Page 19 of Learning Curve

“You in my bed wearing nothing but this ring,” I say as I move the promise ring to her right hand and replace it with the engagement version before getting us to our feet, “will convince me to do anything.”

**Willa**

“Say something,” I urge as Austin does nothing but stand there, staring at me.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers. “I can’t believe you’re mine. That you’re even letting me breathe the same air as you after what you learned.”

Raising my arms, I beckon him closer. “None of that now. We’ve moved on and I refuse to let it ruin anything. You did what you had to and it’s because you did that I’m here. Alive.”

“I wanted to wait until we were married to take you, both of us losing our virginities after pledging our lives together.”

“Does it count that in my heart you’re already my husband?” Instead of answering, Austin shucks off his clothes and covers me, my legs wrapping around his waist and squeezing.

“Baby, I promise, I’m not stopping this time.” With that, I release him, knowing he means it. His mouth goes to my neck and he starts nibbling, the slight pinch making me wetter between my legs. My body is preparing me for his entrance, knowing neither of us will ever be the same once we take this step. His mouth leaves that area, going to my nipples and spending ample time becoming acquainted with them. I’m a writhing mess as he places a last kiss on each before sliding down, his thumbs on either side of my pussy now, holding me open for his eyes.

The feeling of his tongue licking through my folds and lapping at my clit is nothing like I imagined. It’s ten times better. Austin works me over, sucking on a lip as a finger slips inside me. He easily reaches that spot and surpasses my expectations as I shatter with pleasure, calling his name as he slowly eases back before withdrawing and placing his hard cock there instead.

“I’m clean,” I tell him, knowing he is, too, as neither of us have done anything with another. “And I’m protected.” I don’t go into further detail right now, though I can tell him later my mom put me on the pill years ago to regulate my monthly cycle.

“So am I, Willa. It’s only you. It’ll only ever be you.” Then he thrusts forward and makes us both whole. What follows is a fast lovemaking session, neither of us willing to prolong achieving release. We have decades to experience this with each other and our first time is special because that’s exactly what it is…our first. Reaching to clasp our hands, he uses them as leverage to propel himself deeper, hitting parts of me I didn’t know existed. “One day, Willa, when we’re both ready, I’m going to put my baby in you. You’ll take every drop of my seed, not wanting any to escape as it could be the one that helps create our child, but until then, I’m gonna enjoy the fuck outta practicing.” Then he tenses just as I clench, holding still as he coats my walls, the slight warmth setting off a mini-climax within me. Much later, after we’re almost too tired to sleep, he settles me on top of him, his arms wrapping around me, my left hand resting on his heart, he informs me, “There’s no waiting period to get married in this state.”

Epilogue One

Willa

Five years after meeting…

“Little one,” my husband of almost five years whispers in my ear, “you know you’re supposed to be resting. Doctor’s orders.”

“There is not an MD after your name,” I tell him with a laugh.

“Don’t sass me,” he warns, which makes me want to. And he knows it.

Since discovering we were pregnant with our first, a girl, he has been almost relentless in his pursuit to make sure I neither lift a finger nor walk with my own two feet. I act frustrated with his over the top protectiveness, but I love it.

The morning following graduation, we’d gone to my house and he stepped into the office with my dad. When they’d exited an hour later, they’d both been smiling. After that, we’d started planning the wedding, Austin putting his foot down that it take place by the end of the month.

With two days to spare, we’d said our ‘I dos,’ officially moved me in to his house. That might seem a little weird considering we’d already had sex, and had continued to do so, but he wanted to respect my parents by returning me to them every night.

He’d explained his reasoning, saying, “The second we take our vows, they lose the little girl they created and acknowledge she’s officially a woman and starting her own family. From that moment on, you’re mine and they’ll never get those years back while we have decades of them to look forward to.”

My parents already loved him, but when I let them know I was staying under their roof until we were married…they both cried, admitting that while they were happy for us, it was bittersweet because of what it symbolized.

Upon learning we were expecting, they began redecorating one of the guest rooms, stating they needed a nursery for when he or she slept over. As overboard as they will more than likely go in terms of spoiling our daughter, the members of Bastion Defense might be worse. Individually, not combined. I’ve gotten to know them through Austin – Anders never accepted his resignation, for which Austin was thankful – and have grown close to all of them. They’re family. The scope of missions he accepts has changed, Austin refusing any that would require him to not come home at night, and he let Anders know that from then on, all parties would know he was there in bodyguard capacity.

I know he’s been missing his mom more since my positive test, wishing she was here to be a part of this, and I do, too. He and I intend to tell all the children we have about her, wanting them to know her even though they’ll never get to meet her.

We held off on trying to conceive as I wanted to attend college and graduate, then get my foot in the door career wise. I’d chosen to pursue a degree in software development, eventually creating a program that was initially a brainchild of Anders.

Since then, I’ve been working for Bastion, helping to maintain their systems, fine-tuning others to perform better, and refining some to search for certain commonalities and discrepancies as needed when they’re on cases.

All in all, while most would consider my life to be that of a fairy tale because of who my parents are, I disagree.

It’s due to my own Prince Charming.

Epilogue Two

Austin

---