The Man I Thought I Trusted - E. L. Todd Page 0,54

soaking into my shaft because she exploded with arousal. She moaned louder and louder until her hips bucked uncontrollably as she hit the crescendo.

I slammed into her over and over, hitting her hard and driving her into the fireworks, watching her hit the high and slowly come down as I reached the finish line. I filled her for the fifth time that night, the hour unknown because we’d knocked over the clock at some point in the rendezvous.

I wanted to keep going, but I was on empty.

She probably was too.

I rolled off her and lay there, staring at the ceiling, catching my breath, feeling the sweat slowly evaporate from my skin.

She breathed hard beside me as her body slowly sank into a state of calm. Naked on top of my sheets, her body was beautiful, her tits perfect, her lithe stomach irresistible. Her hair looked like it’d been struck by a tornado, but that only made her more irresistible.

My hand snaked to hers on the bed, and I interlocked our fingers.

She turned her head to look at me, a slight smile coming onto her lips.

I pulled her hand and rested it on my chest so she could feel my steady heartbeat. She made it race when she touched me, but in our quiet moments, she brought me so much peace, brought the crazy world to a standstill.

“Did they know you were going to ask?” she whispered.

I whispered my response. “No.”

“Good. Those idiots can’t keep a secret.”

I chuckled. “I wanted to make sure you were surprised.”

“Mission accomplished.”

I wasn’t afraid that she would say no. The fact that she’d agreed to move in with me, agreed to take a step back at her job to be with me, told me that she was in this forever, that she wanted to love me until we were buried beside each other. “Do you like the ring?”

She scrunched up her face and gave a disbelieving reaction. “Do I like the gorgeous ring you got for me?” She held up her left hand so she could see the diamond. “Yes. I love it. It’s perfect for me.”

I knew she wouldn’t want an enormous rock like most women. She’d want something nice but simple, something she could wear everywhere.

“But I like the man who gave it to me more.”

I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it.

“You knew I’d say yes?”

“Without a doubt.” I stared into her eyes, feeling that connection between our souls, the unconditional love that would last forever. Fifty percent of marriages ended in divorce. Our first marriages ended, and that meant this one wouldn’t. This time, it was right.

Her eyes lit up.

I was happy. Really happy. Happier than I’d ever been.

“I hope you didn’t ask me to marry you so I’d leave my job quicker.”

“No. I said when we get married, so you have some time.”

“Well, I don’t think there’s much of a difference between fiancés and husband and wife. I’ll tell Vince on Monday.”

That was exactly what I wanted, but I hid my joy. “What will you do now?”

“There are still a lot of options for me. Editorial pieces, different kinds of investigative journalism, just stuff less dangerous. I have a good relationship with my editor, so he’ll give me something decent. I won’t be booted back to the Lifestyle section.”

I chuckled. “Is the Lifestyle section really that bad?”

“No. Just not for me.”

I turned over onto my side so I could be closer to her. “I really appreciate that you’re willing to do that for me, for us.”

When she looked at me, there wasn’t a hint of resentment, like she agreed that it was the best decision. “I know better than anybody how dangerous that job is, and when it’s just me, that’s not a big deal. But when I think about having a family and stuff, I feel differently about it. I never seriously considered it before, because it seemed like it would never become a reality. But now it feels real, so it could happen.”

I was glad she thought that way, thought about more than just us, but our future family. “We’re going to have a good life together.”

“I know.” She came closer to me and ran her fingers down my arm. “And not just because you have two Bugattis.”

I chuckled.

“I’m sorry about Matt. He’s just—”

“It really doesn’t bother me. Your friends are harmless.”

“Our friends.”

I smiled. “Yes…ours.”

“So…” She hooked her leg over my hip. “I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but I did the full-on wedding before and I’m