“Really?” Hope floated up in my chest as I grinned at him.
“He needed a little perspective, I guess. And then once he got it, he got on board.”
“So, we’re good?” I grinned, feeling like a weight had been lifted off me as I began to make my way to the door. Deacon held out his arm, stopping me as he twisted me back toward his body and pressed me tight against his chest.
“Yeah, you’re good. But it’s on one condition.”
The balloon burst, and I felt a crushing let-down begin to descend on me. Weren’t conditions all a part of the problem? Why couldn’t we just have or not have things? Why did they need conditions?
“What?” I stepped back, setting my hands on my hips.
“He said it was only on the condition that you said yes.” Deacon reached into his back pocket, and I frowned, crossing my arms.
“Said yes to what?”
“Spending the rest of your life with me, Dakota Moore. Will you marry me?” Deacon sunk to one knee and flipped a small purple velvet box lid. Inside was an antique emerald ring, and my pulse skyrocketed as my gaze jumped to his face.
“Are you for real?”
“Is that a yes?” A massive grin split my face as I fell to my knees in front of him, grabbing his face right before I leaned in for a kiss.
“Deacon, that’s a hell yes!”
epilogue
Deacon
Nine Months Later
It killed me that some unfounded fear had kept me from the woman of my dreams for as long as it had. The loyalty I felt to obey Forrest’s wishes had outweighed my desire to be with Dakota for so long, solely because I felt like Iowedit to him.
But the only other person in the audience today who’s smiled matched mine and the bride’s had been Forrest’s.
Everything had worked out, and I wished I could’ve broken the rules sooner. But I planned to spend the rest of my life making up for the lost time.
“Man, my feet are killing me!” Dakota flopped back onto the bed, shifting around as much as she needed to kick her heels off. She sighed in relief as they both hit the floor, and I swooped in, catching her feet in my hands as I pressed my thumb to the sole and dug in.
She groaned appreciatively as I worked her feet, hoping to massage all the kinks and knots standing in those torturous high-heels had given my bride. Slowly, though, her groans turned to moans and echoed around the hotel room before returning to me and building the ever-present desire in my belly.
My cock stirred to life, pressing against the zipper of my slacks as if he might be able to undo it himself and burst right through.
“Woman, you better stop unless you want your wedding present now.”
“Present?” She sat up a bit on her elbows, looking along the length of her fluffy dress at me. A grin split her face as hope filled her eyes.
“Oh yes, and I think you’ll like it.”
I finished massaging her feet before using them to flip her over onto her knees. Then, I pushed the layers of frill up her legs and ducked underneath, running my hands up her legs slowly.
“Ohhh,thatkind of present.” I felt the bed shift as Dakota leaned forward more, humming in approval. I already knew she was bare under here. What a delightful surprise that had been during the garter removal.
While it had been hard to keep my composure, seeing her bare pussy so close to my hand, I did fairly well as I slipped the garter off her, teasing her lips with my fingers as I ‘held’ the skirt up.
If anyone noticed, no one said anything to me. And since then, I’d been picturing getting myself into this exact position. Now, I couldn’t wait to dig in and enjoy the real cake I’d been looking forward to all night.
Using my thumb to press her open while applying the tiniest bit of pressure to her clit, I licked her slowly. A murmur of approval came through all the fabric as she wriggled herself against my face. With a chuckle, I sunk my tongue deeper and licked a bit harder, this time dragging my tongue up higher, teasing the edge of her rosebud.
“Oh, God,” she cried out in surprise, squirming with more need. Having the desired effect I was looking for, I used my finger to stroke her cunt as my tongue explored more, twisting around the edge of her asshole. As I did, my fingers sunk into her entrance, pumping her hard and fast.