Page 116 of Puck Princess

“Which we can doafterwe give the newly engaged couple some privacy.” Lance grabs her by the shoulders, steering her to the front door. Kennedy is so busy being happy for us that she doesn’t even seem to care that Lance is touching her.

“You guys have fun,” she says as he pushes her through the door. “And congratulations!”

“Goodbye!” I wave.

“And text me!” She adds just before the door slams closed, and we hear their usual bickering commence.

Owen rolls his eyes at the two of him before he turns his attention back to me. “Where were we?”

“I think I was about to make love to my fiancéon a bed of rose petals.”

He cradles my face, tipping my mouth to his. “I think you’re exactly right.”

Owen and I kiss as he lowers us to the floor. Nothing is hurried. Every touch, every kiss is intentional. Nothing outside of us and this moment exists.

He kisses my neck and my shoulders. I was so annoyed Kennedy wouldn’t let me put on my oversized sweatshirt in the car, but I’m beyond grateful as Owen moves the straps of my red dress down to expose more of me. His mouth is hot against my skin, setting my nerves on fire.

I arch my back off the floor so he can unzip me. Once I am naked, he kisses down my chest, paying close mind to pampering each nipple with soft kisses.

He makes his way down my body, whispering “I love you” into my skin. Then he kisses the bump in my belly, cupping it in both hands. “And I love you.”

I stroke my fingers through his hair as he makes his way from hip to hip before spreading my thighs. Then he stops. Leisurely he sits back and takes me in.

I’m not sure what I look like right now, naked on a bed of rose petals, my hair a tangled mess around my head. But the wayOwen looks up at me, candlelight flickering all around us, I feel incredible.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” His words are strangled.

I smile through happy tears. “I want to see you.”

Owen stands, slipping out of his dress shoes. He undoes his tie and lets it fall to the floor before slowly unbuttoning his shirt. As he slips it off, the flames dance on his bare torso. I swallow hard, taking in every curve, every muscle, every inch of this incredible man above me.

As he unzips his slacks and lets them fall to the ground, he’s already hard inside his boxer briefs. My thighs tense in anticipation.

Owen tosses the rest of his clothes aside and lowers to his hands and knees, hovering over me. He presses a soft kiss between my thighs. It’s just a flutter of his lips, but it’s enough to send a pulse of need through me. He crawls over me, and I can’t wait. I curl my hands around his neck and bring his lips to mine. He parts my lips with his tongue, and I groan as he notches himself between my thighs and pushes in.

We both moan, our hips moving fluidly.

His head drops to my shoulder as we slide together, and I stroke my fingers along the soft hair at the back of his neck.

This is mine.

This soft mountain of a man who shreds me to pieces with the gentlest touch—he’s mine.

We make love slowly, losing all sense of time and place. It’s just the two of us, connected and falling together. When the edge nears, I strain against him, begging for more. And Owen gives me everything. He pushes deeper and presses his lips to my forehead. “I love you.”

I gasp, my body bending to meet his. “I love you too.”

And we come undone.

38

CALLIE

I never understood the phrase “walking on clouds” before. Nothing about my life has ever felt easy or ideal. Nothing came to me without some level of effort. Chaos found me more often than not. Walking under clouds? Been there, done that. But floating on them? Never.

Until now.

The weeks after the proposal roll by with little to no effort. Things at work are still stressful, what with both Santos men strolling around, sucking the joy from the air like leeches, but I can’t bring myself to care. I still need to furnish the baby’s nursery and create a registry before Kennedy loses patience and makes me one herself, but I don’t think I’d mind if Kennedy made the registry and filled it with bougie depressingly beige baby toys and organic nipple creams.

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