CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

 

Love. Marriage. Romance.

It’s no Disney princess fantasy

But once in a while you just might find

The one that’s right for you

 

 

BECK

TWO WEEKS LATER

“Careful, wifey,” Nox warns me as I skirt around him with a carton of books in my arms.

Dash went to mom’s and packed up my things once I knew I was staying in Reverence with Nox. Most of it is books and albums, since I was used to travelling light with Liv. But Nox built some new bookshelves to make it easier to fit both our stuff in the cabin.

Placing the box with the others, I turn to stare at my husband where he’s crouched on the floor finishing up the new coffee table. Yep, you guessed it, we broke the last one in a heated moment of passion. Just thinking about it makes my insides clench. But how could I possibly be expected to keep my hands off him? He’s the sexiest, most gorgeous man I have ever met, and he’s all mine.

And he’s being all manly, working with his hands to provide the perfect home for us. Shirtless, his muscular shoulders and arms rippling as he moves. He’s a little sweaty too. It’s hard to believe that two years ago, I married this man in an Elvis themed chapel in Vegas. I made the best decision of my life that night, and every day I’m reminded of it. I bite my lip as I stand there and watch him. There’s just something so hot and masculine... It defies explanation.

“Like what you see, Angel?” He catches me staring as he puts his tools away. Taking my hand, he runs his thumb over the band on my finger. A sensuous smile curves his mouth and melts my insides.

“Like would be a little underexaggerated.” I trail my nails over his bicep. “More like love, with a side of yes please.”

“Is that so?” He growls as he tangles his hand in my hair and brushes his lips along the side of my neck.

“So about this coffee table.” I gasp as he palms my ass, squeezes it, and drags me flush against his hardness.

“Built to last a lifetime.” He kisses me, his tongue toying with mine.

“Really?” I arch an eyebrow as I walk around him, putting a little wiggle into my hips for his enjoyment. Bending over, I stroke the wooden surface and glance at him over my shoulder.

His hot gaze is glued to my ass and he sucks his bottom lip between his teeth as he prowls after me, pushing on the bulge behind his zipper. “Absolutely. It’s rock fucking solid.”

“Should we make sure?” I stand up and face him, grab the hem of my tank top and pull it over my head. Undo my shorts and push them off my hips until they drop to the floor.

He pops the button on his jeans and eases the zip down, making my mouth water as that trail of fine hair appears, then his hard cock. He wraps his hand around the length and squeezes it. “Can’t think of a better way to test out the craftsmanship.”

“Please,” I whisper. I can’t get enough of my husband. I never will. There’s nothing scientific about the way he makes my body sing for him and my heart full.

Nox’s hands find my hips, his thumbs tracing lines on my skin that makes me quiver. Warmth spreads through me as he removes my bra and panties and sits me down on the wooden surface, kneeling between my legs.

“I wanna go all the way with you,” I say, breathlessly. “I wanna feel you everywhere.”

“Everywhere?” He asks gruffly, the desire in his voice evident.

“Please.” I lick my suddenly parched lips. “I’m all yours. Every inch of me. Even there.”

His gaze grows even hotter, and then he glances toward the bedroom. “I don’t think we have any lube.”

I almost cry out in frustration. The idea of feeling him in places no one has ever been has me needy and aching already. “Is there anything else we can use?”

He bites his lip and a slow grin breaks over his face as he climbs to his feet. “Don’t move, Angel.”

I watch him as he enters the kitchen and goes to the pantry. A minute later he comes back to me with a triumphant look on his face as he reveals a jar of coconut oil. “Always knew those health food products you tried to scare me with would come in handy.”

I take the jar from his hand and set it down beside me as I wind my arms around his neck and draw his lips to mine. “At least you didn’t grab the tofu.”

SIX WEEKS LATER...

I’m sitting under the tree beside where Hollander was buried. The ground is still warm, but the hills surrounding the valley and our cabin are shaded in reds and yellows and oranges. What’s left of the orange grove after Nox and his brothers cleared the damage are still vivid green.

My laptop on my lap, I close my eyes and I can almost pretend that Hollander’s resting his head on my knee. Never imagined I would get so attached to a cat. Or a man for that matter. But I wouldn’t change the events of the last four months. Except for Hollander. And even that I’m coming to terms with thanks to ongoing therapy sessions. Nox and I tried a session with Finn and decided that family and therapy shouldn’t mix, so I stuck with Doctor Ross via Skype. And occasionally Nox joins in too.

Nox puts down his tools and walks across the slab where he’s been busy putting up the frame for the new studio. He didn’t give up on Casey Records when he sold the old building to the developers. It wasn’t the end of the world for him. He just adjusted his plans. Chose a new path.

My mouth waters as he steps off the concrete and walks toward me. Shirtless, shiny with sweat, his hands roughed up from the framing. My panties have been damp all afternoon.

“What are you working on?” he asks as his shadow blocks out the sharpness of the sun.

“A book.” I close my laptop.

“About Sophie?” he asks, sitting down beside me. He takes my hand and runs his thumb along the wedding band on my finger as a smile plays on his mouth.

It’s become a habit, and it makes my heart flutter. I love the way he draws my attention to the fact that I’m his. Not just his woman, but his wife. I love that it means so much to him. “No, about love. I’ve been thinking about those articles I used to write and how wrong I was. So I’m writing what I know about love and romance and marriage instead of what I know about statistics.”

“I always liked the first post you wrote as Anti-Cupid,” he says.

“It was about you,” I tell him. “Well, you were on my mind at the time.”

“Is that so?” He grins as though he’s known all along. “So tell me, now that you know me better, do I talk in my sleep?”

“Uh-huh.” I put my laptop on the ground and straddle his lap. “You do.”

“And what do I say? Has it gotten old yet?” He grasps my hips while he rests his back against the tree. His rough fingers scrape against my skin and make me want more.

“You tell me you love me.” I brush my lips against his mouth. “And it never gets old.”