"Where do you keep the condoms?" I asked, praying that she had some.
She bit her lower lip and shook her head no. "No condom," she whispered. "I want to feel you."
"You sure?" I kneeled between her legs.
She nodded her head, her sex-filled eyes looking up at me. I leaned down, connecting with her lips, my tongue running through her mouth, tasting her. I grabbed my cock, giving it a couple of pumps, which was totally unnecessary, as hard as I was, and I ran it through her wetness. I pushed inside of her slowly, watching her face as I buried myself deep into her. She was fucking beautiful. I loved watching her as I pulled out and pushed all the way in again. Her hands reaching up behind her head, she gripped the pillow the harder I thrust into her, soft moans escaping her lips.
"Rub your clit for me," I demanded. "Show me how you make yourself come."
She shook her head, a soft blush coming over her already heated cheeks.
I sat back on my heels; my cock fully planted inside of her. "Show me." I took hold of her hand and placed it on her lower belly. "Rub yourself," I whispered.
I could tell she was hesitant at first, but then her hand slowly moved to her center and she started rubbing her clit. I felt like I could bust, watching her pleasure herself while my cock was buried inside of her. I was fighting to hold back my own orgasm just watching her, but then I felt her tighten around me, and the sound of her moans getting louder and louder the closer she came, it was almost impossible, and as soon as I felt the hot rush of heat from her, I too let myself go, filling her full.
We lay in bed, her head on my chest, her body wrapped around mine, fitting perfectly against me, as if it was the only one that belonged there. We were on the cusp of sleep after our third round. I pulled her closer and she let out a sleepy, sexy little moan.
"Don't push me away anymore," I whispered.
She opened her sleepy eyes and looked up at me. "I won't. Well, I will try not to." She placed a little kiss on my chest and put her head back down.
"Good, now I don’t want to scare you but move in with me."
I could tell, as soon as those words were past my lips, that she was scared and almost ready to bolt right out of the bed the way her body stiffened. I started rubbing her arm, and I felt her start to relax.
"Move in with me," I repeated, kissing her forehead. "We'll take it slow."
She nodded her head against my chest, and I heard her sniffle.
Chapter 23
Bryce - Nine months later
It was almost 8:00 p.m. and I was still sitting behind my desk at the office. The day had been long, and I couldn't wait to get out of here tonight. Mia had finally agreed to move in with me, and she was finally settled into my condo. We were putting her house up on the market this weekend.
I sat back in my chair and opened my desk drawer. My eyes instantly fell to the little black velvet box that had been sitting there since last week. I couldn't put it off any longer. I needed to make that call before I left the office tonight.
I scrolled through my contact list in search of Grant's number. It had been about a year since I had last spoken to him, right when things with Alyssa had gone south. Before dialing, I pulled open my bottom drawer and picked up the bottle of scotch that was hidden there, pouring myself a shot. I had done the same thing before the last phone call, only this time it was for an entirely different reason. I downed that shot and poured a half shot more, knowing after this call I had to drive home, then I picked up the phone and dialed his number.
The phone rang and rang, and just when I thought I might be off the hook, I heard his voice. "Dr. Hollis."
"Grant?" I said into the phone.
"You've got him. Who’s this?" he asked, sounding a little confused. No doubt he was busy and was probably still at the hospital.
"It's Bryce," I answered, rotating that little velvet box between my fingers.
"One second." I heard him ramble off a long list of orders to someone and then finally silence.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" I asked, kind of praying he said yes.
"No, not at all. Sorry, just at the hospital. I was just about to head out on lunch anyways. How the fuck are you?" He chuckled into the phone.
"Good, great actually. Work has been steady, and I finally made partner."
"That’s fantastic, man! Congratulations."
"Thanks! Yeah, my brothers always make Chase and I earn everything, those bastards." We both laughed.
"How's Mia doing? She told me you two finally moved in together."
"Yeah, she finally agreed. It took some convincing on my part. She moved in with me earlier this month finally, and we are putting her house on the market."
"I'm glad to hear that. She seems really happy, far cry from one of the last few times I spoke with her."
We spent the better half of the next fifteen minutes catching up. Grant told me about his wife and kids, sharing with me that he was up for another promotion at the hospital. He had worked hard and made a good life for himself.
"Listen, if you guys are able to soon, why don't you both make the trip out here. It would be great to see you both. It's been a while, and Mia still hasn't met the kids."
"Sounds like a great idea. Send me your holidays, and I will make sure we get out there."
I heard Grant being paged in the background.
"Shit, man, I've got to go. My hour is almost up."
I could hear him chug down whatever it was he was drinking.
I sat there, still turning the little black velvet box in my hand. The purpose for my call quickly coming back to me. "Listen, can I ask you something."
I heard the page go off again in the background.
"Give me one minute."
I sat there listening as he spoke to someone in the background. I drank down the mouthful of scotch I had poured myself, feeling that good old burning sensation as I swallowed the golden liquid.
He gave out orders, finally returning to our call. "Sorry about that. It’s not an emergency, thank God, but I do need to get going. What's up?"
I kept turning that little black box between my fingers, trying to find the courage for my call. "Grant, I called because, well, you are Mia's only family, and I..."
"You want to ask her to marry you, don't you?" he said, taking the words right from my mouth that otherwise may never have made it out.
I let out the breath I was holding. "Yes, I do. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."
"Then go for it, man. Let me know how it goes, and I swear if she doesn't say yes, ship her out to me for a couple of weeks and I will change her mind for you."
We both laughed. It was good to know that after all these years, Grant still had my back.
"Thanks, man. I'll talk to you soon."
We hung up the phone and I sat there for a couple of minutes still twirling that little black box in my hands. Now I just needed to find the perfect time to ask her.
I tucked the box into my jacket pocket and gathered my things, finally shutting off the light to my office.
The drive home was quick, and I took the elevator up to the condo. When I opened the door, soft music filled the apartment, the lights were dimmed in the living room, and a candle was burning on the coffee table.
I dropped my briefcase just inside the door and put my keys on the table. Mia had already begun to make changes, adding her feminine touch to things in the short time she had lived with me.
I could hear the shower running and quietly walked toward our bedroom, but first I slipped into my office and placed the little black velvet box at the back of the center drawer where Mia wouldn't find it.
I undressed and slipped into the bathroom. Steam filled the room, but I could see the outline of Mia standing in the shower, her back turned to me.
"Hey, sexy. I'm home." I pulled the shower door open and stepped inside, Mia turning to face me, my eyes washing over her perfect, full breasts, my cock instantly going hard at the sight. I hadn't been
able to keep my hands off her, especially when she stood there looking at me so innocently. I pulled her warm body against mine and kissed the side of her neck, breathing in her clean scent.
"I'm so glad to see you." She wrapped her arms around my neck, meeting my lips.
"Did you get everything done at the house with Autumn?" I asked.
"Yep, it’s all done and ready for the real estate agent tomorrow. He's hoping for a fast sale."
"Good, then we don't have to go back tonight?" I grabbed her under the ass and picked her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist, and I backed her up until she was resting against the tile, attacking her mouth again.
"Bryce, put me down." She laughed as I kissed my way down her neck and across her collarbone.
"No way. You're mine!" I buried my face in the side of her neck, causing her to laugh out loud. I slowly put her down and smacked her ass and pulled her in for a long kiss.
"Are you hungry?" she asked as she pulled those beautiful soft lips from mine, the look in her eyes screaming for me to take her right there.
"Starving."
"Well, clean yourself up. I'll go and make us something to eat."
She let go of my hand and went to open the shower door, but I pulled her back against my chest, my arm instantly securing around her waist, the other hand grasping her breast. As my fingers brushed over her nipple, I heard a little whimper escape her mouth, and I bit her earlobe, causing her to drop her head to my shoulder as my other hand traveled down between her legs, my fingers making contact with her clit.
"You're so bad," she breathed out, parting her legs just a little.
"You love it," I whispered.
Twenty minutes later, Mia left the shower fully sated and wrapped in a large black towel, leaving me to quickly shower. "I'll go make us something to eat," she called out, leaving the bathroom.
I had changed into my lounge pants and T-shirt and wandered into my office. I pulled open the center drawer and reached to the back, pulling out the little black box and putting it into my pocket. I heard Mia banging around in the kitchen, and my stomach let out a loud grumble at the thought of food.
I rounded the corner and noticed she had turned the fireplace on. A bottle of wine sat in the chiller in the living room beside two empty glasses, and a plate of cheese and crackers sat beside it.
"It will just be a minute. I have brie in the oven," she said, smiling over at me.
"No problem." I walked over, poured the wine, and then went to look out the window. I wrapped my hand around the little black velvet box that sat in my pocket as I watched Mia's reflection in the glass. Just when I thought I had enough courage to turn and ask her, she walked into the room carrying the plate of hot brie.
"Did you want to watch a movie or something?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of the couch.
I shook my head. I just wanted to ask her. I wouldn't be able to eat if I didn't, my nerves getting the better of me.
"Are you going to come and sit down?" she asked, looking up at me, a worried expression coming over her face.
"Can you come here?" I asked.
"Bryce, what is the matter with you?" she asked. Concern now lined her face as she stood up and came over to me. "Is everything okay?" she asked as she got close enough to run her hand over my shoulder.
I didn't answer her. Instead I dropped to my knee.
"Bryce, what are you..."
Her words stopped as soon as she saw what I held in my hand, her eyes growing wide. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her. We had been in such a great place over the last eight months, I didn't want her to start pushing me away again.
My hands shook as I lifted the lid on that tiny box to produce the custom designed ring I had ordered from the local jeweler. Her hands shook as they covered her mouth.
"Mia, these last few months with you have been amazing." She held her hand up to stop me, but I kept going. "I can't ever imagine my life without you in it again. I want you to be my wife." I looked up into her eyes as they filled with tears and instantly, I became afraid she was going to curl back up into the person she used to be.
She surprised me, and instead she slowly reached down and took my hand in hers and nodded her head. I had never ripped anything from a package so fast as I did that ring and placed it on her finger.
Forgetting about the food or how hungry I was, I picked her up, her legs instantly wrapping around my waist, and I carried her down the hall.
"I want to see you in nothing but that ring, moaning my fucking name," I murmured into her ear as I lowered her to the floor.
Chapter 24
Mia
I watched from the front window as Bryce and the real estate agent walked down to the edge of the lawn and hung the sold sign. At first, we were going to keep my little bungalow, but then we decided we didn't want to have to deal with renters.
I looked around the little bungalow where I had spent the better part of my life, reminiscing about all the events that had taken place while I had lived here. This house held so many memories for me, all of them flashing before my eyes like an old movie.
I heard the backdoor slam and ran my fingers under my eyes to remove any tears that may have fallen. I didn't want Bryce to think I wasn't happy with our decision. The truth was I couldn't be happier. It was just hard to let go of certain things.
"Mia?" I heard him call out.
"Yeah, I'm in here," I called back from the front room, still looking out the front window.
"There you are. You just about ready? We are supposed to meet everyone down at the little cafe by the water."
I bit my lower lip and looked around the room one last time. "I think so." I couldn't help a twinge of sadness hitting my voice. It was harder to say good-bye to these memories than I thought it was going to be, but my future held so many more in store for me, and I couldn't wait to embark on the journey with Bryce.
"How about we go and take a walk down by the water?" he said, wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing me gently on the cheek. "Just us, before we meet up with everyone. I'll call and tell them we’re running late and bump the time up to eight."
"That would be nice. I would like that," I said, leaning back into him, letting his warmth and strong embrace envelop me for a second.
"All right then, let's go." Placing another kiss on my cheek, he grabbed my hand, but I was hesitant and didn't move.
"Could you maybe give me a minute?" I asked, looking into his eyes and swallowing hard. "I just need a minute or two."
"Of course. I will be out in the car, okay? Come out when you’re ready." He leaned in and kissed me before opening the front door.
I watched him walk down the walkway and get into the car. I didn’t think saying good-bye to this house would be this hard. I took my time going through each room of the house, reflecting over the last fifteen years of my life once more. I remembered the first night I had gotten the key. I had come over and just sat in the living room on the floor for hours, so excited about what the future held for me here. But now I had such bigger and better things to look forward to.
I glanced at my watch, realizing that Bryce had been sitting waiting for me for close to twenty minutes, and walked to the front door and pulled it open. Taking one final look around, I walked out the door, locking it behind me. I handed the key to the real estate agent who stood beside his car, thanked him for everything, and climbed into Bryce's car.
"You okay?" he asked, putting his phone down on the console between the seats.
"Yep. Let's go," I whispered. He backed out of the driveway, and for the final time, I looked back at the dark house.
It was a quiet ride as Bryce drove down to the waterfront. I looked out the window, watching the trees pass by, listening to the soft music Bryce had playing in the car. I was lost in my thoughts when I felt his hand on mine. He didn't say anything. He just held it tight for the remainder of the drive.
Once we arrived downtown, it was a matter of secon
ds before we found a parking spot. He came around the car and pulled my door open, offering me his hand. "Did you want a coffee first?"
"That would be great. Was everyone okay with waiting until eight?" I asked as I climbed out of the car.
"Of course. It's all good." He winked at me.
Once we had our coffee, we started walking around the water. It was a gorgeous night, a cool breeze off the lake blowing around us. It was only the end of September, and a few boats from the marina were out on the water, the people enjoying one of the last boat rides of the season.
We continued to walk for a bit, finally sitting down on a little bench halfway around the lake.
"I was thinking, with the money from the sale of the house and my settlement, what if we put that towards a down payment on a house?"
Bryce was quiet, looking off in the distance of the water. I was a little scared when he didn't answer me right away.
"Bryce? Did you hear me?"
"Yeah."
He seemed so far away, I could sense my insecurities rising again and the absolute fear to push away and I had to ask him. "Bryce, have we...have we made a mistake?"
"What?" That had gotten his attention. "No, love, what would make you think that? I was just thinking about where we would move to and about the wedding. You are the furthest thing from a mistake. Don't ever think that." He looked into my eyes and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in closer. "I seriously cannot wait until I see you walk down that aisle in a white dress, looking all perfect, just so I can rip it off you later and make you scream my name."
We both laughed, my nerves instantly calming.
"And I think it’s a great idea to do with the money, but I don't want to rush into something. Let’s wait until we find the perfect place."
We finished our coffees, watching the boats out on the water, and then made our way over to the cafe. We had yet to tell anyone about the engagement and really wanted everyone in one place all together.
His to Hold (The Malone Brother Book 3) Page 14
