by Aly Martinez
"I’m less worried about the fees and more worried about how it’s going to affect us."
"Ángel, we already basically live together. This will just make it permanent. And I’m not sure if you have missed this somehow, but we are absolutely permanent."
"I know we are. It’s just… It seems like a huge step. We still have so much talking to do and stuff," she says quietly.
"What else exactly do we have to talk about? You might not have noticed, but we don’t actually do much talking on Thursdays anymore. We mainly talk about our days and then have sex. Thursdays are officially my favorite day of the week." I smile and she lets out a soft laugh. "I think we’ve covered all the hard stuff and we’re both still here."
"Yes. We are getting along so well. Clearly, it’s time to move in together and start fighting about who should pay the electric bill and who left the cap off the toothpaste."
"I like those kind of fights," I tell her honestly. "Because I know they always end with me apologizing, even if I don’t mean it, and then you get naked."
"Leo James! I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that part about you not meaning it!" she shouts, making me laugh.
"Come on. Move in with me," I exaggeratedly beg. "Besides, I don’t like the idea of hiring a maid, so really this would be a win for me."
"And they say romance is dead," she deadpans.
"I love you, Sarah. You know I was joking…kinda." I wink. "But I’m serious about you moving in with me. I want you there all the time. I want to come home to you every night and know that you’re safely tucked into my bed when I’m away. I want a life with you, ángel."
"I’m wet," she replies out of the blue.
I sit blinking at the screen for a minute. My neck should ache from whiplash after that sudden change of topic. I’m reasonably sure she’s just trying to distract me, but I can’t say that I really care.
"Show me," I answer, leaning in close to the computer, but she doesn’t move a muscle.
"Last night, I woke up about an hour after I fell asleep. I was so turned on. I was having a dream that you snuck into the bedroom and pinned me on my stomach as you slide in from behind. I swear I could feel you inside me, Leo."
"I like this dream." I lick my lips as I immediately go hard.
"When I woke up, my hand was between my legs. It was a sad substitute for you, but it was working."
"Fuck, ángel." I begin to rub my growing cock.
"It was amazing until I completely woke up and remembered I told you I wouldn’t come without you. Then it fucking sucked." She crosses her arms over her chest in an adorable show of attitude.
"Well, I’m here now." I tug down my pants, revealing my erection.
Her eyes glance down the screen for a second before she lets out a groan. "It was all hot and sexy at first when you claimed my every orgasm, but I’m not playing games anymore. I shouldn’t have to ask for permission to get myself off. Especially on nights like last night when you were gone."
"Take off your pants. Show me what you would have done."
"I’m just letting you know that the deal is officially off."
"No. Every time you come is for me and me only. I’m sorry I was gone, because had I been there, I would have rolled you over and made good on your dream. You should have called me. I would have told you all about what I would have done then listened to you moan my name as you came."
"You were working," she says, pulling her shirt over her head, exposing her fucking perfect tits.
I begin stroking my cock as I watch her fingers roll her nipples. "Take. Off. Your. Pants. I want to see that wet pussy," I growl.
"See, I figured you would get all caveman. ‘Grunt. Your orgasms belong to me.’ So I will repeat. I’m not asking here. I am, however, willing to make a compromise."
"Oh yeah? What’s that?" I continue to stroke myself as she reaches down to the button on her jeans.
"What if I agree to only make myself come while I’m in your bed? Well, I guess it would be our bed at that point." She smiles and my hand stills.
"You moving in with me?" I ask as a huge smile creeps across my face.
"I don’t know. Are you going to throw a macho shit fit about me rubbing my clit while imagining your long cock buried inside me?"
Holy. Fucking. Hell. I can’t decide if I’m happy or so turned on that I need to push the computer back a few inches to keep it from forever glowing under a black light.
"Yeah, I’m going to throw a fit." I pause, and I can tell by her face that she’s about to get annoyed and shut me down. "But only because I like the idea of you coming in my shower too."
She smiles and temporarily disappears offscreen only to reappear a second later completely nude. "Our shower," she corrects, reclining on the bed and dropping her legs wide open.
"Fuck," I whisper as she pushes a single finger inside her heat. God, I’d give anything to feel her. I know exactly how tight that pussy is and how good it feels milking my cock.
I quicken the pace over my shaft as I watch her add another finger.
"Talk to me," she says, using her other hand to glide over her breasts.
"You are fucking beautiful. Christ. I’d give anything to fuck your tits right now."
"Mmm. My tits, huh?" She sits up, pushing her breasts into the camera.
"Yep. I’m going to come on them as soon as I get back. I want to see you covered in me." I switch hands so I can tilt the camera down to give her a better view.
"Fuck, baby," she breathes, lying back down with her eyes glued to the screen.
"Circle your clit. I want you to come for me now, ángel."
She quickly follows my direction and licks the finger on her other hand before dropping it between her legs. I move my hand over my cock with the same rhythm of her fingers.
"Come on your stomach. I want to watch," she demands between moans.
My pace quickens as I feel the orgasm traveling up from my balls. I’m close, and I fight to keep my eyes open. I want to see her face.
"Oh fuck. God, Sarah." My release lands right where directed and she lets out an approving moan.
Not a second later, I watch as she loses herself in her own high. She doesn’t utter my name. Instead, she whispers a string of unrecognizable expletives as an orgasm courses through her body.
She silently relaxes against the bed, and I head to the bathroom, snagging a washcloth to clean myself off. As soon as I settle back in the picture, Sarah lets out a laugh.
"Fine. You can come on my tits. That was hot."
"Oh, I was coming on your tits whether you agreed or not." I laugh and roll to my side, taking the computer with me.
"Why do you have to travel so much? I miss you," she whines.
"Well, it won’t be as bad next month. Things should plateau off pretty soon. I have enough men now, I think. They can travel for jobs and I’ll be able to stay at home more."
"Good."
"Hey, next week, I have to be down in Florida for a meeting. You want to come with me? We can shut down the office and just have a couple of days to ourselves," I ask.
She smiles excitedly. "You love to take me places, don’t you?"
"I just like being with you," I respond honestly.
"Well, I can’t deprive you of that then."
"Okay, good. I’ll have my secretary buy your ticket tomorrow." I wink.
"Hilarious. If you expect me to do it, I’m buying myself first class," she answers before changing the topic to something random.
We spend the next hour lying in bed naked, talking about how quickly we can get Sarah moved into my apartment. She tries to convince me to wait the two months until her lease is up, but I refuse. I’m more than willing to buy it out. If I had my way, I’d hire movers first thing in the morning, but she refuses, stating that we need to work out the details a little better. I promptly decide to hold her hostage at my place until then.
One week later…
"EVERYTHING OKAY?" I ask as Leo drop
s his keys on the dresser of a lavish hotel in Florida.
"Yeah, why? What’s wrong?" He eyes me suspiciously.
"Nothing. I was just worried. I thought your meeting was over, like, an hour ago."
"It was, but I had to make some stops. No big deal. Just work shit." He removes his suit jacket and walks to the bed to kiss me. "You look gorgeous," he says, raking his eyes over my chest.
Upon Leo’s insistence, I went shopping today and bought a new dress for tonight. It didn’t take much convincing. Now that we are moving in together, the old purse strings have loosened up a bit. He tried to give me his credit card, but I enjoyed paying for the short, emerald-green cocktail dress myself, even if it is Leo’s hand writing my paycheck.
"Thanks. You look pretty nice too." I pull his baby-blue tie, dragging him down for another kiss.
"Cásate conmigo," he whispers as he releases my mouth.
"Will you teach me some Spanish?" I ask. "I hate not understanding you when you say stuff like that. And I know you lie to me when I ask."
He laughs and nods. "Of course. Although I’m not sure what’s Spanish for ‘y’all,’" he teases before stepping away. "We’re going to be late. I made early reservations so we could go out and hit some of the nightlife later."
"Oh, that sounds great. Let’s go." I stand up in my four-inch heels, meeting Leo almost eye to eye. In these shoes, he’s only an inch or so taller than I am. He doesn’t back away, even when I try to take a step around him.
"New shoes too?" he asks, brushing the hair off my shoulder.
"I needed them," I explain. "Which reminds me. I need a raise too." I turn my head, and he trails wet kisses up my neck, sending chills over my body.
"Cásate conmigo," he repeats into my ear.
"What does that mean?" I grab his biceps to balance.
He leans away with a full-blown megawatt smile and answers, "I’ll tell you later. Let’s go eat." Grabbing my hand, he pulls me from the room.
"WOW. THIS place is gorgeous," I say as we walk into a stunning restaurant that overlooks the beach.
"See, aren’t you glad I talked you into getting a new dress?" He smiles, resting a hand on my lower back, guiding me toward the maître d’. "Leo James. We have reservations," he tells the older gentleman, who leads us to a table right by the large bay windows.
"I feel like we’re eating on the beach," I tell Leo as he pulls out my chair.
"I think that’s the idea, ángel."
The menus are placed in front of us and I begin studying the entrées as Leo orders a bottle of wine.
Growing up in Savannah, I was exposed to every possible seafood you can imagine. I loved it all. Fresh shrimp and fish are some things I’ve missed while living in Chicago. As my eyes race over the menu, my stomach lets out an audible growl.
"You hungry?" he jokes.
"Well, I didn’t think I was, but the sight of this seafood section has changed my mind." I glance up to find his menu closed and resting on the table in front of him. His smoldering eyes are locked on me. "You already know what you’re getting?" I ask curiously, wondering how the hell he could have possibly decided that fast.
"How about you just order two meals and we can share? I think you are frothing at the mouth." He laughs.
"It all just looks really good." I go back to reading the menu and moan when my eyes find shrimp with truffled grits.
"I can tell." He laughs again, reaching out to hold my hand.
"Okay, it’s decided. You are getting the salmon and scallops because they are calling my name. And I’m getting the shrimp and grits because what kind of Southern girl would I be if I didn’t?" I look up to find him watching me intently once again.
"Whatever you want, ángel." He interlocks our fingers and rests them on the table.
The waiter shows up with the wine, but Leo never releases my hand. We fall into comfortable conversation with his thumb lazily stroking mine.
When dinner arrives, I have to fight my hand out of his grasp. Just as I suspected, the food is amazing. It isn’t until I am halfway done with the grits that Leo informs me that he doesn’t like salmon or scallops. I want to be annoyed with him for not having told me before I ordered, but he just shrugs and pushes his plate toward me. I, on the other hand, do love salmon and scallops, so I gladly switch with him.
As he polishes off my grits, I may fall in love with him all over again. He tells me how his grandmother used to cook grits when he was a kid. Finding a man in Chicago who loves grits may very well be as rare as hitting the lottery, but somehow, I did it. Maybe karma doesn’t hate me after all.
"As an employee of Guardian Protection Agency, I am officially volunteering to accompany you on all further business excursions to Florida. That was delicious." I place my napkin on the table and take the last sip of my wine while Leo pays the bill.
"Well, as the owner of Guardian Protection Agency, you are welcome to join me on all further business excursions to…well, everywhere." He pauses before lifting my hand and kissing my palm. "Cásate conmigo, ángel."
"Please tell me what that means? That’s, like, the third time you’ve said it tonight."
He ignores my question and stands up, using my hand to pull me to my feet beside him. "You want to go down to the beach?"
"Only if you promise to speak in English."
"No promises." He winks and leads me from the restaurant.
We walk down the long boardwalk toward the beach. It’s the middle of the week, so there are only a few people milling around. We both remove our shoes, and Leo stashes them under the boardwalk before heading into the sand.
"God, look how big the moon is," I sigh just as my toes touch the water.
"It’s a beautiful night." Leo wraps his arms around me from behind and drags his nose up my neck. I suck in a deep breath, reveling in the mixture of his scent and the salt in the air. "Cásate conmigo," I feel him say against my skin.
"Okay. You are really starting to freak me out with that. Please just tell me what that means. I feel like you’re calling me fat or something." I turn to face him, and Leo bursts out laughing.
"I’m definitely not calling you fat, ángel."
"You know what? Fine. I’m going to Google it." I look down and realize that I didn’t bring a purse. "Give me your phone," I demand, snapping my fingers at him, making him laugh again.
When he hands over his phone, I quickly bring up the search engine.
"Okay, now can you spell it?" I ask when my first attempt at phonetics doesn’t return any results.
Leo shoves his hands in his pockets, and I swear I can see the ripples of his muscles thought his shirt. It’s almost distracting as he begins to rattle off consonants and vowels, but I forge ahead. I click enter and stumble back a step as the translation flashes on the screen.
Marry me.
My pulse spikes as my eyes fly to Leo, who’s watching me with a nervous grin.
"I…um…think Google is broken," I rush out then quickly hand him his phone and speed-walk down the beach.
Oh my fucking God. Is he proposing? Surely, ‘marry me’ must mean something else in Spanish. Fuck, his first language is English! Maybe his Spanish isn’t as good as I thought. Maybe he thinks it’s some sort of term of endearment like ángel or mi cielo. Maybe he—
"Sarah." He interrupts my inner panic attack by grabbing my arm from behind. "Stop overthinking this. Let me explain."
I let out a relieved breath. "Oh thank God. I thought you were about to propose." I laugh and wipe away the tears that started to form in my eyes.
"No, I am proposing. I’m just not okay with letting Google do it for me."
"Oh my God," I squeak, throwing my hands up to cover my mouth. "Leo, I, um…" I begin to stutter.
"Shh. It’s my turn to talk." He grabs my hand, and my vision begins to swim. Dropping to a knee, he pulls out a ring I can barely make out among the unshed tears.
Apparently, marry me does mean the same thing in Spanish.
Leo lets out a chuckle but stands back up and pulls me into his chest. "No puking," he breathes against my ear while rubbing his scruff against my cheek. "Here. Just let me hold you. Maybe that will be easier." He silently holds me for a few minutes as I try to compress the emotions into something more manageable but fail miserably. "You okay?" he whispers, and I shake my head. "Well I’m going to start talking. You let me know if you need to puke so I can at least get out of the way."
I can feel the smile on his lips as he kisses my neck.
"Sarah, I love you. I know I told you once that you saved my life, but oddly enough, that isn’t even the most spectacular thing you’ve ever done for me. I’ve lived a lot of years, and none of them have been as fulfilling as the last few months with you. You’ve given me back a life that I had long since given up on."
My hands begin to tremble between us. Leo only acknowledges it by squeezing me tighter before continuing to talk quietly into my ear.
"We have a long road ahead of us because of our pasts. We both still struggle on a daily basis, and I can’t swear to you that will ever stop. But it doesn’t feel impossible when I’m with you. You make me smile and laugh. You make things right even when the world feels completely wrong. Sarah, it’s easy to remember why I should open my eyes every morning when the first thing they see is you."
I hiccup a breath and lift a hand to cover my mouth again.
"You need to throw up or can I keep going?" he asks in the most romantic way one can ask such a question.
"Keep going," I whimper.
"I love that I’m able to be your rock even though, sometimes, I feel like I can barely support my own weight. But more than that, I love knowing that, even on my weakest days, you understand enough about how I’m feeling to be my rock also. We can do this, Sarah. I know you’re going to worry about jumping into a marriage, but you have to know I have never been more confident about something in my life. Individually, we’ve been through hell and lived to tell about it. Together, there isn’t a force in the world that could bring us down."
"Leo, I…" I start, but I’m afraid to even finish the sentence.
