Page 84 of Anorthic Anarchy

He grabs our bags and shakes a finger at me, warning me to stay put. Skirting around the vehicle, he opens my door and helps me to my feet.

As we walk up the stairs to the front door, he pulls me back and sets down the plastic containers. I’m stunned to silence when he gets on one knee and places his fingers around my ring.

“Astrid Lynx, life isn’t worth living without you in it. I love you. Will you marry me?”

All the anger I held against him vanishes. “I’d marry you every day if I could, Vincente.”

He smiles and stands, wrapping his arms tightly around me and gathering my lips into his. “Please keep calling me that, but otherwise, I’m Phoenix now. It’s what they know me as. And what our son will know me as. Vladimir Vincente Strauss is no more.” Tucking locks of my blonde hair behind my ear, he lets his finger trail over my heated cheek. “Barrington is no more. We’ll make up whatever last name you want. Lynx? So be it. But this is a fresh start. Together.”

“Together,” I whisper.

“And after I make love to you in our new house and we eat the local fare, I’m taking you to the Crystal Maiden. Okay?”

It’s then I realize how in love with the man that I am. The power of the emotion barrels through every ounce of my being as I press my lips to his cheek. “Okay.”

He swings me up into his arms and carries me across the threshold of our new life.

The humble home has been set up already with furniture and, despite being barely decorated, it’s cozy. “H-have you been living here?” I ask, while he escorts me to the bedroom.

His eyes crinkle with a bright smile. “Yeah. Been here since you bought the place as Mr. Lynx, your husband. Made some friends. Got things settled. And I kept my eyes on you.”

My brow scrunches, still in a state of shock and awe. “How?”

“Through the cameras in the house. Your new phone… And through a friend’s help.”

I plant my feet on the threshold of the second bedroom, forcing him to stop. “Whatfriend?” My chest hurts thinking of him with another woman.

“I appreciate your jealousy, but there’s only one woman for me. Cal Von Dovish helped me. He and his wife are the only people, other than you, who know I’m alive. And it’s best to keep it that way.” It makes sense that Cal would do something like that. He’s known this whole time and didn’t tell me. If I weren’t so ecstatic to have the love of my life with me, I think I’d have to secretly feed the traitor some steak.

Setting me on my feet, he opens the door with a flourish and tears rush to my eyes. It’s already been transformed into a beautiful nursery. Blue striped wallpaper covers the walls and a white wooden crib topped with a handcrafted mobile adorns the corner. A soft rocking chair sits ready for night nursing sessions. Children’s books and hand-crafted toys line a tall shelf near the window covered in blue curtains.

“You like?” His hands gently massage my shoulders as I weep with joy at the sight of our baby’s room.

“Vincente… It’sblue.”

His eyes scan the room, as if this is very evident. “Yeah, for our son.”

A giggle bubbles past my lips as I turn and face him, thrusting my arms around his waist in a tight squeeze. “I love you. And ourdaughterwill have to learn to love blue.”

His lips press into the top of my head as he chuckles. “I’ll take you to our room.” The warmth of his palm brings me back to reality when he grips my hand. He’s truly here with me. It feels like I’m living in Heaven.

Even more so when he opens the double doors to the main bedroom, decorated in traditional tropical style with cherry wood carved furniture broken up by palm tree branches and bold red flowers as simple bursts of color. The bed has a wispy white netting draped around its canopy and louvered windows above it.

It’s safe and comforting when he wraps his taut arms around my waist. I close my eyes to memorize the feeling, one I never thought I’d experience again.

When I face him, I study his countenance, letting the reality of his presence sink in. “Never leave me again.”

His soft lips brush across my cheek as they aim for my ear. “Never.”

My nails dig into his neck so I can jump into his hold, and he carries me to the bed, laying me gently on my back while climbing over me. A deep growl rumbles from his chest as his fingers work down to my pants. “Jeans again, huh? That needs to change. I can’t get at your pussy when I want.”

With a smug smile, I give him what he wants to hear. “Yes, master.” ButIknow I’ll be wearing whatever the hell I want from now on.

While he sits on my thighs and rips off his shirt, I unbutton his shorts and help him tug them down, releasing his girthy cock. “I missed this,” I say, wrapping my hand around it and giving it a pull.

“Fuck, I have to get inside you.” His length throbs in my hand as the crown turns red, the veins along the sides bulging with blood.

I slide off my own clothes as he slots himself between my open legs, then dips his tip inside my wet lips once, twice…plunging as I lose my breath at the stretch of him. “That’s my good girl. I’m never leaving this pussy again. Better get used to me being right here inside you, all day and night.”

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