of one eye. I peer into her eyes. “Third time’s the charm. Yeah?”
She nods, sniffling, and dries up her tears as we both watch me slip the ring onto her finger. “Yeah, third time’s the charm,” she agrees on a croak. “And I do, Luke Cross. Forever. Tomorrow I want to get a real ring for you.”
“I got it. You might not see it because it’s invisible. But I got a ring right around my heart.” I kiss the ring on her finger, then skim a kiss across each of her fingertips.
She puts her hand on my heartbeat. As if it grounds her. Then she leans up for a kiss. I kiss her forehead, the tip of her nose, and feast on her temptress mouth.
I want to take it slow. I want to make love to her. But I want to fuck her at the same time.
Instead, my Penny has other plans. She pushes me to my back. I let her and watch her straddle me. Cold sober now as she mounts me. Moves, finding the perfect spot.
I skim my hand up her sides. “First for you too?”
She smiles sheepishly. “I seem to like trying all kinds of new things with you.”
She rocks her hips, and I bite back a groan. “That’s okay. I like it. I love you. You’re doing great.”
Hell, more than great. If she keeps doing that teasing circular move with her hips, I’m not going to last.
She leans over, pressing her lips to mine, her sweet breath misting across my face. “Luke, you’re so hot. You make me so hot.”
I can barely talk, I’m so turned on. “You’re gorgeous, Mrs. Cross. You can’t possibly be hotter than I am right now watching you.”
I cup her breasts and tease her nipples with my thumbs as I pepper her neck and jaw with kisses, hardly believing she’s here as she lowers herself down on me and I sink into her, deeper and harder, like she likes it. Like I need it.
We start going at it harder, increasing our tempo.
Every cry she gives out, I suck into my body. Every sound I relish. Every lick of that sweet little tongue as she bends down and gives some love to my jaw, my neck, my shoulders.
“Fuck, Penny, tell me you missed it, you missed me.”
“I missed you. I love you.” She sits up and looks down at me, all sweaty and gorgeous.
I groan and cup her gorgeous tits, watching her ride me. Salivating as she rides me like a goddamn rodeo star. She’s like a fucking beautiful dream, hovering over me. “I love you,” I hear myself rasp. I can’t say it enough. It’s like I need to brand it into her. Any way I can. I skim my hands up and down her sides. Never wanting to come down from this.
“Me . . . too . . .”
She’s breathless now, ready to go off for me. Tossing her head back, moving her hips faster. I help her with my hands on her waist, lifting and lowering her, my muscles straining as I try to wait for her to come first.
When she comes, I watch her. Awed. Awed by how gorgeous she is. Awed that I can feel this close to another human being. That I can feel this fucking whole even when I know myself to be a man who’s been in pieces. I watch her for merely two seconds, and then I come with her.
When we sleep, we sleep pressed together.
In the middle of the night, I wake with a hard-on, courtesy of her sweet rear pressing up against my shaft. I smile when I smell her hair beneath my nose. Tilting my head to the side, I slide my hand down her arm and lift her hand to me, feeling with the pad of my thumb in the dark for her fingers. And yeah. Didn’t dream her. Didn’t conjure her up out of desperation. Hell, I wouldn’t ever have come up with such a perfect Mrs. Cross even if I’d been asked to write down a wish list.
But it’s true. Penny’s wearing the ring that will tell the entire world that she is mine.
Nell
It’s Christmas morning, and it really feels like it when I wake up to Luke Cross’s kisses. I turn my head toward the warmth of his body and find his neck, burying my head in it as I wrap my hands around him and hold tight. I slept like a baby. Better than I