* * *
My currency was love and loyalty
In a market that traded in diamonds and class
* * *
I would do anything to convince her
That she might have been raised to sit on a golden throne
But she belonged on the seat of iron with a crown of steel
At my side.”
* * *
I was crying, my entire body moving like the sea with the force of my tremors, but I blinked away the wet so I wouldn’t miss a moment of seeing King’s handsome face broke open with love for me.
“Cress, you’ve been my teacher, my lover, my best friend, and my Old Lady. Now, I’m askin’ you with everything I am to be my wife and Queen.”
Words drowned in the tidal wave of emotion swamping my belly and throat. I felt almost sick with love, every particle and atom infected with absolute adoration. Dizzying, crying, swooning, I could only cling closer to the strong, beautiful body against me and breathe in the laundry clean, fresh cut grass scent of him.
His hand found the back of my neck in that familiar possessive hold that anchored me to him, and his hot breath wafted over my ear as he burrowed his nose in my hair. “Takin’ that as a yes, Cress, babe.”
I pulled my face out of his neck, tears streaming, cheeks flushed, hair tangled by the ocean breeze, as raw on the outside as I was internally. My hands framed his face, those strong planes, cut-glass cheekbones, and plush mouth I’d been immediately seduced by, and I dragged in a steadying breath so I could say what I needed to say and say it strong.
“Not yes, King.” A smile tattooed itself between my cheeks in a way that felt permanent, as if the happiness of this moment would be worn on my face for eternity. “Fuck yeah.”
I watched the light bright through the crust of his tundra blue eyes, absorbed the way they crinkled at the corners, how his pale pink mouth bloomed open into a smile that took my breath away, and then he was tipping his head back to the sky the way he did, throat strong and brown as it moved with his delighted laughter.
He crushed me closer, his humour moving through me as profoundly as his proposal, and then he yelled, “Fuck yeah!” to the sky as if thanking God for shunning us from Eden so we could find this slice of our heaven on earth together.
“Gonna be my wife,” he growled possessively, fisting that hand on my neck and tugging so I was pinned for his mouth to devour and feast at, slow, intense sweeps of his tongue against mine that left me boneless.
My hands curled in his kinky, silken mass of hair, and I held on tight, along for the ride, always ready to follow King into whatever adventure moved his rebel soul.
I’d been proposed to before, married for seven years to another man, and I’d never felt even a drop of the passion and overwhelming ardor I harboured for this young, vibrant man I was somehow lucky enough to call mine.
“I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you,” I told him, mouths brushing, tongue swiping against the lush curve of his bottom lip. “And I’ll go on loving you forever.”
“There’s no end to my love for you. It’s woven into the very fabric of my soul so even when our bodies die, we’ll still never stop lovin’.”
King captured my sob between his lips and kissed me savagely, as if the ruthlessness of our love could eradicate any doubts or any obstacles that might ever cross our path. I tugged him closer still and moaned when he laid me gently on my back to press his weight between my legs. He propped himself up on a bulging forearm and trailed his hot hand between my breasts, over my quivering belly, to dip in the well between my legs and draw wet circles over my clit.
“Gonna marry you,” he murmured, eyes glazed with desire as if he was memorized by the sight of me naked and laid out for him. “Gonna marry my girl, and then I’m going to plant my babies in you.”
I moaned, neck arching as he pressed two fingers inside me, preparing me for the large cock lying hard and hot against my thigh.
“Yes,” I hissed, clutching his iron shoulders, writhing against his hand. “God, King, please.”
“Please what?” he teased cruelly, dipping down to press scalding, openmouthed kisses to my breasts. “What does my woman need?”
“You, inside me,” I begged. Tugging at his big belt buckle, I dived beneath to undo his fly just enough so I could shove my hand down his pants, palm his dick, and give it a hard squeeze that made him groan.
He moved over me, not taking off his jeans, just tugging out his mouth-watering dick so I could watch as he slotted against my damp center. He braced his forearms on either side of my head and played his fingers over my hair, just resting at my center, his eyes fired with love so tangible that my breath caught in my throat.