I can’t believe the life I am living anymore. It feels like just yesterday that Chloe and I were crammed in a dumpy studio apartment in Alphabet City, and I was convinced that I was going to die, alone, without my baby by my side or anyone to care. Now? Now I’m living in Auckland in a gorgeous two-story penthouse with my little girl, our half-wolf/half-dog Daisy… and my husband.

My husband.

My husband, Pierce.

It still sounds so strange to say it out loud. Barely a day after Cannizzo was officially behind bars, James and Carol had invited all of us, Logan included, to join them at Martinelli’s to celebrate the end of my ordeal. We were drinking wine, eating their delicious pasta and chicken parmigiana, and talking about our upcoming move. Chloe was chewing happily on a breadstick, when suddenly she looked up at me and said,

“Mama!”

The entire table went silent. We all stared at her cheery little face, and her glowing, chubby cheeks, with our jaws agape.

“Chloe! What did you say? Did you… did you say something?”

She smiled and wrapped her fingers around my wrist. “Mama!” Then she pointed her chewed up breadstick at Pierce and said, “Daddy!”

I don’t know why, maybe it was an overflow of all the emotion from the last week, but I burst into tears. Pierce pulled Chloe into his lap and showered her in kisses.

“It’s not much, but it’s a start! I bet she’ll be talking up a storm before we know it,” he said with a laugh.

“And you’ll be longing for the days when she didn’t speak at all,” James said with a sly grin. Carol gave him a smack on the arm, but everyone chuckled. I wiped the tears from my eyes as Pierce handed Chloe to his mom, then got up from the booth with a bit of a grunt. Ever since the incident at the warehouse, his leg had been a little stiffer than usual, so he’d been working out double-time to try and get back to his usual self. But he was still more sore than he cared to admit. Yet, he stood at the edge of the table, tall and handsome, and gave me his most dashing smile.

“Arie, this seems like the perfect time to ask you something I’ve been meaning to for a while.”

Pierce reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little blue box, and my heart practically stopped as he got down on one knee. I couldn’t even utter a word, but Carol more than made up for it when she shrieked loud enough that several of the chefs and a few waiters came running over to see what commotion was. They immediately stopped in their tracks with giant smiles on their faces. I had a feeling they’d been privy to this scene many times before.

However, when Pierce open the little blue box, it was my turn to make a scene. The ring was a huge pear-shaped diamond in a platinum setting. The entire band was encrusted with smaller diamonds, and even the main stone was surrounded by little sparkling stones. The lights from the candle hit the largest diamond and set off sparkles all over the wall like a prism, and Chloe exclaimed happily as she tried to grab at them. But I shook my head, terrified to so much as touch it.

“Pierce… I can’t accept that. It’s too much. It’s too big. I can’t…”

He got up from the floor and sat back down in the booth next to me, then slid the ring on my finger with a smile. “You deserve this, Arie. You deserve all of it and more. You deserve a thousand rings, you deserve every diamond in the world. And if you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life chasing them down for you. And for Chloe.”

I started crying again and threw my arms around him. “Yes, of course yes. Forever, yes.”

The rest of the night was spent talking about details for a wedding, and listening to Carol try to convince us again not to move to Auckland. But the first thing Pierce had done once we were sure that Cannizzo was firmly in prison was book our tickets back to New Zealand, so there was no question about us leaving. The only question left was whether we’re going to get married in Manhattan, or New Zealand.

In the end, we decided to have the wedding in our new home. But not before I had to testify at the trial of Sebastian “Angel” Cannizzo.

The pre-trial phase had moved a lot faster than Penny had anticipated. For a moment, she even thought Cannizzo might cut a deal, which would have prevented me from testifying at all. But then, Sonny Cannizzo died in his white collar prison, a sudden heart attack taking him out on the racquetball court, and Angel had decided that meant he needed to take over the Cannizzo crime family. And while it was possible for him to control things from jail, he made it perfectly clear that he didn’t intend to, and he started the process of doing everything in his power to get out of his charges.

It started subtly, with the Cannizzo family paying whatever they had to to high-priced lawyers who would use any underhanded tactics they could to get Angel off. When they couldn’t find any legal loopholes to get him out of jail, they started resorted to illegal ones. First? It was witness tampering. And by tampering, I mean that Angel’s right-hand-man, Danny Lorenzo, was found floating in the East River, a bullet between his eyes. There was no evidence to prove that Angel was connected, but Penny was sure he had him killed so he couldn’t testify for the prosecution.

After that, Pierce, Chloe, and I had round-the-clock FBI protection until the trial. At first I thought it was going to be intrusive and terrifying, but it wasn’t long before we got used to having the agents around. They were always in the apartment, the car, at dinner with us eating our food, and attending family events. Penny tried to speed things up so we could get on with our lives, and before we knew it, Pierce and I were sitting outside a courtroom, waiting for a bailiff to bring me inside.

I walked in the courtroom, and the only people in there were the jury, a judge, Penny and her assistant district attorney… And Angel, surrounded by his cadre of lawyers. I’d be lying if I said was petrified, but I did the only thing I could: I told the truth. About everything. No matter which lawyer was asking me questions, I told the truth. When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything. So, my story was consistent, and there was nothing Angel’s lawyers could poke holes in. Just facts: I owed him money, he and Danny kidnapped me, and threatened to kill me. End of story. After two hours of testimony, I walked out of the courthouse, holding Pierce’s hand. Then we went home, picked up Chloe, got on a plane to Auckland, and didn’t look back.

Three days later, we got a call from Penny. Angel had been convicted. But more than that, because he and Danny had pulled guns on me, assaulted me, and inflicted serious bodily harm on me, the judge had added level after level on to his actual sentence. By the time he was done, Angel Cannizzo had been sentenced to seventy-five years in prison with no chance of parole. The whole of New York City could probably hear my excited screams from New Zealand at the thought that I was finally free of that man.

Once we were sure that the trial was finally over, we were free to plan our big day. And what a day it was. Family came from all over the world for our Kiwi wedding, including my Aunt Marie and Uncle Sal, who Pierce bought airline tickets for. We ended up getting married on the Bay of Islands at a resort on the Kauri Cliffs near Matauri Bay in Northland, and it was the most incredible experience of my life. The lodge and all of the guest cottages looked out over the cliffs and onto the beautiful beaches and ocean below. Our room had a huge fireplace and a massive bed with a view of the ocean and a private infinity pool, where we spent most of our time with Chloe. However, James and Carol were kind enough to keep her in their room, so we could truly be alone, and take advantage of the romantic spa, the amazing dinners, and the quiet walking trails.

By the time the actual wedding day rolled around, we’d practically forgotten we weren’t the only two people in the world.

The wedding was beautiful. We were married under a canopy on the cliffs in full view of the Pacific Ocean, and the perfect warm summer winds danced around us as we took our vows. I expected that I would be the one to cry like a baby, but it was Pierce who broke down in tears when we said our vows. I don’t think either of us expected to end up where we did, when we did, with who we did, or go through so much to get there. The emotion of the moment overwhelmed both of us, and then I started crying too, which made our families break down in tears. Luckily, the tears quickly turned to laughter, and before I knew it, Pierce and I were husband and wife.

I was Mrs. Arie June Cochran, and with my husband holding my hand on that beautiful cliff, I felt like there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish together.

Now, we are on our honeymoon in Fiji, and I wake up every morning surprised at how relaxed, and free I feel. It’s the third morning of our two-week honeymoon, and I wake up in the massive bed in our overwater bure at the resort where we are staying on Malolo Island. I stretch and look around, surprised to find that Pierce isn’t in the room. I crawl out of the bed, marveling at the sparkling blue water beneath the glass under my feet, and wrap the bedsheet around my naked body. No one is around us, so we’ve had ample privacy, and it’s allowed us certain liberties that we’ve taken full advantage of.

I walk out onto our private patio, and find Pierce laying naked on the dock on a lounge chair. He’s already developed a deep tan, and his rippling muscles are shiny from a thin sheen of sweat. I feel my insides start to twist up just at the sight of him, and have to remind myself how unbelievably lucky I am that this is my husband. He seems to become aware of my presence, because he lifts his head from the chair, and lowers his sunglasses with a smile.

“Good morning, Mrs. Cochran. You’re looking especially beautiful this morning.”

I feel myself break out in a full-body blush. I will never get used to his compliments.

“I could say the same thing about you. Speaking of, we’re bound to have neighbors soon. I’m not sure how much longer we can get away with nude sunbathing.”

Pierce reaches over and yanks away my sheet, throwing it down on the dock, and leaving me standing in front of him, totally exposed. Then he takes my hand and pulls me onto his lap. I can feel his body heat, combined with the warmth of the morning sun. And then he is growing against me. So masculine. So big. And I so want him inside of me that I suddenly can’t think of anything else.

Our gazes fix on each other, and a heartbeat later, Pierce takes me by the shoulders and pulls down to him. His lips desperately reach for mine and he kisses me with every ounce of the passion he has inside of him. My reaction is based on unadulterated reflex. I returned his kiss with the same appetite, the same demand. We are practically mauling each other.

Any thought of modesty is completely abandoned in favor of our desire for each other.

Pierce lifts me up into the air like I weigh nothing, and he carries me to the glass floor that sits overtop of the sparkling turquoise water. The cool of the glass against my skin combined with the disorientation that comes from feeling like I am suspended over the ocean is a heady combination, and my mind begins to spin in a way I can’t explain. Pierce lays his strong body on top of me, the curve of his muscles rubbing against my soft flesh. He kisses me again, until I am practically ready to pass out from lack of oxygen and the thrill of his taste. He kisses a trail along the side of my neck. He licks a path down my skin to my collarbone, and lets his fingers trace shapes on my sweaty skin.

Pierce makes a happy sound when he leans back and takes in the sight of my breasts. Ever since we got engaged, since I’ve been healthy and felt safe, I’ve been putting weight back on, and he seems to revel in my curves, my softness. Pierce leans down and takes a quick cursory lick, making me shiver. His touch is like fire against my skin, burning me up from the inside out. With his strong hands, he cups my breasts and squeezes my firm flesh. Then he leans down and peppers my breasts with soft kisses, before stopping to suck my nipple.

“Oh, god, Pierce,” I moan, not caring if someone could hear us. All I want is to spend the rest of our lives on this dock.

Desire sears my skin like I’m being branded by Pierce’s love. He lazily drags his tongue from one nipple to another, letting his hands squeeze tighter around my breasts. Then he scrapes his teeth on my hardened bud, and flicks his tongue across the edge before he begins sucking on me intently. The whole time, he is rolling the other nipple with his skilled fingers.

“Pierce,” I whisper. “Lean back, baby. I want to see” I give his shoulders a gentle push so he is hovering over me. He smiles softly and kisses me again before he rocks back on his knees. He flinches a little when his weight shifts on to his leg, and I suddenly feel guilty. “Are you okay? Are you hurting? Should we go inside?”

He shakes his head and grins. “I will always be okay when I am with you.”

Sweet Jesus, I am so lucky. Not only is Pierce the most wonderful man in the world, but he is also the most beautiful. His gorgeously tanned skin glows in the yellow light of the sun. His six-pack abs ripple, and his strong arms make it clear he could carry me to Australia and back. My husband is a perfect specimen of manhood, and I can’t believe he’s mine.

Pierce leans forward and kisses me on the lips. His emerald eyes glitter. “You’re so goddamned beautiful, Arie.” He slips one finger, and then another, inside of me, and growls like an animal when my sex contracts and throbs around his fingers.

“God, you feel amazing, Arie.”

I can’t say anything as he hooks a finger inside of me, hitting a spot that sends my whole body into shivers instantaneously. Pierce growls again as I shake and shiver around him. “I love it when you come for me, Arie.”

I reach out and grope for him, wanting to feel him in the same way he just felt me. I give him a gentle squeeze and his cock comes alive in my hand.

“I shouldn’t be the only one getting off today.”

Pierce laughs, and I worship him as his cock stands strong and proud in front of me, extraordinarily thick and long. My mouth waters, and all I want to do is taste him, but I can tell that he isn’t interested in foreplay this morning. Instead, he positions himself at my opening and slides inside of me like he belongs there. His copious shaft fills me before I even have time to register that he’s there.

I gasp, as always, surprised at just how fully he fills me up. He is so unbelievably big and I never feel fully ready to take him, but he always manages to make it work. With a primitive moan, he shifts himself so he fills me up all the way to the brim. I wrap my thighs around Pierce’s waist for purchase as he rocks into me fast and hard. He has hardly thrust into me a dozen times when I feel another orgasm wash over me out of nowhere, and seize my entire body without warning. Absolute satisfaction pours through my entire body.

Pierce sees it, and he smiles from ear to ear. “Fuck yeah, baby. Come for me. Let’s keep going. I want more of you.”

I am just about to finally catch my breath when Pierce rolls off of me. Then he sits up and pulls me into his lap. I straddle him, clutching tight to his shoulders. With one hand, I take hold of his shaft and press the tip to my opening, slipping him into my heat. I moan as that glorious familiar stretching sensation returns. I ease myself down a little bit further, relishing the slow feeling of Pierce filling me up again, but Pierce gets irascible. He grabs hold of my hips and pulls me down, piercing me with his thick cock. We both moan as his cock pulses inside of me. Burning. Agonizing. Amazingly fantastic.

He kisses the spot where my neck meets my shoulder and whispers into my ear, “I want you to feel every part of me, Arie.”

“I…” start to stutter out, but I can’t form a coherent sentence. The indulgence is too perfect, too all-consuming.

Pierce wraps his arms around my waist and rocks me back at an angle. Riding him from this new position floods me with a new wave of extraordinary sensations. I can feel the smoothness of the skin of the head; the firm hardness of his perfect cock fills me up and sends me reeling in the most perfect of ways. I can’t fathom how deep inside of me he is right now. He gyrates as if he is trying to get even deeper inside of me, but there is no way that’s possible. I am completely stuffed to the absolutely limit. His thick manhood ravages my pussy, pushing me into places I’m not sure my mind can handle.

“Pierce,” I scream.

Pierce gently rubs my back as he floods me with a deluge of focused thrusts. He rains crash upon crash of pounding plunge until all I feel is the fire of our bodies meeting. The wicked scorch is driving me to the point of climax, and I know I am right on the edge. I hold my breath. Pierce slams once. Twice. Again. One more time.

And then, an orgasm tears through me. Blinding, exhausting, and beautiful.

Pierce jerks underneath me, reaching his own climax. His huge cock shudders inside of me, emptying his seed. I can feel his every spasm, the clip of his labored breathing. He kisses my chest as our waves of ecstasy begin to ebb away. When the final of pleasure drifts away, I feel sleepy and satiated. All I want to do is sleep in the sun in Pierce’s arms.

I slide myself off of him, though he seems hesitant to let me go. I laugh, exhausted. “So, how long were you out here waiting for me to wake up?” I ask.

“Too long.” Pierce grabs me by the waist and rolls me onto my back. We tumble on to the glass floor and Pierce ends up back on top of me. “I’ve been thinking about it since I woke up and saw you laying there in the morning sun, asleep, glowing, and beautiful.”

I try to hide a grin. “Funny you should mention the word ‘glowing’ actually.”

Pierce raises an eyebrow and surveys me with curious eyes. “Oh?”

“Well, right before the wedding, I was feeling queasy. Sick. I started to worry that maybe something was wrong again. That I was going to need to go back to Manhattan to my doctors. But then I realized…”

Pierce sits up. He’s catching on, and his face is practically on fire with excitement. “You realized?”

“I was late. So, the concierge picked me up a pregnancy test.”

“And?” he asks, practically jumping out of his skin.

“We’re pregnant,” I answer, trying to stifle my smile. When I look up, Pierce looks like he’s about to explode. He laughs happily and picks me up in the air, spinning me around and around until we are both dizzy and giggling. When he puts me down, he kisses me long and slow, then pulls away and brushes my hair out of my face.

“You’re my family now, Arie. And I’m going to make sure you, and Chloe, and whoever else the universe brings us, will be safe forever. I love you, Arie.”

And when he pulls me into his arms, the warmth of the Fijian sun beating down on us and the gentle lapping of the waves filling out ears, I believe him.