“I could do this and only this, forever,” he whispers, then slowly pulls back.

“Don’t leave me,” I moan.

He rams into me. Hard. Swift. Decisive. Unyielding. I welcome the sweet sting of his invasion, a rhythm building up between us. “I can’t leave you,” Jason growls. “But I want to feel you, all of you. Touch yourself. Make yourself come.”

“All over you?”

“All over me, darling.”

The tension builds.

Sweat drips down our naked bodies. The sound of skin slapping skin with every movement. Jason’s animalistic grunts as he grows bigger and harder inside me, as he claims me once again, and as he consumes me. I’m reduced to splinters of what I once was, surrendering completely, abandoning myself into his decadent feast.

He slaps my ass hard and fucks me like there’s no tomorrow. It hurts so good as I apply more pressure to my swollen, tender nub. My breasts bounce joyfully as I come undone, screaming in sheer ecstasy while he shoots his seed deep inside of me. I hold him tight in my core, feeling him exploding, pulsating, melting within me.

Our bodies become one.

Our souls are forever bound.

It’s our first night together since the nightmare ended. Jason kisses my cheek, breathing heavily as he holds me close. I come down from the clouds and open my eyes, realizing that it’s not just our first night together since the nightmare ended. It’s the first night of what is surely to be the rest of our lives.

This is what I’ve always dreamed of. Intense and passionate lovemaking. My best friend and protector is holding me close. My lover is bringing out the woman in me, over and over, until I can’t even get out of bed anymore. My man runs his fingers through my hair as we plan for our future together.

“You’re not just carrying my child in here,” Jason says, his hand gently caressing my belly. We haven’t moved from this position. I can feel him getting hard again while still inside of me. Moaning softly, I clench my pussy again just to get him riled up, and it works quickly, wonderfully. Before long, he’s gliding in and out of me again, simply picking up where we left off. “You’re carrying our future here, our lives. You’re carrying love, Audrey. Our love.”

“Our love …” I repeat after him.

I am carrying our love. This child is proof that we belong together. That this was meant to be. And as the night unfolds and wraps itself around us, as Jason takes me away from reality, and we delve deep into the dark, hot recesses of our simmering romance, I welcome everything that the future holds.

Chapter 32

Audrey

“Lily, go easy on the ice cream, honey; we still need to make room for dinner,” Rita says as she and Jason’s sweet, doe-eyed daughter share a chocolate and peanut butter ice cream bowl at one of our favorite cafes near Lily’s school.

“It’s Friday; cut the kid some slack,” Jason chuckles, bringing over a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream for me. A smile dances across his lips as he joins us. “How are my three favorite ladies doing?”

“Oh, I’m good,” Lily replies most casually, barely even looking at him.

She’s too busy adoring a whole scoop of peanut butter ice cream, likely wondering if she can fit the whole thing in her mouth. “I know it seems tempting, Lily,” I tell her, trying not to laugh, “but don’t forget the brain freeze you got the last time you tried it.”

“Yeah, but that was berry shorbet,” she says, mispronouncing the word. “This is ice cream. It’s different.”

“Okay, big girl, give it a go and prove it,” Rita chuckles.

It’s a beautiful day. One of those perfect late spring days on the greener side of Chicago. Lily’s school is strategically positioned close to Armour Park, which means we often stop by for ice cream afterward. It’s relatively clear this afternoon, and we get to bask in the sun and hang out without too many people cluttering our view of the fieldhouse. It’s nothing fancy, but it evokes a sense of peace that I absolutely cherish.

I love these routines that we’ve been forming.

Ice cream after school. Friday veggie dinners with Rita and Lily, the four of us talking about our week. Lily wants Jason to move her over to my school, but I’m actually negotiating a move to hers instead. It’s a private school with so many opportunities for me to grow as an educator; I just couldn’t refuse when Jason first suggested it.

Once a week, I get on Skype with my brothers, and we talk about recent developments. Our father won’t talk to me—the old man is still licking his wounds. It’ll be a while before he’s a decent human being again, but I’m used to it. I don’t even mind it as long as I have my life back.

“The news was quite dreary this morning,” Rita says at one point.

“What do you mean? I’ve stopped watching TV since my father went back to New York,” I shoot back with a dry chuckle.

But the frown on Jason’s forehead has my humor fading quickly. “There’s going to be a bit of a turf war between the Fedorov and the Abramovic clans,” he says.