“James,” I panted as it started to subside.
“Are you ready for me now, baby?” he asked. He stood up and put his long, hard co**ck against me, rubbing it against my slit as I was still shaking from my orgasm.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Please.” I was desperate to feel him inside me. He didn’t make me wait; he was so hard he was about to burst. He stood at the side of the bed and entered me like that, almost immediately, all the way to his hilt. I moaned as he filled me, and I looked up at his glorious, tanned, and muscled body. His co**ck was enormous and hard inside me, and my body fit around his tightly, as if I’d been built for him.
He thrust into me once, twice, deep and sharp. I ran my hands down his muscled lower torso as pleasure ripped through me. He was in deep, like he promised, and it felt so good. I felt complete.
I wrapped my fingers around the base of his shaft as he continued to drive into me. I let my hand stroke his base with each thrust, wanting to increase his sensation and his pleasure. It worked. He threw his head back and was riding me hard, his hands gripping my hi**ps. “Holy f**k, Audrey.”
He was in deeper than I’d ever felt him. I felt the familiar pleasure build inside of me, and I started to come, all of my senses overtaken by him. He buried himself into me, over and over, f**king me through my orgasm and finding his release. His powerful arms wrapped around me as our org**asms shook the bed.
Afterward, he collapsed next to me. “Damn,” he said and pulled me against him. I nestled there happily, feeling content and completely connected to him. I was waiting for him to say something more—then I watched as he promptly fell asleep with a smile on his face.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He opened one eye and looked at me, that happy smile still on his face. “I love you too, babe.”
* * *
I woke up a few hours later with sun streaming through the windows. James was up, wearing his Wharton T-shirt and some sweats. He was pacing around the room.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “I got you your coffee.” He motioned toward the nightstand.
“Thanks,” I said. I sat up and took a sip, eyeing him warily. “You’re pacing for a reason, James. I’d like to know what that is.”
“We’re back home from the trip. Our two weeks are up. You’ve fulfilled your contract.” He ran his hands through his hair.
My heart clenched, and I put the coffee down before I spilled it. “Is this the part where you fire me? Again?”
“Not if it’s the part where you quit. Again.” We just looked at each other for a beat. “No, Audrey—we’ve reached the end of our mutual agreement, is what I’m saying. There’s nothing but free will going on here.”
“Okay,” I said, a nervous pit forming in my stomach. “When you asked me to move to California with you… that was free will, right? So has something changed?” I asked nervously.
“No,” he said. “Yes.” He ran his hand through his hair again. “Being with my family these past two weeks has had me thinking. And all of this horrible stuff about my mother and Danielle—it’s made me realize some things.”
He paused for a beat. “Do you remember what I told you Todd said to me? Right before the wedding?”
“No,” I said. I looked at him blankly. “Was it something like, where the hell is Audrey running off to? ’Cause that’s when my mom showed up.” He was scaring me, and I was just babbling, afraid to hear what he had to say.
“No,” he said and sighed. “That wasn’t it. It’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“Okay,” I said again. I braced for whatever was coming next.
“He said that when you finally figure out what you want in life, you’re pretty ready for forever.” James came and sat on the bed next to me. He reached for my hand. “Like I said, these last two weeks have had me thinking. About family. About what I want… for my family.”
I held my breath.
“Audrey, it’s taken me a very long time to find you. And we haven’t been together very long. But I’ve finally figured out what I want. And I am pretty ready for forever.”
He got off the bed and knelt by me. He pulled a small black box out from his pocket, and I was pretty sure I was no longer holding my breath—I’d just stopped breathing. He opened the box, and inside there was an enormous, square-cut diamond, fit for a princess.
“Are you?” he asked.
I was stunned. I just blinked at him. “Am I what?” I asked stupidly.