Page 68 of The Forever Game

The thought hurts more than I can fathom. I press my hand into my belly, aching in my core. The pain spreads through my body, and a fresh wave of tears takes me out.

“I love you,” I whisper to Ethan, even though he can’t hear me. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Gazing down at my ring finger, I brush my hand over the spot where my rings should be. My annoying big rings that always get in the way, that can be ripped off my finger so easily.

I can feel my eyebrows dipping as I relive that moment Axel stripped me of them. A shudder runs down my spine, and then I ping straight, an idea hitting me with a force so strong, I start the engine.

Snatching my phone, I do some quick research and am soon pulling up outside a tattoo parlor.

Yes, I’m being impulsive, but this feels so right that I don’t have any other choice.

I’m married, dammit, and the whole fucking world is going to know it—every damn moment of every single day.

CHAPTER25

ASHER

We woke late thanks to not falling into bed until three in the morning. The wedding reception was awesome. The weather held out, and we partied late into the night. Champagne flowed, the food was delicious, the speeches were funny, and people started heading home around one. Baxter and Tammy floated out of there, driving off to some unknown destination to have a few nights just the two of them. I’m sure it’ll be filled with sex and sleep and all things good.

After they left, we finished cleaning up with a grumpy-ass Ethan, who barely said three words the whole night, and an actually helpful Rachel and Liam. Thank fuck Ethan decided to bug out early. I offered to let him crash on the couch, but he said he wanted to go home. He looked damn miserable when he said it, and we spent the first hour of cleanup detail worrying about Ethan and Mikayla.

It made me grateful that my relationship with Lani is so solid. And it made me realize how much I want to marry her and be with her for the rest of my life.

When we finally crept up to the top floor of the villa, I was exhausted but so loved up that I had to peel Lani’s clothes off and make her come. She was up for it, and feeling her shudder and writhe beneath me was heavenly. She came as I licked her sweet pussy and then came again when I buried my cock inside her. I’m never gonna get tired of her luscious curves and sexy body. Even if it changes with age, I’ll love every version of her, because when I’m inside her that way, we’re connected on a spiritual level. I don’t care if I get shit for saying stuff like that, because it’s the truth. This woman owns me—body, mind, andsoul.

Her soft sigh against my chest makes me smile. I cup the back of her head, lightly playing with her thick curls as her naked boobs press against my bare torso. I fucking love being naked with this woman. We have nothing on today, and spending it in bed, watching Harry Potter for the gazillionth time (like we’re doing right now) sounds like an awesome use of our time. I wouldn’t mind going down on her again too… and whatever else that might lead to.

No clothes. No schedule. No pressure.

Pure perfection.

Skimming the pads of my fingers across her shoulders, I press my lips to her forehead and notice a slight tension in her muscles. I start to knead her neck, and she sighs again, her moan soft and pleasurable.

“Want a massage, boo? Here, lie down.”

“No, I’m okay. This is good,” she murmurs, draping her arm across my waist. Her sapphire ring glints in the light, and I smile, brushing my thumb over it before looking back at the screen.

Harry casts a spell on Snape, who goes flying back and crashes into an old bed. Ron and Hermione are horrified, and all I can think about is why my woman isn’t feeling as relaxed as I am.

I rest my cheek against her forehead. “You tired from last night?”

“Yeah.” She yawns. “It all worked out in the end. Thank God. When we had to go to the hospital, I was like ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’ Poor Caroline. Poor Bax and Tammy. I so didn’t want them missing out again.”

“I know, right?”

“But they didn’t. And all our efforts on the reception weren’t wasted either.” She looks up with a smile. “Thanks for helping me.”

“Always. We’re a team.”

Her smile turns mushy, so I peck her lips, the idea of doing more running through me. I skim my fingers down her back and am seconds away from rolling her over and covering her with my body when she lets out another sigh.

“Okay, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

I nudge her off me, spinning in the bed so I can hold her face and narrow my eyes at her.

She blinks at me, her smile coy, and I shake my head with a smirk. “If you were wearing pants right now, they’d be on fire.”

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