When I wake up, I immediately raise my hand and look for the ring.
It’s there.
It wasn’t a dream.
Dylan has his arms wrapped around me; my head is still on his chest. Looking at the window, I see it’s now dark outside. My hand is resting on his abs, and I can’t help but run my hands over the ripples and ridges. Eighteen-year-old Dylan was always in good shape; twenty-three-year-old Dylan is a new playing field.
I can’t help myself, moving my hand lower, and suddenly I get an idea. For months he’s been putting me off, not letting me really touch him. That changes tonight. Slowly, as to not wake him, I slide under the sheet and down to the foot of the bed. He’s hard. I know that happens naturally, but I would like to think it’s from sleeping next to me. I take his cock in my hand and lightly run my fingers up and down. Unable to resist, I take him in my mouth.
“Mmm,” he moans at the contact.
If my mouth weren’t full of him I’d be smiling right now. I take my time, just enjoying being able to do this for him. I’m turned on from the noises he’s making. Feeling brave that he’s still sleeping, I take all of him, and I know immediately that he’s awake. His hand rests gently on the back of my head, and he raises his hips as if he’s trying to get deeper.
“You’re cheating,” his deep sleep-laced voice rumbles.
Letting him fall out of my mouth, I take him back in my hand while pulling the sheet back with the other. I look up and our eyes connect. “Can’t a girl make her fiancé feel good?”
His eyes darken. “I told you, Aves, the next time you make me come, I’ll be inside of you.”
Well all right, then. On my knees, I straddle his hips, his hard length beneath me. I swirl my hips in a slow rhythm that’s driving me insane. From the growl that comes from him, I’d say it’s doing the same to him. “Avery.” My name is a warning.
“What, babe?” I ask, my voice full of want for him.
“Condom.”
“I’m on the pill.” His eyes shoot open. I hold up my hand and wiggle my ring finger where my engagement ring sparkles. “There’s nothing between us now. We’re forever, right?” I ask innocently.
“Damn right,” he says, placing me on my back with him resting his weight between my thighs. Cock in hand, he guides himself to my entrance. “You sure?”
“Make love to me, Dylan. With nothing between us but love.”
He bows his head and slowly pushes into me. Never taking his eyes off of our joined bodies. “Fuck me, why didn’t we do this years ago?” he asks as he rocks into me.
“We were kids,” I force out through the pleasure coursing through me.
A few more pumps and a swivel of his hips and he pulls out of me. “I just… fuck, Avery, you feel too good, baby. I’m ready to blow.”
“I want that. I want to feel you come inside me.”
I watch as he bites down on his bottom lip. “You first, beautiful.” Before I can stop him, he has his face buried between my legs, rushing me to the finish line with his tongue.
“Dylan,” I pant. He doesn’t stop. This has been our thing over the past few months, and he can take me there from zero to sixty in no time flat. He plays my body like an instrument. I bury my fingers in his hair and hold on for the ride. “There.” I’m so close. He doesn’t stop as I fall over the edge. My body is humming from my orgasm when he slides back inside me.
“Fuck, that feels incredible. I can feel you pulsing around my cock.”
I don’t bother replying, not that I could if I wanted to. Instead I place my hands under his arms and grab his back, digging my nails in as he thrusts inside of me. It’s a feeling like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I wish I could say it’s because we’re bare, but even more so it’s because it’s Dylan. The love we share shines through with everything we do, hence the reason they call it making love.
“I’m close, baby,” he says, never losing his rhythm. I hold on tighter, just enjoying the feel of him. “Avery!” he screams and I can feel him release inside of me, which sends me into another blissful orgasm.
“Shower,” he says a few minutes later. Still inside me, he lifts me to where I’m sitting on his lap. With his long legs stretched out, he climbs off the bed, never losing our connection.
“Ohh,” I moan at the sensation as we walk toward the bathroom.
“You’re good for my ego, future Mrs. Knight.”
“You’re just good,” I reply.
He smacks my ass. “Shower, then food. Then I’m staying inside you for the rest of the night.”
“I like this plan.”
“Hold on, babe.” Slowly, he pulls out and helps me stand on my own two feet in the shower. Once I’m steady, he cups my face in his hands. “I love you, Avery Knight.”
The sound of his name with mine from his lips has me melting into a puddle of love for him. “I love you too.”
That’s how the rest of our weekend goes. We make love, shower, eat, and repeat, never leaving the cabin once.
We’re both smiling like fools even though it’s now Monday morning and we’re packing up to leave.
“You about ready?” Dylan asks, coming up behind me and wrapping me in his arms.
“Yes, I just have to do one more walk-through. Did you leave the key on the counter?”
“Yes, dear,” he teases. I smack his arm.
I go back inside, making sure we didn’t forget anything. “Did you take the trash to the dumpster?”
“I did.”
“Okay, I guess we’re ready.”
He reaches out for me and I take his hand. In the Tahoe, we both turn our phones on and leave them in the cup holders. They both start beeping like crazy with everything we’ve missed the past few days. Whatever it is, it was worth it. I’ll always remember this time here with him.
Picking up my phone, I scroll through my messages. “Oh my God!” I scream.
“What? What happened?” Dylan asks, a little panicked.
“Alan and Kara got engaged!”
“Figures he’d pick the same damn weekend as me.”
“Wait a minute? You knew?”
He shrugs. “We talk.”
“Does he know?”
“He knows I have a ring, but he doesn’t know that I asked you this weekend. Your parents know as well. I asked them for their blessing. Not that I needed it, of course. I would’ve done it without it, but it helps knowing they gave it to me. The wedding will be a lot smoother that way.” He laughs.
“Wow, you’ve really put some thought into this.”
“I have. Now all I need for you to do is tell me what kind of wedding you want and to pick a date.”
I think about what he’s asking, and the only thing I do know is that I don’t want to wait. The sooner we start our lives together, the better. “Soon,” I say, feeling him out.
“You tell me when, Aves, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I don’t want anything big. Just small, our closest family and friends.”
“Okay. We can do that. Where?”
I bite my bottom lip and decide to just go for it. “Our house,” I say softly.
He turns to look at me before putting his eyes back on the road. “Our house?”
“Yeah, it’s where we’re going to start our lives together.”
“We can do that. Can I ask you a question?”
“Anything.”
“Will you move in with me?” He’s grinning.
“Uh, we’re getting married. That’s kind of how it works.”
“No, I mean now. I want to show you the house.”
“I thought we agreed to go there today.”
“We did.” He nods. “But I want to live there with you now. I don’t want to wait. Avery, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep without you.”
For a man who claims to not have the words, he melts my heart when he says things like that. “Okay,” I agree. I don’t have to think about it. I want to curl up beside him every night for the rest of our lives.
Reaching over, he holds his hand out, palm up. I place mine in his and he squeezes gently. “So the date?” he asks.
“We don’t have a huge guest list. Mom, Dad, your dad, Alan, Kara, Brad and Harley. Anyone else?”
“As long as you’re there, I don’t care who else is.”
“I’ll make some calls. I’m thinking I can get it all together in a few weeks.”
“Dress, preacher, all that?”
“Yeah, Mom and Harls will help.”
“What can I do? Name it.”
“I mean, you’ve already given me this ring and your heart. I don’t know what else there could be… Oh wait, one more thing I need from you.”
Another gentle squeeze of my hand, “Name it.”
“I’m gonna need your last name.”
“Fuck, you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to give you that.”
I giggle like the teenage me. “Then we’re good. I’ll make some calls, and once I know we can get it all worked out, I’ll set a date. I’d like it to be a couple of weeks, a month at the longest.”
“Are you sure this is what you want? Baby, we can have it as big or small, destination, whatever you want.”
“I just want to be your wife, Dylan. I don’t need all that other stuff. A wedding is for us, not them.”
“Honeymoon?” he asks.
“The cabin.”
“Aves—”
I stop him. “It’s our place, Dylan. I just want time with my husband at our place. It’s where we made love for the first time, and it’ll be the first place we do as husband and wife. It’s fitting.”
“Done. You tell me when and I’ll make it happen.”
Dylan drives us straight to our house. “Home sweet home,” he says, pulling into the driveway.
“I can’t believe it’s ours.”
Pulling the keys from the ignition, he climbs out of the Tahoe and I follow him. We make it to the front porch and Dylan unlocks the door. Before I know what’s happening, he bends and lifts me into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I laugh, holding on to his neck.
“Carrying you over the threshold.”
“We’re not married yet, Dylan.”
“In my heart, you’ve always been mine. Now hush and let me show you our home.” He carries me through every room no matter how much I protest.
“Now we have some people to visit. What if we call my dad and have him meet us at your parents’? We can tell them together,” he suggests.
“Perfect. No, wait. I don’t want to take away from Kara and Alan’s news.”
“They’ve already told everyone. The picture they sent was on your parents’ back deck.”
“Right, okay.”
“Go ahead and call them. Harls and Brad too. Might as well tell them all.” He winks, then sits me on the kitchen counter and stands between my legs as we make our calls, asking everyone if they can meet us in an hour. “Now we have one hour for you to tell me what you want to change. I’m getting that done so we can move in.”
“Nothing, Dylan. I don’t want to change anything.”
“Paint?”
“Nothing. I mean, when we have kids, we’ll have to paint one of the bedrooms for a nursery, but I love everything about it.”
“Okay. So tonight? We’re staying here?”
“Where are we going to sleep?”
“Air mattress? We can go tomorrow when you get off work and buy a bed.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he asks like he can’t believe I agreed.
“Yes,” I say, pulling him into a kiss.
When we get to my parents’ thirty minutes later, everyone is already there.
“Nice ride,” Alan calls out from the front porch where everyone is sitting.
“Thanks, my fiancé bought it for me,” I fire back.
It takes them a few seconds to process what I’ve said. Harley screams and comes barreling at us. She wraps us both in a hug before pulling my hand from Dylan’s to see the ring.
“He remembered.” She looks at me and smiles.
“I got one too,” Kara says, wearing a beaming smile.
We’re both hugged and congratulated by those who mean the most to us.
“Let’s go out back. I’ll grab some drinks,” Mom tells us.
The crowd fades away and I start to follow, but Dylan stops me. I turn to face him and he pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me.
“Come on, you two, what are you waiting for.” Brad laughs, knowing he’s interrupting what was I’m sure was about to be another epic kiss from my fiancé.
“I’m reminding Avery,” Dylan yells back.
I look up at him in question. “About?”
“How much I love you.” And he gives me that epic kiss I was hoping for.