Page 235 of Texting Dr. Stalker

We both looked down. She and I. Millimetres from joining.

And I couldn’t do it unless she was mine.

For eternity.

I didn’t just love this woman.

I loved everything about her. Her house, her bravery, her cat, her grandparents…our shared past. I always had. Always would. And if I didn’t get a ring on her finger, I would always feel as if I was moments away from losing her. I’d always fear that thiswasa crazy wonderful dream, and one day, I would wake up and be all alone.

Notching myself inside her, I looked up and held her stare.

She moaned again. “You can’t look at me with those multicoloured eyes and not fuck me, Z.”

I suffered a full-body shiver at her new nickname for me.

I choked on two words.

This wasn’t the time or place.

This was new. This was fresh. This was fate.

“Marry me,” I whispered.

“What?” Her eyes flared wide, time screeched to a halt, the TV kept hissing, and Peng meowed somewhere on the floor.

I tensed to take the question back. To pretend I hadn’t ruined the mood, but then the TV hissed louder, and I stopped being afraid anymore. I stopped putting myself last. I fought for what I wanted, regardless of the consequences.

Cupping her cheeks, I breathed, “Marry me, Sailor Melody Rose. Exact your revenge on me every day of my life. Let me keep you, okay? Say you’re mine and—”

“But this is crazy,” she moaned, her eyes glazed with desire. “We’re not even dating.”

“We’ve been engaged since I was six and you were born. How long do you think we need to date when we’ve been betrothed for almost two decades?”

She laughed and slung her arms over my shoulders. “So you’re doing this to honour our meddling matchmaking ghosts?”

“No.” Tucking her hair behind her ears, I couldn’t tear my eyes from her kiss-glistening mouth. “I’m doing this because you told me to. You want me to fight for myself for once? Well then…” I smirked. “What Iwantis you, and if you don’t let me have you—if you don’t agree to be mine, then—”

“Z…” Grazing her mouth over mine, she made me wait in purgatory. Then she kissed me, feeding me one word in response. “Okay.”

I yanked away, my heart on fire. “Okay?”

She blushed. “Okay, I’ll…marry you.”

Her lips parted wide as I pushed forward.

We both groaned as I slid inside her, slowly, possessively, claiming her in every way possible. “You can’t take it back.” I shuddered as her hot, wet body welcomed mine, imprisoning me as hers. “To think I’ve wasted years when I could’ve been inside you.” I groaned as I thrust the final inch. “I should’ve been braver. I should’ve marched next door and claimed you the moment you were legal.”

She clung to my shoulders. “God, why didn’t you? I’ve been missing out.”

“Good question.” I kissed her softly. “Maybe I wasn’t ready. Maybe we both weren’t.”

“Are you ready now?”

My rumbling snarl had her shivering again. “Spread your legs and I’ll show you just how ready I am.”

She obeyed, relinquishing every part of herself to me.

Burrowing my face into the crook of her neck, I withdrew and drove inside her again, making the table rock. “You’re destroying me, Lori. You always have.” I rode her again, harder and harder until the kitchen filled with sounds of skin slapping and furniture creaking.

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