Page 7 of The Almost One

“Is it even a punishment?” I’m talking to myself, but of course my wife answers.

“Not even a little bit.”

With her arms angled back and her tits on show, I straddle her chest and grab her jaw, my fingers digging into her flesh until she relents and opens that delectable mouth of hers.

“To the back of your throat, Tesoro. Less talk, more sucking.” Then I push my aching cock as far back as it’ll go, my balls slapping against her chin with every thrust. Our eyes are fixed on one another, her nostrils working overtime while her lips and tongue do a fucking fantastic job of getting me off.

“I rather like you jealous, Tesoro. You spend so much time pretending not to care that I have to admit, this is refreshing.” I push my dick so far down her throat I can hear her gagging, see her saliva gathering at the corners of her mouth. “Do you actually think I could ever leave you for another woman?” I pull out slowly, giving her the impression that I’m waiting for an answer, but instead, I push right back inside the hot cave that is currently making my balls ache with need. “You are mine, River. You have been mine since the first time I laid eyes on you. Fuck, even back then you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life. You were always meant to be mine.”

Her brows are pinched; I can tell she’s trying to figure out what the fuck I’m talking about. And goddammit, I want to tell her everything.

Maybe I should. Nathaniel is no longer a threat. Maybe, like this, she’ll be too busy to kick my ass.

Pulling out abruptly, I slide down her body and lean in to whisper my vow against her lips. “But more than anything, River Fox-Mancini… I am yours. In this lifetime and every other that follows.”

Just as my tongue breaches her open mouth, I slide my cock between her pussy lips. Somehow, we manage to fuck and make love all at once.

We grunt and sigh, cry out our pleasure withyesesandfucks. We bite and kiss and I bruise her perfect skin with my fingers and teeth.

I mark her body the way she’s marked my soul until we’re both too tired to ask unnecessary questions.

CHAPTERTHREE

RIVER

“Any messages for me, Sheryl?”

Much to Marco’s dismay, the wide-leg pant-suit has become a bit of a staple in my new wardrobe, and as I breeze into the office space, I stop in my tracks at the sight in front of me.

Both Sheryl and Lily are wearing similar dresses in a royal blue color. Exactly the same as the color of my suit. We all stare at each other for a beat before laughing stupidly hard. We look like we all called each other the night before to check what we’re wearing today, or like some kind of girl band getting ready to do a press tour.

It’s one of those moments that wouldn’t raise a smile from someone who’s not here, but for us, it’s just another reason I love my job.

“Oh, man. This shit’s funny. Like, did you guys really not know?” Lily finishes stirring cream into her coffee by the machine and glides back to her desk. She’s not in the office as much as Sheryl, but we agreed to make sure she had a comfortable desk space she could customize for when she’s here.

“Nope. No clue, but considering this is the third time in the last two months that we’ve all matched, I think it should become a thing.” I laugh as soon as I’ve spoken, clearly joking, but it is stupidly funny.

“I think this is the second most colorful thing I own, so unless you want to spend most of your time in black…” Sheryl chuckles as she clutches at the coffee in her hands, her elbows resting on her desk.

“Nah, I’m good.” I wink. We both know my wardrobe choices are wilder than the average New Yorker.

“To answer your earlier question, there are no messages. But I do have information…” Sheryl wags her brows, a clear sign she knows something she’s been dying to tell me. “Brandy finally told that client she was seeing to fuck off.”

“Good for her. I still want to see her for our meeting next week though. Can you remind her about our lunch, please?”

“Already did, boss lady. Fresh coffee pot is ready in your office too. You need to get some more sleep, babe. It’s beginning to show.”

From a random person—like a certain annoying Italian woman I can think of—this would be insulting, but Sheryl is nothing if not brutally honest. I know she’s not saying it to be a bitch, she’s looking out for me, the same as I would for her.

“I know, I haven’t been sleeping well. I’ll get there. Thanks for the coffee, Sheryl. I’m gonna go and squirrel away in there for a few hours. Get all this fun paperwork done.”

“Don’t forget to take breaks from the screen,” Sheryl calls as I walk into my office, and I smile. She’s like the office mother hen, even though it’s mostly just the two of us up here.

Closing the door behind me, I take a deep breath, inhaling the citrus scent from the diffuser on the bookshelf. It’s so strong it fills the room, and I love it every time I step in this space. My space. Citrus is supposed to calm work stress and help improve concentration, which is perfect. Petal would be proud.

My new office chair is amazing. I replaced Polly’s old one for this luxurious gray swivel chair. The cushioning is perfection and it molds to me every time I sit down, engulfing me and accepting me as one of its own. A girl’s gotta be comfortable while she’s working. This chair and the photo frame on my desk holding a picture of Ev, Petal, Kai, and me from a few years ago are the only additions I’ve made so far.

I’ll eventually make this place completely my own, but I’ve had other things on my mind.Surprisingly.

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