Baiting the Maid of Honor (Wedding Dare #2)(47)

“I can’t hold back much longer. Take me or be taken, Julie.”

She gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands and lifted. Immediately, Reed’s head tilted forward to see the point where they were connected, jaw clenching at the sight. She raised up on her knees to circle her hips enticingly on the tip of his erection and watched his eyes go heavy-lidded. Then she sank down, slowly, inch by inch, until he filled her once more. Placing her hands lightly on his chest, she gave one leisurely roll of her hips. One designed to leave him wanting more.

He took it.

Reed flipped her onto her back and drove deep. “This what you want, Julie? It’s what I want.” He pushed her knees open and pumped his hips furiously. “Fuck that, I need it. Need you.”

“You’ve had me.” She dragged his head down for a long, wet kiss. “This whole time.”

“My girl. Mine.” He thrust one final time and came with a groan, face buried in her neck, muttering words that only made sense to their ears. They lay there for long minutes afterward catching their breath. Finally, Julie found the strength to lift her hand and run it down his back.

“Reed. A minute ago. Did you say something about the Super Bowl?”

His deep laughter shook her body, but he quickly grew serious. “Pixie, look at me,” he commanded gruffly. She did as he asked, heart speeding up at the seriousness evident in his face. “You said in the forest, you don’t know who you are with me. I hated it at the time. But the truth is, I don’t know who I am with you, either. I only know I’m so much better. Stronger. Happier.” He grasped her face in his hands. “You want to know what comes after this? Let me tell you what I should have said before. We go home together and find out who we are together. That’s what comes after.” His eyes held a hint of pleading. “Okay?”

Julie was already nodding. “I want that, too.”

“Tell me this doesn’t end. Tell me you’ll stay with me and keep making me better.”

“Yes. I don’t want it to end.” Julie kissed his lips softly, lingering there. “You had me the first night. You’ll have me every night after.”

“Move your things to my room. I’m not sleeping without you.”

“Why can’t you move your things to mine?”

“I feel another wager coming on,” he murmured.

She nipped his ear. “You better not let me win.”

Tenderness shone in his eyes. “Julie, you’ll win all on your own.”





Epilogue


Reed peered through the blinds in his living room for the hundredth time that night. With a curse, he grabbed the pull cord and yanked, uncovering the window completely. There. Now he could pace and watch for Julie to pull into his apartment complex at the same time. This had become his nightly routine and it had to stop. It would stop or he’d go insane. Every night, she finished work late, drove to her house to pack an overnight bag, and made her way to his place. Same routine. Every night. She never left anything behind, never asked for a drawer or a place to stow her hair dryer. Never left a trace of herself behind, except for her scent and the echo of her voice.

So he’d gone to her house tonight, gathered all her shit, and put it where it was meant to be.

Right beside his shit.

He had no idea how she would react. And yeah, maybe he should have talked to her about it first. But she was the talker in this relationship and she hadn’t been holding up her end of the deal. Not where living together was concerned. They had returned from the wedding four months ago and hadn’t managed to spend a single night apart since. God, he didn’t even want to think about sleeping without her snuggled up against him, her blond hair wrapped around him like a safety blanket. She’d become his constant, the only source of pure happiness he’d ever known. She hid nothing from him without ever once demanding he do the same. Yet without even noticing it, he had. He’d wanted her to know about his past, to relive his close calls with her…wanted to be soothed by her.

That day when they’d played go fish in the rain, he’d told her he wanted to find out who they were together. He had his answer. They were permanent. Inescapable. They…shone.

Reed almost laughed out loud at the sentiment, so unlike him. This is what happiness did to a man. Made him comfortable with just about anything, all manner of unusual thoughts, as long as his woman came home, kissed him, and echoed the sentiment.

Goddammit. Where is she? Probably working too hard again, dead on her feet as usual. Reed started pacing again. As soon as she walked in and they got this living-together business cleared up, he’d put her into a bath with that fancy bubble business she liked. Coax her into eating something. Then he’d f*ck her until her legs shook. Yeah. He needed her coming home to him straight after work, all right. It would eliminate an hour and a half at the end of each day where he had to be without her. An hour and a half per day that amounted to seven and a half hours a week. Lunacy, as far as he was concerned. The things they could spend those hours doing…the anticipation made his mouth go dry.

Lights speared across his living room, telling him she’d finally arrived. He went to the window to double-check and watched Julie exit her silver sedan. Their gazes collided through the window, hers questioning. His? Probably starved for the sight of her, mirroring how he felt at the end of every damn day. She would have gone to her apartment and found most of her things gone. If he hadn’t left behind a deck of cards on her bed, set up for go fish, she probably would have assumed she’d been robbed. Nope, baby. Just your crazy boyfriend who communicates best with playing cards.