out of the corner of my eye, fighting like hell not to let loose the grin that’s threatening to split my face in two. We’ve talked about our future, but this is the first time he’s ever put it like that.
I can’t even control it. The thought of being Merric’s wife has me smiling like a damn loon.
He sighs. “You like the sound of that, too, baby?”
I nod, grinding against him in his lap, kissing him again as though my life depends on it.
“I can’t think of anything I’d want more.” I pull back, leaving barely any space between us.
“Me, either. Although, I will say the thought of spreading you out on top of my desk right now is a close second.”
“Merric Maxwell Thorne.” I giggle.
His eyes turn dark and damn it if he isn’t making it difficult to turn him down.
“I want the sight of you naked on top of my desk burned into my memory.” His deep voice comes out gravelly. “I want the sight of your legs spread open for me with your hair fanned out on my desk to be all I can think of when I’m sitting here trying to work.”
“I don’t think you’ll be getting any work done.”
“That’s the point, baby.” He grins.
Bonus Epilogue
MERRIC - DECEMBER
“Oaklyn!” I holler when I walk through the front door of the cabin.
We have made plans to return to the place we had stayed last winter to celebrate our anniversary before finishing the trip up to Richmond to see family for the holidays.
The fireplace is going in the living room with a few candles burning on the end table and kitchen counter. The soft sound of music plays throughout the house.
We’ve been living together as a couple in my apartment since August. Shortly after introducing her to one of my clients, Cohen, Oaklyn accepted a job as a marketing director for his company. I hadn’t intended for it to work out the way it did, and if she thought I was intentionally trying to set her up, she wouldn’t have been happy with me.
She had been stubborn and insisted on knowing both the job she had and the place she lived in was hers because she had earned them.
She happened to show up at the office one day, mistaking Cohen for his twin brother and one of my best friends Cane. Cohen Daniels is a real estate investor in Myrtle Beach and is one of the best at what he does. The three of us grew up together.
We had been discussing Cohen’s investments during our meeting, and he shared he was in the process of changing his marketing strategies. I couldn’t have timed it more perfectly if I had tried. Once our meeting wrapped up, and I walked him out, he ran into Oaklyn firing jokes at River.
He was eager to meet with her to discuss her experience and the job. I was grateful to him because it meant convincing her to move in was solved.
“In here.” Her voice muffles, coming from down the hallway.
It’s going on four months now of us living together, and each day, it only seems to get better.
Before our trip to Richmond last Christmas, I never truly knew Oaklyn. Sure, we had shared that kiss the night of my dad’s funeral, and we saw each other at family events. I wasn’t blind to how beautiful she was or the light she brought to everyone around her, but given the age difference between us, I never let myself think about her in any other way.
Everything shifted between us when we spent that weekend together.
My world before her was dark and gloomy. My days were spent working long hours in the office, never thinking or caring about anything else. The only women who captured my attention were the ones I’d pick up at the club after a few drinks, but it never went beyond those first encounters. Hell, most of the women I could barely remember their names, much less take their phone numbers.
Like I said, everything changed for me after the weekend with Oaklyn. The entire drive back home, the farther away I got from her, the worse I felt. Each day that passed since I last saw her felt like my world was crashing down around me.
The hallway leading to the bedroom is dark, with only the smallest light shining through the crack in the door. I push against it, peeking my head through to find her sitting at the vanity, her back facing