Page 83 of May 11

He thrust, held himself deep inside of her, and grunted through his climax. She smiled against his shoulder with each after-jolt.

He pulled out of her, took off his condom, dropped it in the wastebasket beside the bed, and then cradled her in his arms. She held onto him, wanting him to stay in bed with her forever. Wrapped together, he smoothed the hair off her forehead.

While her body relaxed, her mind sped up with thoughts about their future. Every morning could be like this. Just her and Wire, enjoying each other's bodies before they had to start the day.

And then they could do the same thing before they fall asleep.

He planted his elbow on the mattress and looked down into her eyes. "Let's get married."

"Seriously?"

He smoothed the hair out of her face. "I found you late in life, babe. I want to spend the rest of what I have left with you."

She put her finger to his lips, stopping him from saying any more. "I watched my parents love each other. They never let their age difference interfere with how they lived. My dad understood that my mom would continue teaching long after he retired. My mom made it a point to keep him active—they traveled and had a busy social life."

"What are you saying?"

"I want to be with you every single day. As long as we can be together. I would love to be married to you." She smiled with a sigh of relief. "I want to be your girl."

"My ol' lady," he murmured.

She laughed softly. "You're pushing it, honey."

"We'll get hitched next month after we get the license."

"Whoa. Not that soon." She laughed. "I need to return to California to sell my parents' house and settle their estate. Despite him saying he doesn't want it, I plan to put half of everything into an account for Ruger. Maybe he can use it for his daughter."

Wire sat up. "Then, we'll get married come spring."

"That's perfect." She rolled to the edge of the bed and got up. "Just a small wedding. We could even find a Justice of the Peace. What date are you thinking?"

He strode to the dresser naked. "How about May 11th? A year from the day I met you."

"No!"

He turned around, frowning at her. "What's wrong?"

"That date. It's cursed." She shook her head, shuddering. "My brother left home on May 11th. It was the last day my parents ever saw or heard from him again." She blew out her breath. "My parents died on May 11th."

"Jesus," he mumbled.

"It doesn't stop there." She walked to him. "On May 11th, Rush got shot."

He hooked her neck, bringing her closer. She pressed her cheek against his chest.

"May 11th is also my birthday." She raised her head. "Pick any other day, and I'll marry you in a heartbeat."

"April is a good month." He palmed the back of her head.

"How about the second of April?" She smiled. "I've got good feelings about that date."

She was finally going to end the curse. Only good things from here on out.

Epilogue

THE WHITE SILKY MATERIAL of Cora's wedding dress puddled at her feet. Wire ached, wanting her.

She stood in a white bra and panties with her hair streaming over her shoulders. His cock throbbed.

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