Mia
The sun hits the ocean, sinking quickly into the sea. Beckett holds me in his arms and kisses my head. Only when it’s pitch black, do we get up.
We don’t say much on the ride back. When I park, lights are on inside my house.
I clutch my purse, and my pulse increases.
Beckett puts his hand on top of mine. “Mia, you okay?”
“Why are my lights on? Is someone inside?”
“Hudson put automatic timers on to help keep burglars away.”
I let out a breath. “Okay.” I open the door and step out of the car.
Boom!
Beckett and I are almost to the door when a crack of lightning comes out of nowhere, and I drop my bag on the ground. My gun flies into the bushes.
“Oh shit!” I fumble in the dark to find it but finally do. I put it back in my purse only to see Beckett shaking his head at me.
I ignore him and punch in the code for the lock as the rain starts to pour down.
He comes in behind me, takes my purse, and puts it on the table, then leads me over to the couch, and sits me on his lap. “I don’t want you carrying a gun.”
I sigh. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Mia, that could have gone off and shot you when it fell.”
“I had the safety on.”
“It doesn’t matter. It only has to fall the right way.”
“How am I supposed to protect myself, then?”
“You’ll be with me, Ryland, or Hudson if you go somewhere. You don’t have to worry about it. We will protect you.”
I straddle him, face-to-face. “It’s not realistic. I’ve spent hours at the gun range. I’m prepared.”
He furrows his brow at me. “Prepared for what?”
To kill anyone who tries to murder you or me.
“To use it if needed.”
“Mia—”
I press my lips into his, digging my knees into the couch cushion, pressing as close to him as possible. “Let’s change the subject,” I murmur.
He groans. “Mia...” But his hands move over my thighs and around to my ass.
I slide my tongue in his mouth, flicking quickly as my panties dampen from grinding on his erection.
“You’re distracting me,” he mumbles.
I softly laugh. “Do you want me to stop?” I grip his hair and circle my hips on his growing erection.
“The answer will always be no to that question,” he murmurs then fists my hair and gently tugs it back as his lips trail down my neck. His other hand skims under my panties and palms my flesh, pressing me into him.
Air fills my lungs in short bursts; my chest rises and falls faster along with his.
Beckett unfastens his pants and lifts his hips with me still on him, quickly shoving them down. “I like you in dresses,” he growls as he moves the wet material covering my sex aside and thrusts deep in me.
“Oh God,” I cry out as my body tries to accept all of him.
A deep, throaty groan escapes him and echoes in the room. He grips both my hips and thrusts my body on his girth.
The air conditioner, shut off most of the day due to the new roof, hasn’t cooled the house yet, and within seconds our clothes are covered with sweat.
Beckett removes my dress then his shirt. Our flesh scorches against the other, shimmering like diamond dust, pulsing with blood and adrenaline.
“You make up for ten years,” Beckett murmurs, his warm breath on my neck as he licks behind my ear.
I momentarily freeze. “I’ve only ever wanted you.”
He scans my eyes. “Want me forever.”
“I will.”
He smashes his lips to mine as if he needs to convince me.
There’s no persuasion needed. Beckett is my salvation from every lonely moment, sad thought, or dark time I’ve had in the last decade. He’s the light that makes me believe in the future again.
“Always,” I promise him. “Always you.”
He releases my bra and sucks on my breasts.
My body hums and quivers.
“Oh God,” I moan as his flesh that fills me goes deeper, thrusting into me faster, hitting me in a place I never knew I had before him.
“You feel perfect...so perfect,” he says against the O of my lips.
“Oh...Beck...oh...oh...oh,” I cry out as I soar into a tidal wave of euphoria, heat sweeping through my cells, crashing into his climax as he starts pumping into me hard, expanding my walls, taking me higher into my trembling state.
I collapse onto the top of his shoulder, tasting the salt of his skin as his arms wrap tight around me, and we continue to oscillate against the other.
A car alarm goes off in the distance, the rain pounds on the new roof tiles, music from the house next door beats loudly, but I still hear the thumping of my heart next to Beckett’s.
As chaos blares outside, we still, catching our breath.
“I love you,” he whispers, so low I almost don’t hear him.
I slowly tilt my head up.
“I do. I’ve never loved anyone. And you don’t have to say it back. I just want you to know.” He scans my eyes nervously.
I brush my fingers on the side of his head. “I love you, too. I’ve always loved you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He kisses me, and I put everything into it, giving him my heart, trying to show him he is all I’ve ever wanted or needed.
Beckett’s phone rings. I roll off him, and he slides the phone out of his pants pocket. “It’s my mom, and I have Ryland’s phone.”
“Go ahead.” I motion for him to pick up.
“Mom, it’s Beckett. I’ve got Ryland’s phone.” He puts his arm around me and kisses me on the head. “Let me ask Mia. I’ll let you know.” Beckett hangs up.
I look at him. “Everything okay?’
“Yeah. My mom said she’s ordering pizza, and everyone is coming over for a family dinner tonight. They want us to come. You want to go?”
Family dinner. I remember those. A moment of nostalgia and sadness passes through me.
“Mia? We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
“No. Let’s go. Can I shower and change first?”
Beckett wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Can I shower with you?”
“Is that really a question?”
He cockily grins and picks me up. “Then let’s start scrubbing you down.”
We shower, I throw on another sundress, and Beckett removes another outfit from the bag Gabriella brought over earlier this morning.
He packs up his dirty clothes and slings the bag over his shoulder.
With butterflies in my stomach, I place my hand on his arm. “Hey.”
He raises his eyebrow at me.
“Why don’t you leave those here, and I’ll wash them for you. Just take the bag empty and bring more stuff over.” I bite down on my lower lip.
He bites back a smile. “Are you asking me to stay for a few days?”
I shake my head.
His face drops into a frown, and he furrows his brow. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Move in with me. If you want to,” I add quickly.
A huge grin grows on his face. “Yeah?”
“If you want.”
He wraps me in his arms. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever asked me, and I definitely want to.”
My insides do a happy dance. “Good.”
He brushes his lips over mine. “There is one thing we’re going to need to do though.”
I look at him in question. “What?”
“Grocery shop. I love my parents, but I don’t want to eat with them every night.”