Page 75 of Lead Me Knot

I tilt my neck, opening for him. “I don’t want this to end, but that’s not why we agreed to get married.”

His mouth stills, and then he looks back at me. “Nothing must be defined tonight. We can have one night.”

He’s not wrong. One night of living the fantasy won’t do any harm. It’s tonight, and then we’re back to our normal lives.Heart intact.“One night.”

Remember that, Lauralee, I silently warn myself.

And then I remember we have the Hamptons tomorrow. Okay, so it’s a few nights, but I deserve this. I deserve this man and the way he looks at me like he’s starving and I’m the main course.

We’ve been pure chemistry and sexual attraction since the night of the storm. It’s so easy to fall back on the familiarity of our physical connection, to distract from other matters and beating organs that demand to be heard when my heart is on the line. I kiss him.

He lifts me off my feet with our mouths still attached. Maybe the physical is where he finds comfort as well because he starts down the hall to his bedroom. When he sets me down, we stand face-to-face as husband and wife. The sounds of the city become a distant memory. All I hear is our breathing as time slows for us to catch up.

I almost hate to take this dress off. It’s so pretty and makes me feel even more so, but I turn around, dropping my head, and ask, “Will you unzip me?”

His hand drags down my spine until he reaches the fabric. I close my eyes when his lips press to my back, followed by the sound of the zipper reaching my ears. My ribs fully expand again, and I take a deep breath as the fabric falls open.

He says, “Bend over the bed, baby.”

I thought we’d make love, looking into each other’s eyes, so I’m disappointed by the request. Moving to the mattress, I lean down and rest the weight of my body on my forearms.

Baylor stands behind me, dipping to remove one shoe and then the other before sliding his hands under the skirt of my dress and up the side of my thighs. He asks, “What did you wear for me on our wedding night?” His tone has an edge to it, more jagged with each word spoken. He flips my skirt over my back, and the cool air breezes over my exposed ass. “Beautiful.”

The thong doesn’t have much fabric to it, but I knew he’d approve when he saw it. Just a strip of white lace that he slides his finger under, angling them through my lower lips. He doesn’t need to tease or taunt. I’m already wet for him.

Keeping my eyes closed, I rest my head on the bed. The anticipation twists in my belly as the feel of hands on me and the sound of him moving closer already has me so worked up that I could come. He bites my ass, not enough to hurt or break skin but to let me know he’s here. “Do you know how incredible you look like this, Lauralee?” He leans over my back and trails kisses between my shoulder blades and up, before reaching the shell of my ear and licking the curve of it. His fingers dip into my entrance. “I’m going to fuck you so hard, baby. But first, I’m going to make you come.”

“God yes,” I beg on an exhaled breath.

He toys with my clit and slips back to my entrance. “How does that feel?”

“I want . . . Ah—” He buries his digits deep inside me, causing my body to react by moving against him.

“What do you want? Tell me.”

“I want to come, and then I want you to come inside me.”

His breath covers my ear, and when I peek my eyes open, a smile crosses his face. “I want that, too.” He picks up his pace, fucking me with his fingers and teasing my clit until my body submits, crashing down onto the bed and falling apart for him.

I try to catch my breath as he slides my panties down my legs and starts to undress. When he’s naked, I push myself up, standing before him, and let my dress slide down my arms and puddle on the floor.

My breath is still uneven, but I know one thing. This time, I want to see him. I move to the side of the bed and then climb to the middle to position myself and fully embrace whatever he wants to give.

The bed dips but stops before climbing on, looking me over once and then again. His swallow is harsh, his Adam’s apple bobbing as if I’ve left him breathless. When he finally covers me, I butterfly my legs, welcoming him into my fold.

Pushing into me, he doesn’t stop until he’s seated deeply within. Our eyes stare into each other’s, our breathing mingling, and our body bonded. But it’s the emotional connection I have with him that intensifies. Not because we’ve had sex but because I love him, and he loves me. That changes everything.

I’ll greet the heartbreak with open arms if I can just hold on to this feeling a little while longer. A deal with the devil is struck, and he leans down to kiss me. A groan of pleasure rumbles from his chest to exchange through our breath as he moves, slow at first but then faster and harder.

I hold him, turning my head to rest above his shoulder, which taps my chin every time he pushes in again. We become a blur of bodies and breath, moans, and whispered adorations from his lips to my ear. It’s all so much all at once—the heart, the mind, the beats, the breaths, and coil springing free when he hits just the right spot again and again.

My mind goes blank, my body moving on instinct. And when I call out his name as I tip over the edge into my own release, he follows. Gritting his teeth, he pumps into me erratically, my name a swear on his lips. “Lauralee.Fuck.”

We still as much as our breathing allows. My mind is calm, and my body is at peace. I wrap my arms around him as much as I can and lift my head to place a kiss on his neck. “Guess what?” I whisper.

He lifts like it’s a struggle, but I can see the start of the smile that wants to reveal itself. “What?”

I can’t hide mine, though. “We tied the knot.”

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