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A sharp pain stabs in my chest, and I center on the full moon until it eases. “I know. This is the first time I’ve brought the boat out to watch the fireworks since then.”
“Really?” She props her chin on my chest.
“That last summer, you were pregnant, and all I could think about was how the next year we’d be bringing our baby out here with us. Once you were gone, and after everything that happened, the thought of coming out here didn’t appeal to me anymore.”
“This is still just ours?”
“Yes, except for the fact that I finally got to fuck you under the stars like I wanted to all those years when Miller cockblocked me.”
She smiles. “That is an added bonus.”
“The added bonus is getting to strip you out of that black bikini.”
Her leg glides higher, her knee scraping my cock, which stiffens on contact. “Careful,” I warn.
She pulls her lip between her teeth and scales her fingertips along my length. “I don’t want to be careful. I want this.” She flashes a sexy grin, sliding her body down.
Shit, I want this, too. The thought of her mouth on my dick, kneeling between my legs is almost enough to unhinge me. She circles my nipple with her tongue, sucking it lightly, then kisses a trail across my chest to the other side.
I gave in to my own wants earlier, holding her as we watched the fireworks overhead, and the memories surrounded us. I couldn’t help the overwhelming need to have her right here on the deck, fucking her hard until we ended up tangled together. But, now, I have an agenda.
Focus, Kendrick! I tell myself, threading my hands in her hair and easing her upward. She blinks a few times, her eyes locking with mine, and the hand on my bicep squeezing.
“I watched you for weeks, talking with your friends, stretching on the mats, bouncing on that fucking elliptical… Wherever you were, I had my eyes on you. Every guy in that gym had their sights set, but I made my intentions clear. Every day, I’d wait for you to come in. It became my obsession. You became my obsession. I knew you were young but didn’t give a shit. It didn’t matter that you made me wait ten months to have you for the first time. You were mine.”
“Pierce—” she tries, but I brush my lips across hers.
“I could do this all night, reminisce about every day I’ve had you in my life and every day you were gone. It’s burned in my brain. I may have lived without you, but I wasn’t really living, not until that day in May when my heart started beating again because you were back.” I roll us to our sides, face to face, and press close. “I’m a dick, an asshole, and a stupid motherfucker, but I’m not stupid enough to lose this chance. You are going to want to kill me at times, but you’re never going to question how much I love you ever again. Our life together may have its ups and downs, but there’s no choice but to have you by my side.
“Darby Rose Graham, I feel like I loved you before I knew you because that’s how much a part of me you are. Every fiber in my soul will always belong to you. Please, put me out of my misery, take the chance on this life, and say you’ll marry me.”
She trembles, her lips quiver, and tears glitter in her eyes. The strong resistance she’s held on to is waning. There’s a chance I’m pushing too hard, but I keep going.
“You leaving was the worst time of my life, and it changed me. I turned into a hard, cold, bitter man. I’m not proud of that. But, each day, I wake up a better person because you healed me. You have reservations and want more time, and that’s understandable. Your scars run deep. I wish I could give you that time, but the thought of losing another day is driving me crazy. Next year, I want to lay here with you, wrapped around me naked, on this boat, and finally call you Darby Kendrick.”
At the mention of my name, she breaks. It’s the most heartbreaking and beautiful thing at the same time. Tears well up, and she blinks rapidly, drawing in a ragged breath. When she locks her eyes with mine, a vice clenches around my heart.
“Yes.”
A low, throaty growl rolls from the back of my throat. “Say it again,” I demand, needing to hear it over and over.
“Yes, I will marry you, Pierce.”
I tighten my grip on her scalp and bring her mouth to mine. “I’m going to take care of you.”
“Right back at you.” She grins, her tears wetting both our cheeks.
I roll to my back, bringing her with me. Without a word, she straddles my hips, positions herself, and slowly inches down my cock. A familiar bolt of lightning singes through my body.
