I sit straighter and look at him questioningly. “What’s that?”
“Promise me that when something is wrong, you don’t walk away anymore, but come to me. I will always be there for you, whatever you tell me. I want you to know, Valérie that I want you to stay with me forever.”
“What about my job? You’re on tour, and I’m here, how are we going to do that?”
He kisses me gently and then looks at me. “We’ll find a way, Valérie. But I’m sure I can’t live without you anymore. So promise it to me.”
“I promise.”
He pulls me against him and kisses me hard this time. All the emotions of the past day are released in our kiss.
“MAX, DON’T STOP,” I scream.
When Max came to get me at my apartment this afternoon, I didn’t expect him to take me back immediately. But he did. He just told me to say goodbye to Ines and then took my hand and led me to his car.
As soon as we entered the room here, he took my clothes off and now I am lying here, naked on the bed with Max’s head between my legs. His tongue does the most heavenly things with that part of my body, and I’m not far from a climax that will take over my entire body.
Max’s tongue keeps licking and rubbing my clit, and he pushes a finger inside of me, and the fireworks go off. I shout, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the whole hotel can hear it. But at the moment, that’s the last thing on my mind. Max keeps rubbing me and just when I think I can’t take it anymore, he pushes another finger inside of me, so my body is immediately on edge again.
“Max, I can’t take it anymore.”
“Of course, you can. Give me what I want, Valérie.”
He removes his fingers and wanders farther down. His finger pushes against my butthole, and I immediately tighten all my muscles. Never before has anyone touched me there; only he. When he gently pushes again, I gasp for breath.
“Relax, Valérie. I would never hurt you. Believe me; you’re going to enjoy this. I will always take care of you.”
He says it like it’s all so easy. But I do what he asks and try to relax. That’s when I feel it; his finger slowly disappears into me. It feels so good and at the same time so wrong. At that moment he sucks my clit hard between his lips and a second orgasm rushes through me. When I come back to myself, I open my eyes and see that Max is studying me carefully.
“That was amazing. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Max.”
He comes to lie on top of me, and I feel his erection gently sliding in. As hard and fast as it was earlier, as soft as it is now, this is more than sex; this is making love. He’s very gentle with me and kisses me all the time.
The feeling of bliss runs through my body, from the top of my head down to my little toe. This is where I belong, here with him. In his bed, under him. I know I want this for the rest of my life.
21
Max
The last few weeks my life has changed, and I don’t regret it for a second. Valérie finished her article on Full Moon for Hard Beats. She will focus on writing columns as a freelance journalist instead of long exclusive pieces because she doesn’t have to work in the office for that. We talked about it for a long time, and even though this job as a journalist meant a lot to her, she wanted to be with me. We’ve found a solution that we are both happy with.
The day she finally admitted that she wants to stay with me forever is one of the many I will never forget. She seemed so insecure and was afraid of my reaction when she told me she had taken up another job position. What she doesn’t understand is that I love her and want to spend every day with her. So why should I be angry? Because she gives me everything I’ve always wanted?
The subject of having children is still a sensitive one. I try to avoid it, but our band is very close, and now that my sister is pregnant, we can’t always avoid the subject.
One day there will come a time when we will have a child together. The last few days I have been looking up some things about adoption, and I am sure that Valérie will one day be a great mother. But first, I want to enjoy her. Our time together just the two of us. But above all, I want her to be my wife.
A week ago I chose a ring, and the jewelry box has been burning a hole in my pocket since that day. It has already been so hard to not just ask the question right away, but I want to give her a memory she will never forget. And for that, I need the help of my sister.
I park my car in front of the door of the brand new house that John and Jolene have bought. Everything about the house says that they are ready to start a family. The small front garden has a path leading to the front door. I can already picture how their daughter or son will play in the yard, and that makes me very happy for my sister and future brother-in-law.
I follow the path to the front door and ring the doorbell. I wait a while. Since nobody opens, I ring again. Again there is no reaction, and I look at my watch. I’m already a little late myself, so I grab my cell phone and call my sister. I hear the phone ring inside, and then I hear someone on the other side of the door.
The door opens, and my sister appears. Her lips are swollen, she has a blush on her cheek and her hair in disarray. I raise my eyebrow to her and she starts blushing even deeper.
“I have a feeling I better not ask why you didn’t open right away?”
Even before she can answer, John appears behind her; he is wearing his jeans but no shoes and no T-shirt. “That’s probably a good idea, Max,” he says with a devilish smile on his lips.
Jolene looks back at me. “Sorry, I can’t do anything about it; it’s the hormones. John decided it was a good idea to mow the grass without wearing a shirt. And well...”
I don’t let her finish that sentence; the last thing I want is to hear about my sister’s sex life. “Stop, I really don’t need to hear the details.”
“Come in; can I get you a drink?”
“Water is good.”
John is already turning to the kitchen. “I’ll get it; you just go to the living room.”
My sister looks at him, and everything about her shows how much she loves him. I am glad she is so happy now. After the death of our parents, she had a very hard time and seeing her so content now really puts my mind at ease. She’s found her happy place.
I kiss the crown of her head before I walk in. “I’m glad to see you glowing like this, sis.”
We sit at the dining table, and John comes in with a bottle of water and three glasses. He sits next to Jolene and draws her closer to him. When he is satisfied with her position, he looks at me.
“You wanted to ask us something?”
I tell them in detail what I intend to do and hope they will be okay with it. If not, I will have to come up with another plan, because no matter what, I will ask Valérie to marry me. This way just seemed the most fun to me.
After I have told them everything, Jolene has tears in her eyes. “That’s the most fantastic idea I’ve ever heard. Of course, we will work with you on it.”
John wipes the tears from Jolene’s face. “If Jolene likes it, so do I.” He stretches his hand out to me, and I give him a firm handshake. “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”
John and I laugh, and Jolene gives him a playful push. “As if we women always have it so easy with you men.” Jolene turns to me before she continues. “When you get home, remind Valérie about the ladies’ night out next week, will you?”
This time both John and I growl.
“What?” Jolene asks.
“Baby, those ladies’ nights always end up in disaster. Are you sure it’s a good idea in your present state?”
Jolene places her hands on her hips and glares at John. I am glad that her murderous gaze is not directed at me, although I agree with John. But there’s not a hair on my head that thinks about saying that out loud right now.
“The whole reason I’m pregnant now is because of your reaction when I came home from our last ladies’ night. Or did you forget about that?”
>
John caresses Jolene’s belly with his hand. “Oh, I still remember every detail.” He kisses her on her neck, and it seems as if they have completely forgotten that I am still here.
“That’s my cue to leave.”
John and Jolene break the kiss, and both look at me laughing. “Indeed, I don’t think you want to see what’s about to happen now.”
As fast as I can I turn around and run to my car laughing. I’m sure those two will be very happy together; now I only have to make sure that Valérie and I are this happy.
THE DAY IS FINALLY here; today my sister is marrying John. The whole band is already here, and everyone looks fabulous. The last few weeks we have all complained about Jolene, but I have to admit that she succeeded in making everything look beautiful.
The entire church is decorated with beautiful red flowers. All the ladies are wearing red dresses and have a big bouquet of white roses. The men are all wearing black suits with a red tie. John is standing at the front of the altar with Jonathan and Tim next to him. I am waiting at the back of the church, ready to walk my sister down the aisle. I know she’s sad that our father can’t do this for her, but I will do my utmost to be a worthy replacement.
When the wedding march starts to play, Jolene puts her hand in the fold of my arm, and we walk together to the altar. When I see the love in John’s gaze, I know she has found the right man.
When we arrive at the altar, I put Jolene’s hand in John’s. “Take good care of my little sister, will you?”
“You can be sure of that.”
I stand next to Jonathan and Tim, and look to the other side at Valérie. She is across the aisle, next to Camille and Karen. She looks radiant and laughs at me when I give her a wink.
“Welcome everyone,” the priest starts. “We have gathered here today to join these two people in holy matrimony.”
The whole ceremony is intimate, just like Jolene and John wanted. The priest announces that it is time for the vows and Jolene and John have chosen to write their own. Jolene is the first to read her vows to John.
“John, I promise you that I will always be spontaneous and cherish every moment between us. I will always be honest with you and always willing to try new things. I want to be there for you in this journey through life and will always make time for us. I will laugh with you and enjoy every moment together. I will always be your biggest fan and pursue your dreams with you. But above all, I will do my best to become the best wife you can wish for.”
Everyone falls silent, and both the bride and the bridesmaids bring out their handkerchiefs. The priest takes over from Jolene again.
“Jolene, do you take John as your lawfully wedded husband?”
“Yes.” Jolene slides the ring on Johns’ finger, and everyone now looks at him expectantly. But John would not be John if he did not make a solemn vow to Jolene in his unique way.
“Jolene, I promise you that I will always kill the spiders and take the hair out of the drain, even if you are the only one with long hair. I pledge to share my fries with you, even if you only order a salad because you want to pay attention to your body. I promise you that I won’t be angry if you keep asking questions during movies, even if I can’t follow it myself because of this. Finally, I promise you never to keep track of the score between us, even though everyone knows I’m clearly winning.”
The latter he says with such a big smile on his face, that everyone laughs.
Even the priest laughs about it but asks the most important question, “John, do you take Jolene as your lawfully wedded wife?”
“Yes.” He places the ring on Jolene’s finger, and before the priest can even say he can kiss her, he pulls her into his arms and kisses her fervently.
Everyone stands up and applauds.
John and Jolene walk down the aisle, and the rest of the guests follow them out. When we leave the church, there is a row of limousines waiting for us to take us to the party location. When Valérie and I are in the limousine, I pull her close to me and kiss her.
“That was a wonderful ceremony. Your sister and John looked very happy,” she says.
“They are. Are you ready for the party?”
“Absolutely; let that party begin.”
22
Valérie
What a great party! Everyone is having a good time. People laugh, eat, and drink. John and Jolene cut the wedding cake and gave each other a piece. I don’t have to tell you how that ended. Let’s say that John loved licking Jolene’s mouth clean of chocolate. It’s always so much fun to see the two of them interact. They do it their own way, but you can see how much love they have for each other.
When Max put on his suit this morning, my heart was pounding. He always looks good, but this morning he was just breathtakingly beautiful. And I have not forgotten the hungry look in his eyes when he saw me. All evening I felt his gaze on me. In everything I do, I can feel his attention on me. It causes me to burn with desire. No matter how nice the party is, I can’t wait to go home and have Max all to myself. I wake up from my daydream when the DJ announces that Jolene and John are ready for their first dance as husband and wife.
I go to the edge of the dance floor and feel the warmth of Max standing behind me. He puts his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. If I thought I was the only one with a burning desire, I’m wrong. I can feel his excitement against my back. To make him completely crazy, I push my ass back against him. He growls in my ear. “You will be punished for that later.”
Desire rushes through me. His punishments are usually so great that I can’t wait to receive them. Our eyes go back to the dance floor where Jolene and John are already dancing to the tones of Ellie Goulding’s “How long will I love you.” They shine, and I look around the dance floor. All the guests are looking at the couple in love and see that they are meant to be together.
After the first dance, everyone joins them on the dance floor. The atmosphere is sparkling, the music flows through the room. Everyone is happy and enjoys themselves to the fullest. Toward the end of the evening, the DJ announces that Jolene is ready to throw her bridal bouquet and all the ladies need to gather on the dance floor.
Max pushes me forward and laughs. All the men are standing around the dance floor, and I’m sure they find this more than amusing.
Jolene screams, “Everyone ready?”
All the ladies are anxiously awaiting the toss, and Jolene turns around ready to throw the bouquet over her shoulder. “One, two, three...”
I expect her to throw it, but instead, she turns around and walks toward me with the bouquet in her hands. I am stunned and accept it from her. When I look at her in confusion, she grabs me and turns me around. Behind me stands Max and he comes to me with the biggest smile on his face. He kneels in front of me on one knee, and that’s when I realize it. Oh my God.
“Valérie, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I almost lost you once, but this time I’ll never let you go. Will you marry me?”
Tears fill my eyes, and all I can do is nod. “Yes.”
Tears now flow nonstop, and Max puts the ring on my finger, then kisses me hard.
The whole room cheers and screams.
“How long have you been planning this?” I stutter.
“Since the day you stood in front of me at the press conference. You are the only one for me. And I want you forever.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Valérie. More than I can ever make clear with words.”
ALSO BY STEFANIE VAN MOL
FULL MOON SERIES
Say You Want Me
Say You Need Me
Say You Desire Me
Say You Crave Me
Say You Cherish Me (Coming soon)
Say You Love Me (coming soon)
About the author
Stefanie Van Mol made her debut in Belgium with the Desire series. As a self-published author, Stefanie never imagined she would reach so many readers. She knew she had more s
tories in her. That’s when she wrote Say You Want Me, the first book of the Full Moon series. She won the Brave New Book of the Year Award in the Netherlands in 2016 and decided to translate the book to English.
During the day, Stefanie works as a secretary in her parents’ family business. At night, she spends hours at the computer creating her colorful characters and bringing their stories to life. She’s an avid reader and passionate writer. She hopes to make her dream come true and become an author that readers will enjoy worldwide.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to everyone who believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself!
Say You Crave Me (Full Moon, #4) Page 15
