Page 96 of In the Dust

Wait.

“Yes?”

The floodgates have opened, and tears are cascading down her cheeks as she drops to her knees in front of me. “Ask me again.” She smiles.

“Will you marry me, Dixie May Norwood?”

“Yes, yes, yes. It will always be yes. It’s always been you, Colton.”

I can’t get the ring on her finger fast enough.

Dixie

Colton lifts his hands, gripping my face as his lips collide with mine. Our kisses are eager, as if this was our last time to ever touch again. His tongue brushes against my lips, and I open for him, letting our mouths become one.

As our breathing grows ragged, his kisses grow more sensual. His hands leave my face, gliding seductively down my body, stopping only when he reaches my belt. He slowly unbuckles it, dropping it at our feet. His hands continue down to the hem of my dress, and his mouth pulls away from mine just long enough to remove the barrier between us.

My fingers find his shirt, working each button open until I reach his jeans. I’m so full of adrenaline that my fingers begin to fail me as I fumble with the button above his zipper.

He reaches down and pops it open with one hand. “I got you.”

He smirks against my mouth as I tug his shirt off and toss it away from us while he works the clasp on my bra, discarding it moments later.

His hand moves to the small of my back, twisting us around to gently lay me down against a sea of plush pillows.

He pulls back, leaving my lips wet and swollen, resting his forehead against mine.

“Make love to me, Colton,” I say with bated breath.

He lets out a low moan as he begins to trail kisses along my jaw and down my neck. He cups me in his hands as he gingerly places his lips along the valley between my breasts.

I run my fingers through his thick hair as he travels up my body. He’s hungry for me; his eyes are flickering golden from all the lanterns as his hardened shaft slides between my legs.

As he plunges into me, I gasp with the feeling of his fullness. “Colton,” I moan his name, running my hands along his back.

I wrap my legs around him, encouraging a quicker pace. The sensation of all the love and comfort we feel when we’re one makes me arch my back in ecstasy, crying out for him as his thrusts become rhythmic.

It’s just us in our forest, where we grew up. Where we’d swim and laugh and play. And now, much older, and much deeper in love with life and trials under our belts, it makes our relationship that much more special. We will be here until we’re old and gray, where we will spend the rest of our lives swimming and laughing and playing.

“Don’t ever let me go,” I tell him, a heated twinge in my tone. My nails dig into his back as my walls clench around him, finding my euphoric release.

“Never, fucking ever,” he responds.

Our breathing is erratic as he lays his heavy body against mine, molding me to the pillows. We stay like that for a few minutes before he slowly pulls out and reaches for a blanket to cover us with. He settles down next to me with one hand behind his head and the other pulling me in close.

Colton murmurs, “I’ll love you forever.”

“Forever and a day,” I promise as I snuggle into his chest.

“Forever and three days … just in case.” He turns my way, lying on his shoulder and brushes a wild hair from my face. “I’m going to give you a beautiful life.”

A joy filled smile rises on my face. “You already have.”

We lay under the blanket of stars, watching each other more than anything else. “Do you still want two babies?” he wonders.

“Three,” I respond quickly. “A trio of them, barefoot and running around right here.” I look around the square of lanterns, imagining our home here. I know it’s going to be perfect. “Years from now, I’ll be in the kitchen here”—I gesture to the spot he told me—“making apple pies with our daughter, Georgia.”

He grins. “Good name. Any boys?”

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