Page 131 of Say You're Mine

Two words, heavy as a heartbeat as I promise my life, my love, my eternal fucking devotion to this girl, this woman, this fallen angel who holds my entire existence in her elegant, war-calloused hands.

And miracle of miracles, her eyes glittering brighter than the sea at noon...

"I do."

Cara's lips taste like strawberries and salt when she seals our union with a kiss. I don't even try to keep it chaste - my hands cup her face, angling her just right so I can drink her down like a man dying of thirst. Her tongue tangles with mine, teeth nipping just-shy-of-brutal, and I'm rock hard in my slacks. Christ. I need to get her alone, need to bury myself so deep we don't know where she ends and I begin.

She pulls away with a gasp, coral lipstick smeared and eyes a shade darker than they should be in polite company. Her fingers tunnel through my hair, nails scraping my scalp in delicious pinpricks of pain-pleasure. "Steady, tiger," she murmurs, a wicked little grin tugging at her kiss-swollen lips. "Save that animal for the honeymoon suite."

I let out a low growl, hands dropping to squeeze her hips through layers of silk and organza. "Don't worry, baby. I plan to do a helluva lot more than just save it."

The innuendo's shameless, especially with our friends and family whooping and catcalling a scant few feet away - but fuck it. We've never been the types to pull punches. And after everything we've overcome to get here, I'd shout my love - and lust - for this woman from the rooftops of the goddamn world.

Cara's grin widens, eyes sparking with challenge. "Promises, promises."

"Oh, I always keep my promises, sweetheart." I roll my hips, just once, letting her feel exactly how hard I am, how fucking desperate. "Ready to get this party started?"

She shivers, tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip. "Lead the way, Daddy."

I nearly bust the zipper on my pants. Daddy. The two syllables turn my blood to lava, make my cock jerk like a livewire against her belly.

It's a promise. A tease. An absolution.

Our little girl won't be so little forever. One day, not too long from now if I have my way, Cara's belly will grow round again, our second child taking root in her body. I'll be Daddy for real, for keeps.

But tonight...tonight, it's just us. Just June and Cara, man and wife. Two broken, battered creatures reborn in the flames, rising from the ashes of the past to claim a future so bright it hurts to look at head-on.

I tighten my grip on her hips, steer us away from the revelry and towards the little beachside villa waiting for us. The door's barely shut before I'm on her, tongue plundering the wet silk of her mouth, hands everywhere at once. I want to rip this fucking dress off her, bury my face between her thighs until she's writhing, mewling, until my name's the only word she remembers.

Cara arches into me, breasts flattening against my chest. I can feel her nipples, diamond-hard through the bodice, and I groan into her mouth, hands sliding down to cup the sweet curve of her ass. She gasps as I tear my lips from hers, blazing a trail down the ivory column of her neck.

"June." It's more than my name, more than a moan - it's a benediction, a broken hallelujah. I've never heard anything so goddamn beautiful.

"That's it, baby," I rasp against her pulse point, teeth scraping the delicate skin. "Let me hear you. I wanna hear all those pretty sounds."

I hoist her up, hands cupping the backs of her thighs, and she winds her legs around my hips with a throaty little laugh. My Cara - always ready for anything, always eager to meet me play for play and then some.

I stagger towards the bed, balance thrown by the way she's writhing against me, a goddess made flesh and flames. We hit the mattress in a tangle of limbs, the air punching from my lungs as her sweet weight settles over me.

She straddles my hips, hands braced on my chest, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "You're wearing too many clothes, Mr. Deveaux."

"So are you, Mrs. Deveaux." My heart kicks like a mule behind my ribs. Mrs. Deveaux. My wife. Mine. Forever and always.

Her grin turns positively feline. "Better fix that then, hmm?"

Her hands strip me with ruthless efficiency - tie first, then shirt, the tiny buttons scattering like pearls across the floor. She maps my chest with her mouth, tongue swirling the ink, the scars. Every touch is a brand, a claiming. I'm hers. Body, heart, and motherfucking soul.

"Cara." It's a prayer, a curse, torn from my throat. "Please, baby-"

She takes pity on me, those clever fingers popping the button on my slacks, dragging down my zipper with agonizing slowness. My cock springs free, flushed and throbbing, precome beading the swollen head. Her pupils eclipse the storm-grey of her irises, chest heaving as she wriggles down my body.

"Fuck, I love your cock," she breathes, hot little puffs of air against my aching shaft. "So big. So hard. All for me."

"All for you," I confirm, voice a low, desperate rumble. "Only ever for you, Cara."

She makes an approving noise, tracing the thick vein on the underside with the tip of her tongue. I nearly levitate off the bed, hands fisting in the sheets until I hear stitches pop. She licks and sucks and teases until I'm a wordless, writhing wreck beneath her.

"Please," I pant, hips pumping helplessly. "Baby, I'm gonna - gonna come if you keep-"

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