“Tell me you love me,” he said.
I hesitated.
“Say it,” he said, fingers working me, eyes locked on mine.
“I love you!” I burst out. As I said it, practically wailed it, he withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his cock, hard and heavy, big inside me and stretching me to hold him all.
“Fuck, yes,” he muttered,
He sank into my set softness and rocked and thrust, building a rhythm I could echo with my rising hips, with my leg wrapped around him, holding him closer to me. His mouth fixed on my nipple, worrying it and nipping it playfully. With each heavy thrust of his, I felt my body rock in rhythm, carry his pounding in my body, the sweetness and the fire of it. Short cries started coming from me, and sweat slicked our bodies. I wanted it forever.
“Ty! Ty!” I whimpered as my body went rigid, clamping down on him tightly, my arms around him. I felt my nails scrape his back as he thrust into me and came with a cry.
“I love you,” I whispered, “I’m so in love with you. I’m sorry I got scared. I was afraid you didn’t want me. Not for real. But the way you took care of me when I was faint, that’s what made me see. More than anything you said.”
“I told you I wasn’t good with words. But know this. I love you, Layla.”
He kissed me and stroked my trembling body. Shuddering with the aftershocks of pleasure, I curled up in his arms. As I nestled there and he caressed my face, I hugged him and said, “Will you move in here with me? I know it’s a big step but—”
“No,” he said.
“No? Oh. Okay,” I said, deflated.
“I don’t want you climbing stairs like this pregnant and then with a baby and car seat and everything. I want you to move in to the cabin. I’ll build on. A nursery. A real bedroom. Do you need a bigger kitchen?”
“You have a microwave?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’m not much of a cook. But that seems like a lot to take on, building on to the cabin and working and—“
“And I want to build a home for my family. I want to,” he said. I was touched that he wanted to build a home with his own two hands for us to live in.
“Okay,” I said.
“I only want one more thing.”
“You’re greedy. What else do you want?”
“To make you my wife.”
I caught my breath, hesitating. I could believe he’d want to live together. I could believe that we could raise a child together no matter what happened between us down the road. That was more than I’d ever hoped for. I couldn’t get my mind around the idea of being his wife. It was impossible. I was speechless.
“Listen to me. Don’t go down that rabbit hole. That’s not my voice telling you it won’t work. Here’s the thing I learned in therapy. Fear lies. Don’t listen to it. Listen to me when I say I love you. I’m going to marry you. You’ll be my wife.”
“I’m not sure.”
“I am. I’m sure. And you will be. There’s no rush. Just know I’m going to marry you. I’m not a man who gives up. If I was willing to give up on you, I would’ve taken the job out of Asheville instead of staying here.”
“You stayed for your brother,” I said, bewildered.
“I stayed for you. You know damn well that’s why I’m here. I love my brother, but we haven’t lived in the same city in eight years. He’s not why I took that job as general manager. The money, the benefits, for us. So my family is taken care of.”
“You didn’t know about the baby,” I said, still confused.
“No. I didn’t even suspect it. But I knew there was you. I knew I wanted this woman, this wife. And I wanted to protect her, provide for her. So she never had to worry.”
“You mean it,” I said, full of wonder.
“Yeah,” he said with a grin.
I kissed him. There were no words, and I was afraid I’d start crying.
“Listen, can we call your mom and tell her? Together?”
“That is so sweet, but the last thing I want to do right now is call my mom. We can call her tomorrow. I think you were about to ask me something.”
“What?”
“To marry you!” I laughed, “or were you just gonna tell me I have to like you’re some big alpha male, ex-Marine badass?”
“Yeah, the second one,” he laughed, “So, will you?”
“Yes!” I said.
He kissed me and kissed me, “Your bed is so big.”
“It’s just a double. But since you sleep on like a cot from summer camp…” I teased.
“First thing I’m building is a bed. A big one,” he said.
“Nothing big is gonna fit in that cabin the way it is,” I teased.