Chapter 40

Birthday countdown: 12 days

Since meeting her: 34 days

Company takeover: 19 days

Married: 15 days

“Easton,” she whimpers, nearly collapsing from the orgasm that’s threatening to take over.

I hold her in my arms, kissing her like tomorrow will never come.

“Am I dreaming? How? It’s a fifteen-hour flight.”

She dips down and kisses me; it’s desperate and so goddamn intense that I can’t get enough of her already. Nothing in the world matters except for this moment.

“I left yesterday after I got off the phone with you. I just … I couldn’t be away from you any longer. So, I hopped on a private jet to see you. I’ve been traveling all night for this moment. But I’ve got good and bad news.” My hands glide over her naked body, wanting to memorize every curve of her.

“Bad news first,” she whispers, writhing under my touch.

“My little pessimist,” I say, my teeth grazing her salty, sweet skin, and I lead her to the bed. I drop to my knees in front of her and place soft kisses along her inner thighs.

Her fingers thread through my hair, setting my body on fire. I meet her eyes before getting too lost in the moment.

“Our trip has been extended. I won’t be home until my birthday. Me or Weston.”

“No,” she whispers. “That’s … I don’t even know how many more days that is.”

“Twelve.”

“And the good news?” she asks.

“I’m here with you until the morning. I’m sorry,” I whisper. “Leaving caused a major shitstorm, but I don’t give a fuck, not when it comes to you.”

I kneel before her, my queen, and remove the toy from her beautifully wet pussy and devour her pre-cum.

“Mmm, fuck. You taste so damn good,” I say, gently sucking on her swollen bud.

She immediately rocks against my mouth. And I can’t deny her this, not when I’ve denied her for hours. Not when I haven’t seen her for seven torturous days.

“I want you to come for me, darling.”

“I need to,” she pleads. “You’ve teased me all day.”

I laugh against her. “For this very moment. I told you it’d be worth it.”

I give my girl two fingers, slowly sliding them inside to tickle her G-spot as she rides my mouth.

When her back arches, Lexi freezes for what feels like an eternity before her body collapses around me; the groans that release from her nearly rock me at my core.

“Let me have you,” she begs.

I don’t wait before I’m sliding down my joggers and slamming deep inside of her as her wet cunt pulses around me. I give it to her hard and slow as she pulls me down to her.

“I missed you,” I whisper into her greedy mouth.

She pants in my ear, “I missed you so much.”

Her mouth is against the softness of my neck, peppering kisses before pinching my skin between her teeth. “Mmm. Maybe I’ll mark you.”

With my fingers through her hair, I slightly tighten my grip as she sucks and licks my neck up to my ear. “I want everyone to see I belong to you,” I say.

“They know,” she says.

I give her every deep inch of my cock, and she moans out. I love hearing her pleasure, knowing I do that to her.

No matter what happens, if she’s happy, I’m fucking delighted. I was made to worship her and will do so until I take my last breath. That’s a goddamn promise.

“I finally found you,” I say as her body falls to pieces in my arms, under my touch. We fall over the edge together, spiraling and tumbling.

A few more pumps has me emptying myself deep inside her. It’s something we discussed in Fiji. She’s not convinced pregnancy is in her future but wants it to be. Giving her my baby would be the second happiest day of my life after marrying her. But even if it doesn’t happen, I’d be truly happy with our life like this, just us.

“About time.” She chuckles, kissing me.

I rub my thumb across her face and kiss her.

“I love you, Easton,” she whispers against my lips. “I love you so much.”

I lift upward, studying her eyes, still deeply connected. “Fuck, I love you too, Lexi. More than you’ll ever know. I’d have waited a lifetime for you.”

“Thankfully, love is always on time,” she whispers.

I smile, not able to wipe it from my lips.

“I’m so glad I left and came here. You’re my sunshine,” I tell her.

She lies across my chest and I run my fingers through her hair. When I look into her green eyes, I can’t believe this woman is mine. How is this possible? The odds were stacked against me.

I feel her smile against my chest, and she’s happy; I know that much is true. And, fuck, that makes me ecstatic.

“I’ll burn down the world for you. I’ll burn it to the goddamn ground without apology. Consequences be damned.”

“I hope you never change,” she says, kissing up my chest until she’s at my lips. “Husband.”

“I’m not sending divorce papers,” I confirm.

“I wouldn’t have signed them anyway,” she says, kissing me.

“Want to take a bath with me?” I ask. “Get you cleaned up.”

“Yes,” she says with a laugh. “Book boyfriend aftercare.”

“Sometimes, real boyfriends—scratch that, husbands—are better than book boyfriends.”

I stand, sliding my arms under her, and carry her to the bathroom. I set her on the tub’s edge as I turn on the water. When it’s half full, I slide in, and so does she. With her back against my chest, I wash every part of her from behind and kiss her as she tells me how much she missed me.

She turns to me. “I think, going forward, when you’re away from me and you decide to …” Her eyes slide down to my cock. “You have to let me watch.”

“Mmm. I’d fucking love that,” I tell her. “And it goes both ways?”

“Yes,” she says, popping her brow before she kisses me again.

“I’m thinking about you anyway,” I say.

“I love that for me,” she mutters.

I can see she’s grinning as her head rests back on me. My hand slides between her legs, and I wash her.

“I love that for you too,” I say as she sighs, grabbing my forearm. “So fucking needy all the time.”

“Only for you,” she whispers, her breathing already ragged.

Leaving her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I had no choice.

After being in the air for sixteen hours, I made it to the morning meeting. While I had been in New York, nothing had changed; contracts continued to be negotiated, and no agreements had been made.

I do not wish my life away, but I want the days to pass quicker. It feels like a repetitive nightmare that never ends.

Each day, I’m forced to be “on” in a crowded room of a hundred people for eight to ten hours. Weston does most of the talking; he’s articulate, and he clearly communicates, and I welcome it because he’s the master of schmoozing. My magic happens when we go in for the deal.

While I’m here, I’m quiet; the only person I want to speak to is on the other side of the world. We have a six-hour time difference, and we’ve made it work, even if we’re both exhausted, counting down the minutes until we’ll see each other again.

This time away has made me realize how enamored I am with my wife.

Maybe that was the point.

I text her as Weston and I drive to the mining site to conduct another walk-through with our inspectors and geologists.

It’s almost nine in the morning in New York. She should just be waking up.

EASTON

Thinking about you, pretty girl. Have a beautiful day.

Her text bubble pops up before I lock the screen.

MY WIFE

Perfect timing. I was about to FaceTime you.

MY WIFE

🍑

EASTON

Give me ten minutes.

MY WIFE

Text me when you’re ready for the show. But hurry.

I try not to smirk, but it’s impossible when she sends me a picture of herself lying in bed, covering her perky nipples with her arm. Her eyes are closed, and she’s smiling, almost shy. I know better. She’s as cute as a tiger and ferocious as one too.

My brother shakes his head and rolls his eyes. I’m sure I’m as annoying to be around as he was when he first met Lena. He’s intolerable when he’s in love. Apparently, I am too.

“What’s up with you?” I finally ask.

Since we arrived, he’s been in a mood. You’d think we traded places, which is unusual. There is no good cop or bad cop in this acquisition. We’re both bad, and we take no shit from anyone.

“I’m ready to return to the city,” he admits, checking his watch before he moves his attention outside.

The sun is out, and giant clouds float in the light-blue sky.

“Not enjoying my company?”

My brother has always had fun during our travels, for work or not.

“No, I’ve missed meeting up with someone.”

“A woman?”

“No one,” he says, meeting my eyes, which is a mistake. I can read him better than anyone.

“You’re lying,” I say nonchalantly.

“I see a lot of women, Easton.”

“You’re the one who said you missed someone. It’s not the meeting you miss; it’s the person,” I tell him. “So, who is it?”

I lock my phone and shove it in my pocket, interlocking my fingers as I give him my attention.

“Drop it,” he states, keeping his focus out the window.

I chuckle. “Interesting.”

The silence draws on for a few minutes.

“I’ll eventually find out who it is,” I confirm. “But I’ll let it be your secret for now.”