bodies sliding against each other, hitting all the right spots to create the perfect cocktail of pain and pleasure. I learned early on that she liked the pain, just as I always had. Just another affirmation that the beautiful creature moving above me was hand crafted just for my own selfish needs.
It wasn’t until the last of our orgasms left our bodies and we lay intertwined with one another on the blanket that she finally spoke through labored breaths.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” her soft, shy voice mumbled into my ear, a huge contrast from the loud vixen who possessed her minutes before that.
My arm instinctively tightened around her, another smile taking place on my lips.
“Me neither.”
The End.