As my tongue sought out his, my hand traveled down his chest and abdomen to find his cock wedged between our bodies. He hissed and threw his head back when I finally touched him, giving me ample access to his neck and shoulders. I didn’t waste a second of time, bathing his delicious skin with my tongue, my lips, my teeth. His cock was titanium smoothness in my palm, and I pressed him against myself, coating him in my wetness.
Then his hands cupped my ass, and he lifted me as I guided him to my opening. Noah filled me completely, just like he’d always done, just like he always would. We both moaned at the sensation of our bodies coming together like puzzle pieces perfectly matched to each other. For the first time in a couple of weeks I could ride the real him and not just some synthetic version that could never really compare.
Noah released my hair from the band holding it in place, and then he dipped his head to capture one of my nipples with his mouth. His teeth scraped the hardened peak as his lips sucked and his tongue flicked back and forth at a maddening pace. I arched my back and took him in fully, riding him. Slowly, tenderly, we made love as we each whispered words of forever.
It didn’t take long for either of us to reach our climax. Having spent so much time away from each other had both of us wound pretty tightly. Plus, the turn our relationship had taken—the promise of many years spent in the company of the one we loved, our soul mate—had driven us both to such a point that we only wanted to be consumed by the other.
Consummation had its perks.
Before long, I was cuddled in his arms, the heat of our bodies providing all the warmth we needed. We were completely spent, undeniably satiated.
“I have to go.” Noah’s voice was a reluctant whisper. “I don’t want to, but Stone is up to something, and I can’t risk missing another day of work before the board meeting on Monday.”
I straightened and gave him a soft kiss. “It’s okay. I understand.”
His hands brushed my damp hair from my shoulders, and then he cupped my face to kiss me more deeply. I actually whimpered when he pulled away.
“How are we going to get you back inside?”
I shrugged. “You leave, and I’ll bang the door down.”
“And what, pray tell, are you going to tell Mack when he asks how you got locked out in nothing but my shirt? Which looks so very fucking good on you, by the way.”
“Don’t worry about my dad. I can handle him,” I said, having no clue whatsoever how I was going to explain it to him, but I’d come up with something. “Hey, I’m the future Mrs. Delaine Crawford. Some of your ingenuity has to have rubbed off on me, right?”
Noah bit down on his lip, his eyes fixated on my mouth. “Jesus, that sounds good.” He hugged me close and then stole my breath away with a hungry kiss.
Moments later, after much prodding to make Noah get his Ridonkabutt in gear so that he wouldn’t be late for work, I found myself standing on the front porch of my parents’ house, my fist banging on the door. As I expected, Mack sleepily wrenched the door open. His eyes widened when he saw me standing there.
“Lanie? What the hell are you doing outside in the rain in the middle of the night?”
I pushed past him and he closed the door, turning toward me for an answer.
My mother appeared from the hallway, obviously having been roused from her sleep as well. “What’s going on out here?” she asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Standing there against the door jamb, she looked the picture of perfect health.
“I was just about to find out the answer to that myself,” Mack told her, his stare never leaving me. “Lanie?”
So I told them the truth.
“Noah showed up, and asked me to marry him.”
“He what?” Faye’s eyes went wide with excitement, and a huge smile spread across her face.
“He what?” my dad also asked, his voice not sounding near as pleased as my mother’s.
I turned toward him and set my chin in determination. “He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
“That’s wonderful!” my mother squealed as she came to hug me.
Mack raked his hands over his face in exasperation. “And how the hell did you end up locked outside in the rain?”
“I climbed down the tree to get to him,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, that is so romantic.” My mother had a dreamy tone in her voice.
“That is so stupid!” Mack countered. “You could’ve broken your neck, young lady. Where is he?”
“Oh, stow it, Mack,” my mom said, coming to my rescue. “This is great news, and I’m not going to let you ruin it for us.”
I knew that my mother had never really had what you’d call a romantic proposal. The way she told the story, Mack had picked her up for a date, turned to look at her, and said, “So you wanna get hitched?” She told him sure, and he said, “Well, all right then,” before turning back to start the car. She hadn’t been complaining; it was just the way they were. Exactly like how Noah’s proposal, and my acceptance, was the way we were.
“Let’s grab some coffee,” my mother said, dragging me toward the kitchen. “You have to tell me everything.”
My father sighed in resignation and rolled his eyes. “I’m going back to bed.”
Faye and I were still sitting in the kitchen when the storm finally subsided and the sun peeked over the horizon. I told her the whole story, even the part where we made love under the canopy of trees next door. She hung on my every word like she was a kid and I was telling her the story of Santa Claus.
“Let me see the ring,” she said, lifting my hand up to see none there.
I shrugged. “It was sort of spur-of-the-moment. Besides, I don’t really need a ring.”
“Lanie, he’s Noah Crawford. He’s going to make sure you have one.”
“Either way, it doesn’t matter. Just to know he loves me is enough.” And it was. I’d never been the flashy type, but my mother was right: Noah was going to make certain I had a ring. I only hoped it wasn’t going to be something huge that cost way too much. Heck, he could give me a secret decoder ring out of a Cracker Jack box and it would suit me just fine. Polly and Lexi would probably go batshit over it, but I wouldn’t care.
“Baby,” my mother said with sincerity as she took my hand in hers, “you have to go to him. You can’t stay here.”
“Mom, he’s cool with it,” I said, cutting her off. “When you’re better, that’s when I’ll go.”
“Now you listen to me, Delaine Talbot,” she said, her voice taking on that motherly tone. “I’m doing just fine. In fact, I’ve never felt better. It’s time you stop living your life around me and your father and go live your own. That man is crazy about you, and you’re just as crazy about him. Go. I insist.”
“You’re kicking me out?” I asked in mock outrage.
“Yes, I am,” she said, playing along. “Get your shit and get the hell out of my house.”
We had a good laugh and hugged. I was all kinds of giddy inside, knowing that Noah and I would finally be together without anything keeping us apart. The Cooch was mighty excited about that prospect as well. She and the Wonder Peen were going to be reunited, and the only thing that stood in the way of their happiness was the Cooch’s obsession with the Ridonkabutt. However, I didn’t doubt they’d somehow work things out so that she could enjoy the best of both worlds.
Noah had called to let me know he’d made it back okay and was on his way into work. I decided not to tell him I was coming home to him, or that I had told my folks about our upcoming nuptials. I wanted to see the look of surprise on his face when I showed up and made the announcement.
I called Dez at her parents’ house and woke her lazy ass up to tell her the good news. After about three straight minutes of listening to her bitching about me waking her up, I finally cut her off and just blurted the words out.
The first thing she said to me was, “And I suppose you want me to be your maid of honor?”
I laughed at her nonch
alance. “If you’re not too terribly busy, I’d love that.”
Dez sighed. “I guess I can do that, but you better know now that there will definitely be strippers at the bridal shower.”
“You mean the bachelorette party?”
“Yeah, that too.”
I laughed. “Hey, do you get a discount since you’ve slept with all of them?”
“Fuck you very much, and I damn well better.” She laughed with me, and then she got serious. “I’m really happy for you, Lanie. But I’m still going to set his balls on fire if he fucks up.”
“Aw, you’re so sweet. Now get your butt over here. I need you to drive me to Chicago.”
“You’re lucky I don’t have to work until tonight,” she huffed. “I’ll be there in two shakes of a donkey’s dick, trick.”
I had just finished packing my things and stacking them by the front door when I wandered into the kitchen and saw my father sitting there having his lunch. He glanced up at me, his eyes full of sadness, and then returned his attention to his sandwich.
I knew he was upset but holding his tongue for my mother’s sake.
“Dad?” I said, walking into the kitchen and taking the seat next to him.
He cleared his throat and sat back in his chair, attempting to look nonchalant. “What’s on your mind, baby girl?”
“You know I’m going to be okay, right?”
“Let me tell you what I know,” he said, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. “Nothing, that’s what I know. You go off to college, money shows up out of nowhere in our account, your mother gets the best heart surgeon in the state—hell, in the country, for that matter—you show up with this bohunk who has more money than he knows what to do with, and all of a sudden my baby girl is running off to marry him. Hell, he didn’t even ask me for your hand in marriage. Now you tell me, Lanie, what’s there for me to be worried about?”
“You have to trust me. I’m not a little girl anymore. I know what I’m doing.”
He turned his head to look out the window and then sighed again. “Do you love him?”
I laid my hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look back at me. “More than I ever thought possible. And he loves me, too, so much.”
Silence stretched between us before he finally said, “You know, when I first held your tiny body in my arms, I swore to protect and keep you safe from everything this cruel world has to offer. But I also promised myself that I wouldn’t be so overprotective that I keep you from being happy.”
“Noah makes me happy, Daddy,” I told him, trying to convey my sincerity through my eyes. “I’m miserable without him. I want to spend the rest of my life loving him and letting him love me. But I can’t be truly happy without your blessing. I want you to walk me down the aisle and give me away to Noah, knowing I’ll be safe with him. So do we have your blessing?”
Mack looked down at the table as he picked up a potato chip and shrugged. “I guess. But if he steps even a millimeter out of line, I’m going to be up his ass like a pogo stick,” he said, and then popped the chip into his mouth.
I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Dad! I’ll always love you best.”
~$~
“Holy torpedo in a Speedo!” Dez gasped as we walked through the front doors of Scarlet Lotus.
“Wow, this is … impressive,” I said, looking around at the ornate fixtures of the lobby. “The man I’m about to marry is doing very well, indeed.”
“I really hate you right now,” Dez said, her eyes narrowed at me in jealousy. “Just remember that what’s yours is mine.”
“This won’t be mine, Dez.” I spotted Polly and she waved us over. “I don’t want anything from Noah other than his love. And maybe—no, definitely—his body.”
“Congratulations!” Polly squealed when we reached her, and then she threw her arms around me for one heck of a bear hug. She sure was strong for such a tiny little thing. I guess it was true what they said about ants being able to carry fifty times their own weight.
I thought Dez was going to pull a knife on Polly when she did the same to her, but luckily Polly was too quick. When she pulled back, she got that excited look in her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get you upstairs to your fiancé.”
She led us to an elevator and we stepped inside while she punched the button for the floor with Noah’s office. The entire ride up, she kept asking about the wedding; who was going to plan it, who was going to cater, the date, and the list went on and on. I could see the aggravation on her face when my answer to every question was, “I don’t know.”
“Polly, he just asked me to marry him a few hours ago. When did I have time to plan a wedding?”
“Pfft,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Honey, I had my wedding planned since I was, like, three.”
Somehow I didn’t doubt that.
The elevator dinged, signaling our arrival to our destination, and the doors pulled back so we could step off. We followed Polly down a hallway, and I noticed that everyone stopped and stared after us like we were on display. I recognized some of the faces from the ball, but it still made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Hey, wifey! What are you doing here?” Mason asked in surprise when we walked into his office. And then his eyes nearly bugged out when I stepped out from behind Polly. “Holy shit! What are you doing here?”
“Shh,” Polly said, cupping her hand over his mouth. “Is he in?”
Mason only nodded because that was all he could do. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go get him,” Polly directed me with a nod toward Noah’s office.
I walked over and cracked the door open. He was sitting at his desk, his back turned toward the door as he looked out his window like he was a million miles away. His hair was disheveled and his jaw was slightly scruffier than normal. Apparently his little impromptu trip to Hillsboro had left him with no time to shave.
I closed the door behind me. “Having second thoughts?”
Noah swung around in his chair, his brow raised and eyes wide.
“Surprise,” I said, walking toward him.
“Lanie? What are you doing here?”
“I figured two can play the whole surprise-visit game,” I told him as I took a seat in his lap. “Only I’m not leaving. I’m here to stay. My mother swears she’s fine, and my father … well, we have his blessing.”
I felt his whole body relax around me, as if every ounce of tension that our separation had caused him had suddenly melted away with my words. His hold tightened when I leaned in and nuzzled his ear. “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” I whispered.
Noah cupped my face in his hands, his lips brushing against mine when he said, “Welcome home, kitten.” And then he gave me a searing kiss.
I melted against him, into him, as his words permeated my skin and became a part of me. I was back where I belonged, in the arms of the man who’d captured my heart for an eternity. My mother was healing, my father was back to work, and all was right with the world. Nothing could penetrate the happy little bubble I’d found myself in.
“Yo, Crawford!” The door to Noah’s office swung open, disrupting our happily-ever-after moment as a voice I wished I could have forgotten tainted our pure air with obnoxygen.
Noah growled, ire thick in his voice, “What do you want, Stone? And what the fuck are you doing barging into my office unannounced?”
“Oh, wow. Were you two about to get it on in here? Because I’m pretty sure that’s against company policy. We can always ask the board at the meeting on Monday to be sure.”
I turned the full force of my glare on him, and he actually took a step back. “Come in search of your dinner, crumb snatcher?” I asked.
“Delaine!” he said, smiling widely in greeting. “Slumming it again? When are you gonna drop Crawford and give Big Daddy Dick a go?”
Noah attempted to lunge from his chair, but I managed to hold him in place, barely. As much as I’d have loved to see Noah beat the
crap out of the man, David Stone simply wasn’t worth losing Scarlet Lotus over. “Let it go, baby. He’s not worth it. He’s just suffering from penis envy.”
“Ouch, my feelings,” David whined with his hand over his heart and his bottom lip out in a pout.
I ignored him and stood, turning to face Noah. “I’m going to the house to unpack. I’ll see you when you get home.” Intent on making sure David knew who was buttering my bread, I gave Noah a kiss that was so hot it made my own toes curl. “I love you,” I told Noah, and then walked toward the door.
“Move,” I told David.
He was smart enough to step to one side, but not without giving me a sarcastic grin. “I love you, too, sweetums.”
Dez, Polly, and Mason had just walked back into Mason’s office, all three carrying fresh coffee.
Mason sighed when he saw David’s back before he closed the door. “Oh, shit.”
“Hold the phone. Who is that piece of tall, dark, and ooh-la-la?” Dez asked, checking him out.
“He is what we like to refer to as pathetic scum,” Polly answered.
“No, seriously. Who is he?” Dez asked again. “I think I know him.”
“Let’s hope not,” I said. “He’s David Stone. He owns the other half of Scarlet Lotus.”
“Are you sure? Because he looks awfully familiar.”
Mason sat on the corner of his desk and pulled Polly to stand between his legs. “No offense, Dez, but I hardly think he’d be running in the same circles as you.”
“Well, never mind. It doesn’t matter anyway,” she said, shrugging it off. Then she turned toward me. “You ready to go? I don’t have much time before I have to be at work.”
“Yeah, I’m ready,” I told her, and then bid farewell to Polly and Mason. Of course Polly promised she’d be over first thing the next morning to start wedding preparations. I shuddered at the thought.
Dez and I made it back to the mansion and, with Samuel’s help, got all my things unloaded and stacked in Noah’s bedroom. Shortly afterward, I saw Dez off for her shift at Foreplay, the meat market where Noah and I first met. I had just gone to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of ice water when the doorbell rang. As I walked back toward the foyer, I spotted Dez’s scarf where she had discarded it earlier.