Page 73 of Make You Mine

“I love you, too. So much,” she says, voice thick with emotion before arching up to kiss my lips. This kiss is different than all the ones before; it’s the start of a new beginning. Of our family, and as I pump my hips slowly, another warm thought comes to mind.

I’m not waiting another second to start this next stage ofus.

Not when I can fly us to Vegas tonight and make her fully mine.

Not when I can fall asleep tonight with her as my wife.

“How do you feel about getting?—”

“Yes,” she moans out, eyes rolling back when I tilt my hips, changing the angle of my thrust. “I don’t want to wait either.”

“Tonight.” That’s all I say before getting lost in my fiancée’s touch. In her scent. Her love.

Because the next time I take her, she will bear my name.

She will be my wife.

EPILOGUE #2

AVA

Two Years Later...

I’m nervous.

Excited.

Scared out of my mind in the best possible way. The room around me is abuzz with people talking and eating, enjoying the fruits of my labor, and still, I can’t focus on the task at hand.

I’ve been standing at this counter for twenty minutes now, watching the door and waiting. Sure, I give an occasional smile or make small talk with those perusing the display case, but I’m on autopilot, just repeating what flavors are new, the weather, and the latest trends in tourism.

Tourism—something that when you live near water changes with each season. You go from snowbirds to internationals to convention season in the blink of an eye. We get them all, and I’ve come to love each one.

It’s made my eight months in business a challenge, yet fun. My menu changes with the seasons, too, and I’m known for theeclectic yet posh little tastes of heaven my shelves sell out of each day.

“I need three servings ofyouwith extra sugar,” a voice I’m all too familiar with whispers against my neck before placing a kiss there. His strong arms encircle my waist and pick me up, turning me toward his handsome face. “Hi.”

My smile matches his. Cheesy and goofy. “Hello, handsome. Long day?” And like every day Elijah comes in, I find myself lost in those beautiful eyes and the way his broad shoulders feel beneath my fingertips as I smooth his dress shirt.

He’s my hot detective. Mine.

And now I’m going to gladly share him with someone else for the rest of our lives. Someone that will grow and learn and know that they’re loved unconditionally by us.

“Any time away from you is hard.” He punctuates this by subtly pressing his hard length against my stomach. No one pays us any mind, especially not my staff or the regulars who know I completely belong to this wonderful man. “How are you feeling today? Have you eaten?”

“She hasn’t had lunch yet,” Margot, one of my baristas, calls over her shoulder as she walks toward the coffee machine.

“Is that right?” There’s mirth in his eyes mixed with a hint of reproach.

“Waiting on you,” I say, looking up at him from beneath my long lashes.

“Hmmm.” He gives a mock sigh, and then I’m airborne, being carried toward my office. “Let’s get you fed.”

“Aren’t we heading in the wrong direction for that?” Looking behind us, I lock eyes with his mother and smile. Outside of Elijah, she’s been my rock in the aftermath of Lyle and his obsession. Has become a second mother to me and a confidant—understands without judgment.

She held my hand during the trial and sentencing of my ex-best friend and their accomplice. They got a life sentence, and to me, that still isn’t enough. Not after how many lives were destroyed due to their sickness.

She hugged me as I fell apart due to the stress and then celebrated when it was all over.

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