Chapter 36

Melissa

Jack lowered me to the mattress like I was made of fine China, supporting me all the way down. A giant grin covered his mouth, one that refused to abate even when I started kissing him. I traced the outline of his smile with my tongue and teeth.

"You really want to have a baby with me?" I asked.

It seemed too good to be true that all I had to do was ask. We were far from where I thought we would have to be to start a family, after all. Hell, we weren't even married. At the end of the day, whether I wore his ring or not didn't matter, but I still craved the commitment the act of getting married provided. For us, marriage would never be a business contract or a thing to do just because we felt obligated to. If we got married, our marriage would be about declaring to each other and the world how perfect we were for each other and celebrating that fact.

"You know I'm still on birth control, right?" I giggled as Jack began to kiss down my neck. "I can't get pregnant for at least another month after I stop taking it."

His breath fanned my throat, sending prickles of pleasure into my hairline. "I know," he said. "But don't you think we should practice?"

I chuckled. As if we didn't practice enough.

"I suppose you could use a little bit more practice if you intend to get it right."

Jack lifted his head and I grinned mischievously.

"What are you saying?" he drawled, dipping his mouth to my neck and sucking hard on it. "Are you unsatisfied, sweetheart?" His teeth scraped over my skin and I arched up. "Are you telling me I'm not up to snuff?"

I did a noncommittal shrug against the sheets. "You're fine."

"Fine?" His growl reverberated through my throat. My toes curled and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning.

"Yeah, fine."

Jack scooted me further up the bed and unbuttoned my jeans with one hand while he kept lavishing attention on my sensitive neck. Without warning he plunged under the waistband of my panties and rubbed a finger over my clit in a slow circle. My breath caught.

"I think you're lying," he murmured, moving on top of me until his hard length jabbed into my leg.

"Me? A liar?"

His deep chuckle kicked my heart into overdrive.

"Yes, a filthy liar." His finger found my entrance and slipped inside. It was tantalizingly slow, so slow that I tried to arch my hips up to get more of him inside. "If I'm just fine, then why are you so wet, baby? Is there someone else turning you on?"

Any words I might have been about to say evaporated before ever reaching my lips. I moaned instead, low and guttural, as his thumb took up stroking my clit and his finger pumped in and out. I luxuriated in the feeling, in the sheer ecstasy of his touch.

Until it stopped.

Jack pulled his hand away and sat back on his heels, grinning down at me.

"Hey!" I complained.

Jack's eyes darkened with lust. "Tell me how much you want me. Tell me how wet I make you, and how I'm the only man who can fuck you like I do. Only when you do that will I give you what you want."

"Playing hardball today, I see."

He smirked and ground his erection into my leg. "I always play hard ball, sweetheart. Now tell me who owns that sweet pussy of yours."

I felt my cheeks redden and my mouth dried up. Fuck, he made me so horny when he talked like that. And how could I deny him a single thing he wanted?

"This pussy is yours," I told him. "Nobody else fucks me like you do. Nobody else loves me like you do. I'm yours forever, Jack. Body and soul."

Something shifted in his expression, lifting the lust away just enough for some love to sneak through. He reached for my face and held it tightly in his hands, eyes boring into mine.

"I love you, Melissa. I love you so much it hurts and I love that pain too. I need you forever." His eyes turned pleading. "Say you'll marry me."

My mouth fell open. Talk about coming out of left field.

"Of course!" I practically screamed. "Yes!"

Jack's mouth crashed into mine, and the next moment was a flurry of movement and flying clothes as he ripped the fabric from both of our bodies in a frenzy of lust.

We never broke the kiss as he entered me, sliding in tauntingly slow. I grunted in complaint but Jack took his time. He always knew how to put me on edge, how to make me squirm with need. He also knew how to satisfy those needs, how to make me scream, how to make me beg.

Our chests pressed tight together as he began to move. First it was long, slow strokes. Each one was a gift and a curse, as I had everything I wanted but still needed more. I needed the passion. I needed the friction.

Jack pulled back from our kiss and looked me in the eyes, holding my face tenderly.

"I love you, Melissa Collins."

"I love you too, Jack Paxton."

He grinned. Then, without any warning, Jack thrust back inside so quickly that I screamed in surprise. My hair stood on end. My body glowed from the inside out.

This man was my savior. My fighter. And soon, my husband.