We spent the next couple of days in bed, catching up on sex. “Christmas is next week, and I’m taking you to get a tree.”
I looked at him and pouted. “You mean we have to leave this bed?”
Connor smiled. “We do, but I promise we won’t leave it for too long.” He took my hand and led me into the shower.
We spent the day picking out the perfect Christmas tree. Connor made arrangements to have it delivered while we bought the lights and ornaments. We decorated the tree as we sipped wine and ate Chinese food. We made love by the tree with the lights brightly cascading down around us as we lay on the floor, wrapped in a blanket.
“My mom wants you to come over for Christmas,” he said as he ran his finger up and down my arm.
“I would love that. I miss your family.”
“I talked to Peyton, and if it’s okay with you, we’re going to spend Christmas Eve with her and Henry and then Christmas Day at my mom and dad’s, unless you have other plans?”
“That sounds perfect to me, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
***
It was the day before Christmas Eve, and we were heading back to New York first thing the next morning. I got out of bed and started a pot of coffee. Connor emerged from the bedroom with his hand behind his back.
“What are you hiding, Mr. Black?”
He smiled and kissed me on the lips. “A present for you.” He handed me the beautiful white box with a pink satin bow. I opened it and pulled out a beautiful white spaghetti-strap sundress.
“Oh, Connor, it’s beautiful!” I smiled as I held it up to me.
“You’re going to wear that tonight for dinner.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You’re taking me to dinner?”
“Don’t I always? But tonight will be our last dinner in California for a while, so I wanted to make it special.”
I put the dress down and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you. I love it.” It didn’t take long before he picked me up and carried me back to the bedroom for our routine morning lovemaking.
***
We walked out the door and there was a limo waiting for us.
“A limo? How classy, Mr. Black.”
He smiled and opened the door. I slid in and gasped when I looked at the driver. “Denny, what are you doing here?”
He turned and looked at me with a smile. “It’s good to see you, Ellery.”
Connor slid in next to me and shut the door. “Why is Denny driving us in California?”
Connor just smiled. “I need to blindfold you.”
I looked at him and smiled. “Don’t you think that’s a little too kinky with Denny here?”
He lightly laughed and shook his head. “Trust me; we’ll be using this in the bedroom, but for now, where I’m taking you is a surprise, and I don’t want you to know till we get there.” He took out a black cloth and put it over my eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Except for being incredibly turned on, yes.”
The limo stopped, and Connor took my hand and helped me out. He stopped and told me to take off my shoes. My heart was racing a mile a minute with excitement. As soon as my feet touched the sand, I stopped and listened as the waves crashed to the shore. Connor reached over and took off the blindfold.
“I’m guessing you know where we are.”
I stood there, my feet softened by the sand as I looked out and saw a white canopy sitting in the middle of the beach.
“Is it just us here tonight?” I asked.
Connor smiled as he kissed me softly on the cheek. “Yes, baby. I rented out the entire beach just for us.”
He took my hand and led me down the beach to the white canopy. Inside the canopy sat a round table draped in white linen, white roses, and two chairs covered in white fabric. I was speechless at the beauty of it all. The best part was that the sun was going to set soon, and we’d be here to watch it.
“Connor, how and when did you do all this?”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. You’re so amazing.”
“Dinner will be here soon, so I thought we could take a walk along the water.”
He took my hand as we walked along the edge of the shoreline, the water hitting our feet. He stopped and pointed to the sky. “Look over there. The sun is starting to set.”
I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort at that moment. Connor took my hands and held them as he faced me, taking in a deep breath.
“Ellery, from the first moment I saw you, I knew instantly that I needed you in my life, and I set out to make sure that happened. You kept calling me a stalker, and you were right; I did stalk you, but for good reason.”
I smiled as he continued. “You’re different from anyone that I’ve ever met. You’re strong, kind, good-hearted, forgiving, and loving. You’re also incredibly stubborn, a smart ass, and very independent, and that’s everything I love about you. You’ve certainly given me a run for my money since I’ve met you. You’ve challenged me and brought out a man I thought I never could be. You’ve shown me things that I never would’ve seen if you weren’t in my life. You’ve filled the void in my heart and soul that I never knew existed until you weren’t by my side.” Tears started to fall down my face.
“I was simply a man with no meaning until I met you, and I’m proud of whom I’ve become because of you. We’ve been through a lot together, and we will continue to go through a lot, but we’ll conquer whatever life throws our way, together. I want to thank you for being my best friend, and my lover.”
Suddenly, he got down on one knee and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing down my face. “I want to be more than just your lover. I want to be your happily ever after, your best friend, your husband, and I want you for my wife. Will you marry me, Ellery Lane?” He opened the box and took out the most beautiful ring that I’d ever seen.
I looked at him, crying as I nodded my head. “Yes, Connor; I will marry you.”
He put the ring on my finger and stood up, hugging me and twirling me around. We kissed passionately and then looked up at the sunset.
“I wanted to propose here because I figured you’d want your mom to be here with us.”
I was touched in so many ways by this man. We stood and watched the sun set over the ocean waters wrapped around each other and never wanting to let go.
He led me back to the table and we ate dinner and talked. “I saw the tape your mom made for you the night we got back from the club, and I slept on the couch. I turned the TV on, and it was playing. That had to be so hard for you watch.”
“It was at first, but then it was comforting at the same time. It was amazing to see her, and I regret not getting the contents of that safety deposit box sooner.”
I kept looking at my ring, which gracefully sat on my finger. It was a four-carat, platinum princess-cut diamond with smaller diamonds going down the band.
“A beautiful ring for a beautiful woman.” He smiled.
He stood up and took my hand and led me to a large white tent that was filled with fluffy pillows and blankets.
A huge grin crossed my face. “Sex on the beach?”
He nodded his head. “Yes, sex on the beach.”
He walked over to me and slid the spaghetti straps off my shoulders, allowing my entire dress to fall at my feet. I stood there in only my white lace panties as his tongue traveled across my neck and up my jaw line before meeting my mouth with his.
“I want to make love to you all night; first here, and then at home in every room. When you walk tomorrow, you’ll be reminded of our passionate night; one I never want you to forget.”
I braced myself for the amazing hot sex that was about to take place. I craved him like chocolate. He laid me down on the soft pillows and watched me as he took off his shirt and removed his pants and boxers. Every time I looked at him, it amazed me how blessed this man was in the “goods” department. He bent down and laid himself on his side, propped up on his elbow as he softly stroked my breasts, paying special attention to each hardened nipple as he twisted them in his fingers. I ran my hand through his hair and brought his head closer for a kiss. Our lips grew hot as our tongues were reunited with each other. With finesse, he moved his hand up and down my torso and into my lace panties, feeling my wetness and my ache for him.
“Christ, Ellery, you’re so wet,” he moaned. His lips broke from mine as he kissed each breast, making his way down to my belly button and kissing me softly inside my inner thighs. He gently inserted his finger in me and felt the wetness before inserting another. I gasped at the pleasure and arched my back for him to go deeper. His tongue ran circles around my swollen area, forcing me to release my pleasure to him. He quickly placed his mouth where his fingers had been, sucking lightly and licking every sensitive area. My heart was beating rapidly as his erotic moves were scorching my skin. He brought his mouth up to mine and gave me a taste of what he loved so much. I reached down and took him in my hand, stroking the length of him with long, soft strokes. Groans came from the back of this throat as his mouth lightly licked behind my ear.
“Connor, I need you inside me now. Please, I need to feel you.” He moaned, and before I knew it, I was flipped on my stomach as he entered me slowly from behind.
“Is this how you want me?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He sat up and moved fluidly in and out of me. He reached his hands around me and grabbed my breasts, squeezing them and pinching at each nipple before moving his hand down and rubbing my aching spot.
“Don’t come just yet, baby. I need you to come with me.”
“Harder, Connor. Fuck me harder, right now!” I demanded.
I was never usually that vocal, but something inside me snapped, and I wanted him hard and fast. He took in a sharp breath as he moved faster in and out of me. He was bringing me to orgasm quickly as I screamed his name, and we both felt each other’s release. “Fuck,” he said as he pushed himself deeper into me, releasing all his pleasure into my body. He proceeded to kiss up and down my back before collapsing on me. I could feel his heart rapidly beating as he was trying to catch his breath. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stroked his hair.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too, baby.”
We spent a couple more hours in the tent, drinking wine and talking. Then, as promised, we made love in every room back at my apartment.