Chapter 23
Unsurprisingly, after dinner Hunter and Graham decide to go to Graham’s place for the night. Bryce seems pretty happy with that. And as I sit in Bryce’s arms on the couch, I’m feeling pretty good about it myself.
“So what else did you remember today?” I ask softly, lying back against his chest and trailing my fingers down the arm he has wrapped around me.
“Heather,” he replies. “And Daniel. What happened there?”
“Ah.” I sit up, turning around to face him. “He was convicted and sentenced to seven years. Heather is doing great. She’s seeing someone now, and she seems really happy. She told me to thank you for your help, once you remembered.”
“And Charles? How did he take it all?” Bryce asks. I can’t help but smile sadly that he’s remembering, but the things he’s remembering are so heart-rending.
“It was tough. But he’s okay. He finally made an official succession plan. That’s when I knew he’d really accepted it. And things have been better,” I reply.
“So you’ll be in charge of Sutton Developments one day?” Bryce asks.
“Yes,” I agree. “How about you? Will you run Hoyt Corporate Services again?”
“I’d planned on it,” he admits. “But I’m not so sure anymore.” He pulls me close to him, running his hands down my arms. I press my palms against his chest, relishing the feel of his heartbeat under his warm, firm muscles.
“Why not?” I ask curiously. He pushes my hair behind my shoulders and looks deeply into my eyes.
“Well,” he replies, “if we’re both running companies, who is going to raise the kids?”
I laugh. “You mean Hunter and Graham?” I tease. Bryce smirks.
“I think you know full well I don’t,” he chastises me. I press my lips together to suppress my smile.
“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” I ask. “Technically, you haven’t even proposed. I mean, you flashed a ring and all, but that seems to have disappeared.”
Bryce grins mischievously. “Do you really want me to propose to you on the same day my memories came back? You seemed pretty dead set on not letting me back in unless there wasn’t any chance you’d be left hanging.”
“Well, I let you back in, didn’t I?” I reply.
“Hmmm,” he says in mock thought. “So you really must believe me. Which means …”
“I might consider marrying you if you weren’t such a jackass,” I reply, smacking him on the chest and attempting to wriggle backward. But he locks his arms behind me, making escape impossible.
“You know you like it,” he teases me, burying his face in my neck. His lips work my flesh, and all the fight drains right out of me.
“I do believe it,” I respond, ignoring his teasing and wrapping myself around him. “I just needed a little time to absorb that it was really true. That you really remembered, and that it wasn’t a reflex.”
He gazes seriously into my eyes. “I really remember. Not everything still, though more is coming back all the time. But I know three things, Serafina Evans,” he replies, kissing me lightly on the lips. “First, that I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you.” He kisses me more deeply. “Second, that I missed you even when I didn’t remember you, I just didn’t realize that’s what I was feeling until my memories came back.” He kisses me again in a way that causes me to moan against him. “And finally, that life is too short, too precious to live another moment without asking you to be my wife.” He slips out of my arms, crouching on one knee next to the couch, the ring mysteriously having appeared in his hand. “Marry me, Sera.”
I’d only been teasing him about proposing. And even though I knew he had the ring, and that he’d planned to propose before he’d lost his memory, he’s right — I never thought he’d propose the same day his memories returned. But this whole ordeal has also made me realize how fleeting everything is. How much I love him. And I’d be an idiot to say no.
“I know three things, Bryce Hoyt,” I respond with a grin. “First, I love you more than I ever imagined I was capable of loving anyone.” I kiss him lightly and he grins. “Second, yes, I will absolutely marry you.” He lets out a small, choked happy noise as I kiss him again. “And third, I think we should buy a house together and fill it with little Hoyts.” A look of sheer joy settles over him, and this time he kisses me, nearly knocking me over on the sofa. I laugh as he pulls away and slides the ring onto my finger. And it’s a perfect fit, just like we are.
Bryce cups my face in his hands, radiating warmth and love, and his mouth covers mine. I press him back gently after a moment, rising from the couch. I tug on his hand, leading him to the window wall.
“Actually, I guess I know four things,” I amend. I go up on my toes to whisper in his ear. “I know I want you naked and fucking me against the window. Now.”
“Goddamn, baby,” Bryce groans. His hands fly down his shirt buttons, and I tug my dress over my head, flinging it away from me. As he takes off his shirt, I add my bra to the pile. And when his pants and boxers go, so do my panties and leggings. And in a clash of flesh, his mouth is joined to mine, his hands roughly teasing my nipple and between my legs.
I cry out as he primes me, sinking against him and feverishly stroking him. He spins me around, grabbing my hands and placing them against the window. He runs his fingers down my back, to my hips, lifting them into position as he leans down and seats himself at my opening. I can see him reflected in the glass, lovingly caressing my backside as he teases me. I groan anxiously.
“So impatient,” he murmurs approvingly. How he loves making me wait. But I know it’ll be worth it. And instead of giving in to the urge to pounce, he enters slowly, torturously. And the moan that seeps out of me is nothing short of primal. He groans appreciatively, at the sensation of our joining or my clear enjoyment of it, I’m not sure which.
But even he can’t take the disciplined torment for long. Our quick encounter earlier has only left us both hungry for the full experience. So I’m not surprised when he quickly accelerates to the deep, full thrusts that send my body soaring with pleasure. The sounds of his enjoyment mingle with my own, spurring us both on as he takes me. His hands reach under me and find my breasts, allowing him leverage to drive completely into me. He hovers there, using a slight tilt of his hips to move the head over that spot inside me. A familiar low ache begins to build. And having learned from Bryce how to make the climax all the more intense, I slip my fingers onto the sensitive nub between my legs, pressing with our rhythm until the ache consumes me, spreading its explosive fire through my body so fiercely that my arm loses its hold, my face and chest sinking against the glass as I come apart.
As I come down from the sensation, Bryce releases me and turns me to face him. His mouth finds mine, and I get a slight respite as I sink into him, enjoying the feel of our naked bodies touching. I press him back, running my hands over the smooth muscles of his chest, then the rippling muscles of his abs. My eyes drink them in hungrily, then move down to his throbbing cock.
I drop to my knees at the sight, descending on him with my mouth. He moans loudly, his hand resting lightly on the back of my head as I work him. I pleasure him with varying stroking and sucking, enjoying every noise that he makes. It’s all I can do to let him stop me before I finish him.
He lifts me up bodily, pressing me against the cold glass behind me so our hips are aligned. And then he’s inside me once more, pinning me with his torso and tilting his hips into me furiously as I cling to him with my arms and legs, enduring the intense pleasure caused by the contrast of the cool window, his warm body, and the deep, intense thrusts. His head is pressed against the glass next to me, his mouth hovering over my shoulder. So when his breathing picks up as he approaches orgasm, I hear it, and use what muscles I can to spur him toward his finish. When he feels me clamp around him, he cries out and explodes inside me.
We both sink to the floor, utterly spent and gratified, leaning our warm, sweaty bodies against the chilly glass, looking up at the dark, grey sky above us. After we’ve caught our breath, Bryce pulls me to him, kissing me lightly. His beautiful blue eyes find mine, his handsome face filled with love.
“I don’t want to wait,” he says. “To make you mine.” I smile shyly.
“I’m already yours. I have been this whole time. I was just waiting for you to remember,” I reply. “But now that you do, I don’t want to wait, either.”
“Really?” he asks, with a hopeful look.
“Really,” I confirm. “I’ll marry you anytime, anywhere, Bryce Hoyt. Just so long as we can do this, forever.” I press my body against his. His strong hands pull me into his lap, and I wrap my legs around him, my breasts pressed against his chest.
“God, I love you,” he breathes. His words shoot through my heart, filling me with joy.
“And I love you,” I sigh. “Never forget how much I love you.” He smiles.
“Never again,” he agrees.