EPILOGUE
Three months later
DAMIAN BOUNCED UP and down on the balls of his feet, jittering like a fighter waiting to swing his first punch. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, turning his usually calm and collected self into a bundle of nerves. Tonight was a big deal. The biggest deal.
He finally had Lainey back home. All to himself. Her job in London had kept her busy, and she had settled in. Eventually. But doing the long-distance relationship wasn’t easy, and she’d insisted he keep his business in Australia. Because she was going to see her six-month contract to completion and then she’d bring all that knowledge home and use it to find her dream job in the place where she belonged. In Melbourne. By his side.
But there was only so much Skype sex that could satisfy him, and with their schedules—not to mention the twenty-four-hour travel time from Melbourne to London—he’d been missing her like crazy. He hadn’t seen her in a whole damn month, and it was killing him.
Tonight, however, would be everything he’d been waiting—and planning—for. It’d had taken him a bit longer than he’d wanted to get things arranged. But time had been required to get the stars—or in this case the moon—aligned.
He tapped his foot as he stared at the stream of people in the arrivals area. They all seemed to blend into one human blob, until she appeared. Her bright red hair was a shocking contrast to her all-black outfit. She looked like some kind of sexy superhero ninja.
And it sure as hell felt that way when she launched herself into his arms with all the force her slender frame could manage. He kept his feet firm on the ground and enveloped her, pressing his lips to hers and inhaling the oh-so-familiar scent of her perfume. His hands were in her hair, at her back, holding her so tight because the fear that she would evaporate into thin air was terrifyingly real. His throat felt raw from the emotion rushing up out of nowhere.
Damian wasn’t the kind of guy to get all teary, but fuck if he didn’t feel a prickle at the back of his eyes. Who the hell was he right now?
“I missed you so much,” she said, her own eyes sparkling. “And I really can’t wait until they invent teleportation so people don’t have to be on a plane for that long.”
“Cool your jets, princess. You were in first class. That is nothing to complain about.”
She grinned. “I was comfortable. But it was way too long before I got to see you.”
“You’re here now.” The words clogged in his throat. “We’re together. Everything is right again.”
The drive was quick. Lainey filled the car with her chatter and every little update on her life in London, her excitement and happiness radiating out and tangling him up. He’d planned the evening meticulously—every detail was carefully arranged, from the venue to the dessert to the view. And now he found himself as anxious as a teenage boy on his first date.
“So what’s your angle tonight?” she asked as he navigated them farther into the city.
“My angle?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I feel like you’ve got something up your sleeve.”
He stifled a grin. The sky was darker now, but the city lights were a wash of glitter around them. He pulled up to the building that contained his new home and drove into the underground car park.
“Where are we going?” Lainey peered out of the window, but there wasn’t anything to see except concrete pylons and rows of cars. “I thought you said you were staying in the hotel so we could find something when I came back.”
“I never said that specifically.” He pulled into his parking spot and killed the engine. “Now will you stop it with the questions?”
“Never.” She shot him a grin.
How had it happened that he’d fallen head over fucking heels for this crazy girl who was a decade younger than him, who was wild on the surface but loyal and fierce underneath? Who had an open heart and an open mind and a set of legs that totally undid him?
They sat in the car, the silence only broken by the sound of their breath. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
She looked at him with love shining in her face. “Absolutely and completely.”
He got out of the car and retrieved her suitcase from the boot. Its wheels squeaked as they walked toward the elevator, and he made a mental note to send her back to London at the end of her week off with a new one.
The second the elevator door opened, Lainey squealed. “I know this elevator!”
“Damn, and I was hoping to keep it a surprise until the big reveal.” A roguish smile tugged at his lips and he ran a hand along his jaw.
“When did you move in?” They arrived at the top floor and entered the apartment.
“Last month. They had trouble selling it, so I had the chance to negotiate.”
“I know how much you love doing that.” She grinned. “I can’t believe you bought this place.”
The apartment was almost unchanged from when they’d inspected it together, because he wanted her input when she finally returned from London.
“It’s perfect,” she said, her eyes wide and her hand clamped over her mouth.
“We’re going to make it ours, Lainey. Together, as partners.” He gently tugged her hand down and scooped her up in his arms. “We’re going to decorate it together, and we’re going to mark it with memories. When I said I would spend my life making up for lost time, I meant it.”
He took her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, her red hair fanning out all around her. She looked like a goddess. A vision.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said, squirming under his grip. “I showered at the lounge on my stopover in Singapore, but that was eight hours ago. You’re not getting into my pants yet.”
“Don’t think about it?” He laughed, crawling up over her body and nudging her legs apart with his knee. “Baby, it’s all I’m capable of thinking about. You don’t know how hard it makes me to know I’ve got the woman of my dreams in my bed. Our bed. I’m not letting you go until I’ve felt those beautiful thighs shake around me, until I’ve heard that sexy, raspy voice begging me to go harder and deeper.”
“You think you’re so enticing,” she teased, looping her arms around his neck. Her back bowed as he pressed his hips down to hers. “And for the record, I know exactly how hard you are.”
“It’s so good to have you home. Skype doesn’t cut it.” He pressed his lips to her neck, slipping one hand under her top to find her breast. His cock pulsed, desperate from weeks of knowing nothing but his own hand.
She reached down between them and pulled his zipper down, wrapping her fingers around his cock. “Hmm, home. I like the sound of that.”
“Enough talking.” He tugged her pants down in one smooth motion.
When he slid into her, it was like everything he’d been waiting for—the feeling of rightness rocketed through him and he bundled her up in his arms the way he’d dreamed of every night since he’d come back home from that first trip to London. Her lips were on his, her body needy and demanding, hips meeting his thrust for thrust as he buried himself inside her. They were still mostly dressed, but he didn’t care. Because he needed her now, and not one second could be wasted.
“Lainey,” he sighed into her ear as he cradled her, taking and giving with everything he had. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her cheeks flushed. And the little dent her teeth made in her lower lip was enough to make his entire body shudder with pleasure.
“I’m in this for the long haul, you know.” He brushed a strand of red hair from her forehead, touching his lips to hers. “Forever.”
“And ever,” she whispered, her body trembling as he nipped at her skin. “Just like I always wanted.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from INKED by Anne Marsh.
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