Authors: Gina Watson
Wow
. Who would have ever thought he could be so poetic…so romantic? His image before her blurred as a tear escaped her eye. “I want that too—forever.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Kleenex. He wrestled with the tissue, dropping the Kleenex, revealing what was left behind.
“I want to marry you. I want to build a life together, but I don’t have money for a wedding, a ring, a honeymoon.” He sighed and stared at the ring in his hand. “It’s very hard for me to relinquish my desire to be your provider. I want to clothe, feed, and dress you. I want to give you shelter. And I can, but not the way you are accustomed to. I don’t even have room enough in my house for four. The only thing I know for certain is that I have to be with you. I don’t expect you to be as crazy as me, but”—he chuckled nervously, his crooked smile melting her hurt and heart—“if you want to try to make something lasting with me, I’d love you for as long as you’d let me.”
She closed her hand over his as they clasped the ring. Reaching her lips to his she said, “I love you.” She pressed her mouth to his, kissing him gently. She straightened and found his eyes, “I won’t
try
to make something with you, I
will.
Will you do something for me?”
“I would do anything for you, you know that.”
She nodded. “I’m glad to hear you say that because I want you to speak with your dad.” She was prepared to convince him to fulfill her request.
“I will. I already spoke to Jess about her father, and I’ll do the same when I next see Riley.”
She felt a sliver of relief take hold. “You spoke to Jess already?”
“I did. She deserved to know, and she reacted exactly as you predicted.” Still in a squatting position he leaned in and kissed her temple. “Is this how our relationship is going to go…you’re always right and I’m left worshipping you?”
“Mmm, I hope so,” she whispered as he pressed his lips to hers.
“Me too.” He nuzzled her bare shoulder, his left hand massaging the bare skin of her back. He was lost in her, but she wanted to hear him ask her the question.
She looked down at the ring in his hand. “Did you have something you wanted to ask me?”
He smiled dreamily, lost in their glow. “Hmm…oh! You distracted me.”
“I did no such thing.”
“Okay…your lack of clothing distracted me.” Shifting to bended knee he pinched the ring in his fingers. “Courtney Marie David, will you marry me?”
“Yes, Sawyer. I would love to be your wife.” He slid the ring on her finger.
“Courtney Marie Murphy has a nice ring to it.” He kissed her finger where he placed the ring. “It’s the same color as your eyes. It belonged to my grandmother.”
An antique silver ring was placed on her finger. The setting was round and held a large deep-blue sapphire “I love this ring.” A traditional engagement ring it was not, but the meaning behind it was greater than any expensive diamond ring he could have bought. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’ll get you something traditional to go with it, I promise.”
She grasped his hands. Looking into his eyes she said, “Please don’t. I love this ring. I would rather have something meaningful than a new, costly diamond ring that’s unloved and meaningless.” She held her left hand in the air before her and admired her ring. Her ring had substance, it had heart.
“It’s not traditional.”
“
We’re
not traditional.”
“I love you.”
She turned at the waist and into his hold, sliding from the chair and into his arms. Strong, he stood and carried her through the living room, down the hall, and into the bedroom.
He set her gently on the bed and removed his jacket. He removed her heels, kissing the instep of each foot. He unhooked her black dress slacks and kissed below her navel. Pulling the material slowly down, he kissed the tops of her knees and her legs until he’d removed the trousers completely. She loved his slow, reverent pace. He was in fact worshipping her, but her hands and lips desired to do the same to him.
She sat on the edge of the bed as he now stood between her legs. Tugging his shirt free of his slacks, she started on the buttons, treating each one with delicate devotion. He too was someone to be adored and she wanted him to feel loved. Once she had his shirt off she unbuttoned his slacks. “Take off your shoes and socks.” He smiled and complied while she moved to stand on her knees. She pulled her top off and now they both simmered at one another in nothing but their underwear.
He stood just out of her reach and she hooked her index finger and gestured for him to walk in close. She placed her palms flat on his chest, memorizing the dips and peaks. Then she rested her hand over his heart and concentrated on the strong thud of muscle that was his life force. “Sawyer, I love you.” She leaned in and kissed where her palm had rested.
His hands held her cheeks as he leaned in and took her lips. The kiss sweetly lingered, both of their lips massaging…anxious but waiting for the promise of love to come. Slowly their kiss progressed from love into passion as they deeply explored one another. When she lightly sucked on his tongue he sighed, his hands kneading at the swell of her hips. Anxious, he used his hands on her hips to guide her down onto her back while he rested over her. He giggled and his eyes lazily closed.
“What is it?”
His eyes opened and it was the first time she ever saw him truly vulnerable. “I made eggs benedict—from scratch—which was no easy task considering the single countertop burner and toaster oven in my kitchen.” He nuzzled between her breasts.
“It sounds wonderful.”
“I was panicked earlier that it was going to be cold by the time you got here.” He thrust between her legs, but even through the material of their underwear she could tell she was wet for him.
“Then I guess we better hurry up.” She scooted from beneath him and slid her panties off. He rolled to his back and linked his fingers together, resting them casually beneath his head and watched with an amused look on his face. In his relaxed position she had the length of him displayed entirely before her. The outline of his large erection drew her attention and she pounced on top of him, desperate to rid him of the trunks he wore.
He sprang free and she straddled him, desperate to feel him in every part of her. She balanced with her hands on his trim, muscular torso as she rubbed her wetness against him. “I can’t believe all of this is going to be mine forever—I’m such a lucky girl.”
He rolled his eyes and, sensing he was about to disagree with her, she pressed her finger to his lips and he nipped at it. “You hush and let me adore you.”
“
You’re
adoring
me
?”
“Oh yes.” Her voice was breathy as her hand massaged away at his shoulders and chest while his erection, wet from her arousal, slid between her thighs.
Sawyer groaned as she used her tongue to explore his tight nipples. “I think your mission is to kill me.”
Courtney shook her head, “No, I’m going to love you with my body.” On her knees, straddling him, she took him inside. She felt the slow slide of his tip breach her, and then the long glide of his impressive length as she worked to take him. It was a long way to the root of him and she felt time stand still as she held him within her core. She groaned and her body thrummed with the energy required to hold back, but she wanted this to be slow and sensual—love making.
He finally lost his reserve and his hands came down onto her hips, slamming and forcing himself into the deepest depths of her. He moaned loudly around her tight heat. “Hey, I want to establish one thing right now…when I’m on top, I’m in control.”
“I know and I want you to be, but I think you really are trying to give me a stroke.”
“Hands behind your head.”
“Yes ma’am.” He stretched his arms back behind his head, his upper body fanning out into a massive Y of muscle. She hummed and smiled her adoration. His smoldering hot look meant he knew what his powers of persuasion were when it came to her. He swelled and pulsed sharply inside of her, something she knew he could control. She cocked a brow at him. “What?”
“So innocent, Mr. Murphy.” She gave a deep thrusting wave of her hips and rounded it out with a bounce that had her undulating over his thick cock. His look quickly turned from cocky to serious. She had him in her palm and concentrated on driving him to the brink. She sought leverage by placing her palms on his chest while her hips and thighs rode him slowly and methodically. With her eyes closed she focused on feeling him everywhere. She confused his senses by occasionally using her nails on his chest. It didn’t take long—a few hypnotic hip rotations had him begging for mercy.
“Fuck! Courtney…ah God…I need to come.”
She leaned forward, kissed his lips, and then rode him hard. His roaring climax had his breath and spittle in her face and she loved that she could drive him this insane using her body. Together they floated as pleasure filled their senses beyond what was almost tolerable. Her body went limp and she rested her cheek to his chest. Sawyer’s heart drummed loudly near her ear and she smiled.
When Courtney regained use of her muscles, she kissed him sweetly and he whispered, “You’re so cruel.”
She loved their usual fast paced and gritty sex, but today was special and she’d wanted him to know just how special he was—a brother, a father, a provider, and a lover. He’d soon be a husband as well.
Epilogue
“Er…thanks, but I didn’t get you anything,” Sawyer said to Mrs. David as she handed him a large package wrapped in shiny silver paper and intricately tied with a clever red-velvet ribbon.
“Oh yes, you did. You and the girls are here and that’s the best gift you could have given me.” Courtney squeezed his upper arm tightly as she leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek.
He watched as Mrs. David bestowed many gifts on the girls. In fact, there was a mountain of gifts at his feet.
In the living room of the large stately home couples were squared off and, with the exception of her youngest sibling, everybody had a significant other. A baby fussed in Bailey’s arms, while Julian’s son sucked on a bottle in his.
“Mr. Murphy, do you have any tattoos?”
A preadolescent boy with big blue eyes and dark hair stood before him. “No, I don’t.”
He sighed, “I don’t either. My mother won’t let me get any.”
Courtney had introduced him as Ryder. He was the son of Fiona—Everett’s intended. Courtney had mentioned that her brother and Fiona had finally settled on a wedding date sometime during the upcoming summer. Next to him, Ryder continued to stare. “Riley tells me you hunt alligators.”
“I do, on occasion.”
He smiled and seemed extremely hopeful. “Is Christmas one of those occasions?”
Sawyer frowned. “No. Actually, I hunt whenever I get a phone call from someone because there’s a gator where there shouldn’t be.”
“Can I go with you?”
“Where?”
“To hunt.”
Sawyer shook his head. “I don’t really think it’s a good idea.”
“Oh, but you must take me. I know everything about hunting gators. I’ve just never actually been able to do it.”
Courtney took up the space next to him on the hearth and he was relieved. She smiled and all of his stress evaporated. “What’s going on?”
“Ryder’s begging me to take him gator hunting.”
She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “You should consider it. He’s actually quite precocious and is very much into gators. He knows all about them and he listens well. Be a good partner I’d think.”
Sawyer noticed one of the large wrapped gifts was from Ryder and his mother and father. “Tell you what kid…if it’s okay with your parents, I’ll take you. It’ll be my Christmas gift to your family. You tell them that, okay?” Ryder nodded excitedly and ran across the room, gathering his mom and dad.
Sawyer turned to Courtney and whispered, “I’m a little uncomfortable. I was unaware there would be a gift exchange and I don’t actually have anything for your family.” His palms rubbed his jeans as he waited for her response. He really didn’t want to unwrap the gifts he’d been given since he had nothing to give in return.
“But we have all of this to give out.” Courtney slid four large bags of wrapped gifts across the floor and between them. “Why don’t you play Santa Claus and hand them out?” She pulled one from a bag. “This is to Everett, from us.” She placed the gift on his lap and pulled another from the bag. “Oh, and this is a beautiful journal I found at the gift shop across from my office. It’s for Fiona.” She kept pulling packages from bags. All of them had a label indicating they were from Courtney and Sawyer, and the girls. She’d drawn two hearts after his name on each of the labels.
“I had no idea you’d purchased and wrapped all of this.”
“I’m a big giver, but I suck at planning ahead. I had the girls on an assembly line yesterday while you were at work. We wrapped and taped, and Jess was on bow duty. Is that cool?”
Relieved, he leaned back against the brick. “Yes, it’s very cool.” He closed his eyes and smiled, knowing she’d have his back for the years to come. He was going to love sharing his life with her.
“Hey”—she pulled a small square box from her sweater pocket. “This one is from me to you.”
He unwrapped the box to reveal a shiny black lacquer case with a lid. Cracking the top, five square sapphires spread evenly in a silver ring winked at him. Even with the jewels the ring had a rugged, brushed masculinity. His eyes swept to Courtney’s—the blue of hers matching the blue jewels on the ring. “A ring.”
“Well yes, a ring. I saw it and thought it the perfect counterpart to mine.” She lovingly admired his grandmother’s ring that graced her slim, dainty finger. “Now we have our rings and are one step closer to selecting a wedding date.”
“I love it. Can I wear it?”
She snatched the box, pulling the ring from the container. “Of course. Give me your hand.” She slid the cold steel onto his finger and he wanted more than anything to marry her, but they had to wait until he saved up a little bit more. He was determined to pay for their wedding. “With this ring, I thee wed.” Dreamily she stared down at the ring on his hand. “I love you, Sawyer.” She kissed his cheek.
He wanted to tell her back how much he cared for her, adored and cherished her, but knew if he did he’d cry, so he squeezed her into his side, her silent gaze letting him know she understood his gesture. With all of the Christmas hoopla going on around them he wondered at their ability to freeze within the moment. He knew as long as they could find one another, they would be able to find their stability amidst the chaos of the world.
“I uh…I sort of made your gift. It’s in the back of my truck. Do you want me to bring it in?”
She smiled, her eyes lit with excitement. “Yes, please.”
He enlisted the aid of Ryder and Everett and they followed him out to the truck.
“So Ryder tells me you’ve agreed to take him gator hunting.” Everett was impeccably dressed in a suit. Sawyer wondered if he wore suits during all holiday gatherings or just Christmas. He had to admit Everett looked nice, and Sawyer thought he’d wear his suit the next time he was able to take Courtney out for dinner. “Yeah, I told him to run it by you guys first.”
“We are totally fine with it. I think it’s great you’re willing to take him.”
“Have you ever been to Later Gator’s?” Ryder asked.
“No, can’t say I have.”
Ryder’s eyes grew large as he looked between Everett and Sawyer. “You should come with us when we go and bring Riley and Jess. You get to feed the gators. It’s awesome!”
“Sounds interesting.”
“The food’s complete rubbish, but the kids love it,” Everett added.
Sawyer hopped in the back of his truck. “Everett, I know you’re in a suit so if you can’t manage it I’ll just have Court come out here to get a look at it.”
“I’ll give it a shot. What have you got?”
They carried the vanity and chair, setting it up in the kitchen. Sawyer had made the pieces of furniture in secret, keeping it from Courtney so that she’d be surprised. He hadn’t known what to get someone who had everything money could buy, but the idea had come to him when he realized she needed a place to keep her makeup at his house…their house.
“I’ll be getting hot chocolates all around.” Courtney’s voice carried into the kitchen, arriving before she did. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and then she immediately eyed the vanity. He hadn’t been ready for her to view it. He’d hoped to stage it with the chair and the mirror that currently leaned against his leg.
They were now alone in the kitchen when she gasped, her hand grasping her chest. “Is that a vanity?”
“It is…well it’s uh…this mirror goes with it.” He opened the tri-fold mirror and walked over to the piece of furniture that sat in the middle of the kitchen breakfast area. Attaching it he said, “I made this for you. I know there isn’t much room at our home, but I thought this would be nice to accommodate your perfume and makeup. I’m going to get us into a larger house one day”—
“Stop it!” Her index fingers pressed hard against his lips.
“Do you mind? I’m going to drop the mirror.”
“Will you stop talking about moving?”
Frustrated, he lowered the mirror, leaning it against his legs. “I don’t know why you insist on staying in my tiny house. Your clothes will not begin to fit in my closet.”
“I already told you…I don’t need all of that. I’m downsizing.” She nodded once and pushed her chest out in a proud gesture. “God Sawyer, I love that house. The thought of leaving it makes me very sad.” She was sincere, but he couldn’t figure out why. She’d spent her life surrounded by the grandest things…the biggest southern mansions. Her eyes took in the square footage in the kitchen. “I love my childhood home. I have many memories here. Good and sweet memories, but not like the memories you’ve given me.”
He frowned, not liking where this conversation was headed. “What kind of memories does my place give you?”
“The best kind.” She walked up to him and spoke softly. “You make me a woman. Not a socialite, not Britton David’s daughter, not a seafood heiress, but a desired woman. I can forget about all the bullshit and just exist with you and Jess and Riley in our home. Please don’t take that away from me.”
Her big, pleading pools killed him. He’d never be able to deny her anything she wanted. Hopefully she wouldn’t learn to use those beauties against him. “I won’t take that away from you. We will—the four of us and one dog—live in just under eleven hundred square feet of space.”
“We will and it’ll be great!” She skipped to the vanity. “So put the mirror on already.”
“Well I was trying, but somebody interrupted me.”
“It’s beautiful, Sawyer. I can’t believe you made this.” Her hands were flat against the blue velvet cushion he’d used to cover the delicate wooden chair.
He walked over to her. “So you like it then?”
She stood and laced her hands around his neck. “I’ll cherish it forever.” Her kiss on his lips grounded him…he wondered at his ability to carry on as long as he had without her. Now that he’d found her, he’d never be able to live without her energy. He knew his body would forever pull toward hers.
Looking into his eyes she said, “I want to ask you for another gift.”
He giggled, amused at her scheming. “Okay.”
“I want to get married here…in the backyard. It’s beautiful and large enough to accommodate our family and a few friends. I want it to be simple.” She spoke fast, barely coming up for air. “The last wedding I had planned was a huge affair and…well, you know how that ended. We actually have tables, chairs, tents, lights, and decorations in the barn. I’ll wear a simple but beautiful dress and you’ll wear your suit. David Seafood can cater and we’ll spend the evening with people we love, celebrating our union.” She fussed with the few buttons on his shirt collar, before looking deeply into his eyes. “That’s it. That’s what I want.”
“It sounds perfect.”
Bouncing where she stood, she gripped the material of his shirt in her hands and brought his forehead down to hers. “You’ve made me so happy, but there is one more thing…”
At her enthusiasm, he chuckled once again. “Yes?” he said through smiling lips.
“I want to do it all next month.”
He froze. Next month was a crazy timeline.
What was the rush?
“Next month?”
“Yes.” With his forehead still on hers she pressed into him, shaking her head. “I know it’s crazy, but I just feel a deep pulling need to be yours…completely. I don’t want to wait.”
When she put it that way he quite agreed. He didn’t want to wait either. In fact, call him old fashioned, but he didn’t like the thought of her living with him without first being married. However, now that he’d found her, he was unwilling to fall asleep without her beside him every night.