Managed (VIP #2)(104)
“Sophie,” he says, returning to the stern tone I love. “You never actually gave me an answer.”
“Mmm?” I stop my exploration and meet his gaze. He waits, one brow raised, a muscle ticking on his jaw. “Oh, you mean the ‘cocked up’ proposal?”
“Darling…”
“I’m going to want babies,” I tell him with a smile. “And to dress them up as Princess Leia or Han Solo on Halloween.”
His answering smile is so pleased, the look in his eyes so anticipatory, that it makes me a little dizzy. “I look forward to giving you babies. And I vote for a Spock costume.”
“Okay. Then you can dress up as Han Solo and I’ll be captured Princess Leia in that little gold bikini.”
“I love you,” he declares in a rush. “So very much. The luckiest day of my life was when I sat next to you on that plane.”
With a happy sigh, I snuggle closer. “I’m going to marry you, Gabriel Scott.”
He releases a breath and presses his lips to the top of my head. “And I’m going to love you until the day I die, Sophie Darling.”
“You know,” I say. “If I take your name, I won’t be Darling anymore.”
Gabriel swoops down and captures my mouth. The kiss is slow and just a little bit dirty, his tongue plunging deep. I’m lightheaded and needy when he pulls back. The hot, knowing glint in his eyes doesn’t help.
“You will always be my darling,” he says against my lips. “My Sophie darling.”
Epilogue
Gabriel
* * *
“I think I’m going to refer to this house as The Shoebox,” Sophie calls from the terrace.
She has a point. The bulk of the house is one long, clean rectangle jutting out toward the harbor with glossy wood floors, soaring ceilings, and retractable glass walls that let in the breeze. Compared to being stuffed in a plane, this airiness is paradise, as far as I’m concerned.
Following the sound of her voice, I find her leaning against the reinforced glass rail that runs around the terrace. Behind her, Sydney Harbor glitters in the fading evening light, its iconic bridge and—if you squint—the white sails of the opera house visible just to the right.
But I only have eyes for Sophie, her curvy body golden and tanned, the breeze picking up the ends of her hair and sending them dancing about her smiling face.
Sophie’s hair is pink now. She tells me it’s the color of true love and pure passion. It looks more like cotton candy to me, but I’ll never tell her. I’ve learned at least that much about women along the way. And besides, I’ll always equate Sophie with delicious treats, so her hair color is fitting in that regard.
I move behind her and wrap my arms around her shoulders. Her skin is cool, and she nestles back against my chest with a sigh.
“I still can’t believe you bought a house here.”
“Twenty f*cking hours in a plane to get to Australia. You’d better believe I’m taking my time about going back to London. We might as well be comfortable for the interim.”
“Hey, a good many of those hours were spent f*cking, so it couldn’t have been that bad.”
This is true. Struggling to be quiet, and the fear of being caught, made for some truly spectacular make-up sex. I’m such a fan now, I plan on bickering with Sophie tonight in some public place so we can find a way to do it again.
“You know, I might be cured of my fear of plane travel,” I tell her, bending to kiss the curve of her neck. “However, we’ll have to conduct experiments on our return trip to make certain.”
Sophie nudges her sweet arse back against my waking cock. He stirs, wanting to say hello.
“I hear there’s a first-class flight that now has a full shower on board.” Her hands reach back and slide up my hips. “That could be interesting.”
“Sod it, let’s shower now,” I demand, inching up the hem of her skirt.
Rye’s voice breaks through my happy bubble. “Oh, God, my eyes. They burn.”
I sigh against Sophie’s skin. “Why did I invite them here again?”
“Because you love them,” she whispers against my cheek.
“I love you. I tolerate them.”
“I want the old Scottie back,” Whip whines.
Sophie laughs at that.
“Jesus,” I grumble. “They’re all behind us, aren’t they?”
She cranes her head to look around me. “Yep. All of them.”
“Scottie has left the building,” Jax tells them. “You now have Gabriel to contend with, and he appears to be a randy bastard.”
At that, I smile, because he isn’t wrong. “It’ll happen to you too, John.”
“Don’t count on it.”
Poor sod, he doesn’t know what he’s missing.
Finally, I turn and tuck Sophie against my side. Jax, Rye, Killian, Liberty, Brenna, and Whip have all managed to leave their appointed rooms and congregate in the massive living room.
Killian and Libby are tucked up on the sofa as Brenna hands out some sort of fruity-looking cocktail. They’ve taken over my house. And it isn’t uncomfortable or strange to see. It feels right. It feels good.