The sting of his palm is replaced by a gentle, soothing stroke.
“Your ass is beautiful with my handprint on it.”
I groan, wiggling my ass to show him I want more without saying it.
“Mm, you like it, pretty girl?” He lands a smack on my other cheek, then grabs my hips and slides into me in one smooth motion.
“Jack…” I moan, loving the new angle.
“Yeah? Tell me what’s on your mind.” One hand slips between my thighs, his fingers working at my clit.
“I…I can’t. It’s too much.” I hum just as he pulls an orgasm from my body. “Everything about you, it completely consumes me.”
“Good, that’s exactly how I want you. Ruined for all other men.” His thrusts grow erratic, his rock-solid thighs shaking with earth-shattering release as caveman growls vibrate from his chest. Hearing him cum is the sexiest thing I imagine I will ever hear, and knowing I am the one to push him over the edge is a high like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Bringing this gorgeous, powerful man to his knees is something spiritual.
His hands skate up the curve of my back, cupping my cheek, turning it so he can catch my eyes. “You’re my life now, Holly.”
I freeze, unable to form words, my eyes riveted on his intense, sparkling ones. How can any of this be true? Thishas to be a mirage conjured by my overactive imagination and understimulated libido.
Jack pulls himself from my body in one slow, delicious movement, his cock rubbing every heightened nerve and sending mini-tremors of pleasure through me.
I love him. I love him with all of me. I always have. Our path may have been rocky, our timeline longer than most, but every step brought us right here, right now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Epilogue
Jack-one month later
The air smells like pine and promise.
I’m standing under a canopy of trees with a ring in my pocket and a woman who’s still entirely too good for me grinning across from me in a white dress that makes my damn knees weak.
“You okay?” Zane says beside me, his tie crooked and eyes narrowed at me with amusement.
“No,” I grunt. “I’m standing in front of fifty people in a monkey suit. Of course I’m not okay.”
“You look good, asshole. And she’s about to make an honest man out of you, which is a damn miracle. Let’s not ruin the moment.” Zane’s eyes trail over my shoulder and then a frown crosses his face. “Oh, shit. Looks like trouble just walked in.”
I spin, eyes landing on the one thing I did not want to see today.
Holly’s parents.
She hasn’t talked to them since they showed up on my doorstep a month ago. My heart tightens when I think about what seeing them here, on our special day, will do to her. Maybethey’re here to celebrate us, but something tells me they’re here for another reason entirely.
I imagine them standing to protest our wedding mid-ceremony and all I can think about is protecting her from the pain they might cause. They’ve done enough already. I walk on swift strides across the grass until I’m standing right in front of them.
“Bold move showing up here.” I cross my arms, frown deepening.
Holly’s dad’s eyes take me in, hard and shrewd, but his mother looks sad, tears welling.
“We didn’t want to miss our daughter’s wedding,” she finally says.
I only grunt.
“Listen, boy—she’s the only thing that matters to us. We just want to make sure she’s safe.”
“Don’t call meboy. And your daughter is the only thing that matters to me—her and my little girl—” I keep my voice controlled despite my desire to throttle the man, “I think we’re in agreement, we both want them safe and happy. What you did was wrong on the deepest level, that little girl needs a dad and you tried to keep me from her. I won’t have anyone coming between me and my family, not even the two of you.”
Holly’s mom breaks down in tears, wiping at her cheeks with a tissue. Her dad shakes his head, eyes flicking around the crowd, anywhere but on me. “We’re just worried?—”
