AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He took another drink. “This is my dinner.”
“Suit yourself.” She continued to rinse and stack the dishes. “My cooking’s pretty good…”
Bartholomew kept his eyes on me. “I’m sure it is.”
Constance loaded the dishes in the dishwasher then came up behind me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she leaned down to give me a kiss on the cheek. Her fingers gave me a quick massage before she went into our bedroom and shut the door.
Bartholomew looked into his glass. “When will women learn we don’t give a fuck about their cooking? We give a fuck about their fucking.”
“I think I know why you’re here.”
“Good. So, you aren’t going to make me say it.”
I shook my head. “And you aren’t going to make me give my answer.”
His eyes darkened in disappointment. “The whole thing…made me miss the good ol’ days. I thought you felt the same way.”
“It’s not as much fun when your family is the one on the line.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“But I know what you mean…and I do miss it.”
He held my gaze for a long time, his fingers around his glass.
“But this is my life now. There’s no going back.”
He nodded.
“I really hope you reconsider trifling with the Skull King.”
“Come on, you know me better than that…”
“I thought everything that just happened would make you feel differently.”
“Or make me want it more. Chaos—I live for it.”
There was nothing I could say to change his mind. One day, he’d be dead, and I’d find out through an old friend.
“I accept your decision. I just hope that you can accept my friendship instead.”
I shouldn’t forgive him, not after everything that happened. But if none of it had happened…I wouldn’t have Constance. I couldn’t exactly regret that. She was the missing piece in my life. She was just like Claire. I didn’t want her until I had her, and once I had her, I couldn’t imagine a different way of life. I finally gave a nod.
Just the look alone told me how much that meant to him. “I’ll get out of your hair.” He rose to his feet and left his glass behind. “Until next time.”
“Until next time.”
I locked the door behind him then went into our bedroom. The lights were off like she was already in bed. But then I noticed her in the dark, wearing a sexy two-piece lingerie set made of lace. I stilled when I saw her because I’d never seen her dress up in anything like that before. It was just for me, and I enjoyed every inch of it.
She walked up to me, her hands working my jeans as she kissed my neck, getting the pants loose on my hips so she could pull everything down. I was a man who needed little foreplay to get ready, but she chose to caress me with kisses anyway, to let me know how much she wanted me when she didn’t have to.
Her lips caught mine, and a few hot kisses ensued. Then she whispered to me, “I had my IUD removed today…”
My eyes focused on her lips as I processed what she’d said.
She moved farther away, so our eyes could lock on each other.
“You want me to knock you up, baby?”
She bit her bottom lip as she nodded.
“You want to marry me first?”
“A piece of paper doesn’t make us family. We’re already family.”
“I don’t think you understand what I just asked you.”
Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into mine. “Did…you just ask me to marry you?”
I backed her up toward the bed. My shirt came off, and then I stepped out of my boots.
“Because if you did…you know what my answer is.”
I got my jeans off then guided her onto the bed, dragging her until her head was on the pillow. “I want to hear your answer.” I settled between her thighs and prodded inside her, giving a push against her entrance. I gave another thrust—and this time, I slid inside perfectly.
“Yes…” Her arms hooked around my neck. “My answer is yes.”
Epilogue
Constance
I stood on the deck and closed my eyes.
The sunshine was so hot, burning my skin the second it hit my face. The day instantly warmed by several degrees when I stepped outside, feeling the summer heat I’d been craving all winter and spring.
Claire splashed the water with her hands. “Are you getting in?”
I opened my eyes and saw her in the water on a pink inner tube. It was a swan, and she could sit in it and kick around. “Is it warm?”
“It feels nice.”
I grabbed the railing and moved down the steps, the water cool against my warm skin. When the water was to my chest, I felt the relief on my back now my weight had been lifted by the buoyancy. I went to her inner tube and spun her in circles, listening to her laugh as I made her dizzy.
