Inside the box is a black metal ring with a tiny teal gem that’s the exact color of her eyes nestled in purple velvet. I suck in a breath, and my heartbeat quickens. No one has ever given me such an awesome gift. My fingers shake as I try to take the ring out of its velvet bed, but I can’t even grab it. She leans forward and takes it out of the box for me.

“Looks like we’ve had the same thing on our minds lately,” she says softly. “I wanted to give you a symbol of my love for you, a promise that I’m going to be here with you forever.” She slips it onto my right hand. “We’ll leave that finger open for your wedding band.” She nods toward my left hand.

“I’m never gonna take it off.” I pull her onto my lap and slide my hand up her thigh, under her tight skirt, and grab her ass. “I can’t say the same about this dress. You look hot as hell in this thing, but it’s totally in the way of me fucking my future wife.”

I grab the front of her dress and rip the fabric apart, splitting it at the v of her cleavage all the way down to her belly button. Black lace remains, cradling her breasts. I slip my finger under the fabric of her bra between her breasts and pull her closer to me.

“Did you think I was kidding, little doll?” I nip at her lip and give the thin fabric a quick yank, tearing it in two. My hands roam up to caress her breasts, and I suck a nipple into my mouth, flicking my tongue over the hardening bud. She gasps and grabs onto my shoulders, her nails digging through the fabric of my shirt. The quick panic that overcomes her when I let myself loose on her turns me on like fucking mad. Most times, I like to treat her sweet and go slow with her, but other times, like now, going slow just ain’t gonna begin to tame the beast that likes to come out and play.

I slide my tongue over her soft mound and encircle her other nipple with my tongue, while my hand delves between her legs, disappearing under her skirt and pushing the thin fabric of her panties aside to feel her wetness.

“You know I love you more than anything in this world, right?” I slip my finger between her soft wet lips, and she lets out a tiny whimper.

She nods, which she does when she’s so turned on that she can’t speak.

“Remember all those times you said I was too young for you?” I slip a second finger into her and twist them both inside her, spreading her.

She nods and reaches between us to unbutton my shirt.

“That was bullshit, wasn’t it?” I taunt, wanting to hear her talk dirty to me. Nothing gets me going like when she does that.

Her hands touch my chest, and she leans her head against mine.

“Say it,” I coax, fingering her deeper and kissing her breasts.

“It was bullshit,” she whispers, spreading her legs a little bit more.

“Tell me why . . . I wanna hear your voice say it.”

She kisses my lips hungrily as I finger her. “I love it all . . . your tattoos and your long hair and your hard body. I love your music and how sexy and wild you look on stage. I love knowing you’re mine. I love how you fuck me and how wet you make me. You drive me wild.” My thumb finds her clit and rubs it languidly, while my fingers thrust deeper inside her. “And I love how sweet and caring you are.”

My heart swoons, and my cock grows harder. “I kinda love having an older chick that sits in a big office, wearing a pretty little suit and librarian glasses, that comes home to let me fuck her brains out in a church.”

She reaches between my legs and rubs my cock through my jeans. “I want you . . .” She sighs. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”

Fuck. I love how that sounds. My wife.

Sweet and sexy just for me.

“I want you to do me one favor,” I say, watching her crawl down my body to kneel at my feet and pull my shoes and pants off.

“Anything.”

“Please, don’t ever refer to me as your second husband. I hate it. It makes my heart scream.”

Her small hand encircles my hard cock and slowly glides up and down my shaft.

“I promise,” she says, before lowering her lips down over my cock. I lean back and gather her hair in my hand, gently pulling it away from her face so I can watch her. I know it makes her uncomfortable to be so visible, but I’ve learned that if I don’t push her a little, she will let her insecurities take over, and she’ll hide from me. It’s a shame that Paul never made her feel sexy and wanted, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing just that.

Watching her suck me turns me into an animal, because she sucks me like her life depends on it. The way she moves her tongue over my flesh, grips my shaft in her hand, and breathes so deeply, drags me so far into her that I can barely think. With her, it goes way beyond just a blowjob and getting off. She fucking cherishes every inch of me with her mouth and hands, building me up slow and seductively, then taking me deeper and faster into her sweet mouth. The world could explode while she’s blowing me, and I wouldn’t even blink. It doesn’t take long before I’m shooting my load down her throat, and she swallows every drop then slowly laps my cock like it’s a decadent treat that can’t have one drop wasted.

“There are so many ways I want to fuck you right now,” I say, caressing her cheek. “But since tonight is special, I’m going to just lay you out on that fluffy rug and do you nice and slow.” She blinks up at me like a sleepy kitten. “Would you like that?”

“Yes,” she breathes. “I would love that tonight.”

I remove what’s left of her dress and lingerie, and she sprawls out on the white rug for me, waiting for me. Wanting me.

“I like that the only thing you have on is your ring.” I like how it glistens on her finger like a little star.

“I love it. I love you.”

I lower myself between her legs and slide into my forever.

LUKAS

I’M WOKEN UP BY MY CELL phone ringing and vibrating. I turn over and glance at the clock on my nightstand to see it’s one A.M. Grabbing my phone, I look at the screen and see Macy’s name and number flashing across it.

“Hey, kiddo,” I say.

“Lukas . . . did I wake you?” she asks, her voice louder than usual.

“A little bit. What’s wrong? Do you know what time it is?”

She giggles into the phone. “Um, late?”

I sit up, shaking the sleep out of my head. “Are you drunk?”

“Maybe a little?” She giggles some more.

I run my hand through my hair and rub my eyes. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m at a party, and the asshole I came with took off with some bimbo and left me here. I have no ride home.”

“Shit. Did you call your mom?”

“We had a fight this morning. She didn’t want me to come to the party, but I came anyway. I can’t call her now, or she’ll freak out, and I can’t call my dad. You know what a jerk he can be.”

I blow out a frustrated breath. “Fine, I’ll come get you and you can crash here, but your mom stops by in the mornings sometimes so we can have coffee together. She’s going to see you here.”

“That’s fine. I’ll deal with it then. She won’t yell as much if we’re at your place. Please, just don’t tell her about the drinking part, okay?”

“Fine, but you’re going to tell her yourself tomorrow. I’m not gonna keep secrets from your mother.”

“You’re the best! Thank you. Lemme give you the address of where I am.”

I throw on some clothes and drive half an hour to pick her up at some house in the ghetto. Drunk kids are stumbling all over the front lawn, reminding me of my own party episodes back in the day. Ivy would freak if she knew Macy was hanging out here.

“Who the hell is this kid that left you here?” I ask her when she gets in the car. “And don’t puke in my ’Vette.”

“He’s just some asshole.”

I pull the car back out into the street and head for home. “Macy, you can’t just be running off to parties with guys, and getting drunk. You could get yourself in a lot of trouble. This is a bad neighborhood.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Seriously? Are you going to lecture me?”

I glance over at her and shake my head. “Yes, I am. Don’t do stupid shit.”

She goes into hysterics. “You would make the best dad, Lukas. Really.”

“Thanks, kiddo. I’m fucking exhausted. I worked all day, ya know. Next time you need a ride, call me earlier.”

“Okay.”

“How much did you have to drink?”

“A few beers and some shots of Jack Daniels.”

“Listen to me, Macy. I know you’re going to college soon, and it’s gonna be party central, but I want you to keep your head together, okay? Don’t drink and do drugs. Trust me. I did that shit when I was your age, and it’s only fun for like a week. Then it sucks ass.”

“Duly noted.”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay. My head hurts. Stop talking.”

“It’ll hurt worse tomorrow.”

“Oh, joy.”

When we get to my house, she stumbles directly to Ray’s cage. “Macy, don’t get him started, please,” I say, not in the mood to hear Ray babbling all night. “He knows he’s supposed to be quiet at night.”

“But I love him!”

“I’m a pretty bird,” Ray says.

“Yes, you are! You’re amazing.”

“I love you.”

She sways and grabs onto his cage. “I love you, too, Ray. You’d make such a great boyfriend if you weren’t a bird.”

“You’re so hawt,” Ray squawks back. Jesus Christ. I have to stop fooling around with Ivy downstairs.

Macy starts to giggle and almost knocks his cage over. “I love this fucking bird.”

I grab her arm and gently tug her away. “Come on. It’s late. We don’t need to have drunk conversations with the bird.”