His Eternal Flame

by Valentine, Layla

  “This stew is better than anything I’ve ever had in a restaurant,” I said amicably, and Owen’s mother, Barb, looked tickled pink by the comment.

  “I’ll have to write down the recipe for you, honey. Owen loves…well, he usually loves the stew I make. Honey, is there something bothering you?” she asked gently, reaching out to touch her son’s hand.

  Owen flinched, glancing towards me with something akin to fear in his eyes.

  “I’m fine, Mom. I just—” he paused, pushing his chair back from the table and standing up.

  His parents stared curiously at him, and I was ready to make an excuse for us to leave the table, but Owen circled around to my chair, fumbling in his pockets. I tilted my head curiously, watching with confusion as he dropped down to one knee and pulled something out of his pocket.

  I felt my heart catch in my chest, my pulse quickening as I realized just what was happening.

  “Owen…?” I inquired nervously, meeting his gaze.

  He managed a smile, and his mother gasped as he popped open the velvet ring box gripped in his hand. I had seen my share of diamonds in my lifetime—my father threw gifts around like it was going out of style—but while it was obvious that Owen hadn’t been able to afford some overly expensive ring, it was without doubt the most beautiful thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

  “Emily, there aren’t a lot of things I’ve been sure of in my life. I wasn’t sure about my future, I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do with my life, and I definitely didn’t know if I would ever fall in love. That is, until I met you. The time we’ve spent together has been the happiest of my life. I would give anything and everything in the world to make you as happy as you’ve made me.” He paused, taking the ring out of the box.

  Watching as he struggled with his words, I resisted the desire to scream out an answer. I would let him take his time and get out everything he wanted to say. He seemed appreciative of my patience, gripping me by the hand.

  “I love you,” I said, and he smiled as if it were the first time I’d ever said it.

  “I love you too, baby. Which is why I want to know…Emily Jasmine Madden, will you make me the happiest man on the planet and do me the honor of being my bride? Will you marry me?” he asked.

  Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I offered him my hand while silently nodding, not trusting myself to speak.

  Owen laughed, slipping the ring onto my finger before leaping to his feet. He gathered me in his arms, pressing a kiss to my forehead as his parents clapped joyously in the background.

  “Congratulations! Oh my, I’m so happy I could see this moment,” Barb squealed, while Gary smiled, giving us a nod of approval. “I just have one teensy tiny question, you two,” the older woman continued.

  Owen looked at her as if he could predict what she was going to say.

  “What is it, Mom?” he asked, glancing towards me with a sly smile.

  “When can I expect grandkids?” she said seriously.

  Owen grimaced, but it was all I could do to keep from erupting in laughter.

  “First, the wedding. Then, grandkids,” Owen’s father said firmly.

  I couldn’t have agreed more.

  Chapter 24

  Emily

  Our wedding was a small ceremony that was only made possible by selling the necklace my father had given me what seemed an eternity ago. Of course, I’d asked his permission before doing so.

  It turned out that my father had turned himself over to the FBI around a week after my disappearance. He was finally ready to make things right, and he could see why I had chosen to leave behind the life that had been forced upon me. We spoke on the phone every few weeks, and I had been to see him in prison.

  We’d decided to move to Mexico after our U.S. road trip, having fallen in love with a beach town we found on our travels. It was the perfect mix of what felt like home to each of us—just as tropical and beautiful as Guam and Hawaii. Plus, there was no risk of the FBI finding out Owen had stolen me away and married me.

  It was a small ceremony, and a short one as well. Owen and I were eager to get to the house we’d purchased, using what money remained from Owen’s service with the SEALs. I wished my father could have been there to give me away, but things didn’t always go as one might have planned.

  However, there was something to be said about pleasant surprises. After all, I’d never planned to get kidnapped and marry my captor, and yet there he stood at the end of the aisle, tears in his eyes as I walked along to the tune of the bridal march.

  It was a beautiful moment, but there was something to be said for simplicity. We exchanged our vows, slipped on our rings, and all but danced away from the service. Getting married was the happiest moment of my life by far, but I was also ready to enjoy the honeymoon in our new home.

  The house was nowhere near as extravagant as the estate I’d grown up in, but it was still plenty spacious. What it lacked in size, we made an effort to make up for with amenities. We got a jet bathtub and the comfiest couch we could find, and the view from the back porch was truly stunning, looking out over the ocean. My main concern at the time, however, was our king-size bed.

  Owen carried me over the threshold of the front door like a proper gentlemanly groom, and as I was carried through the house, I couldn’t help making a mental note of all the places I wanted Owen to make love to me besides the master bedroom. The tub, the sofa, against the refrigerator, and even on the porch all seemed suitable decisions.

  For our first time as husband and wife, however, my gorgeous military man wanted to keep it traditional.

  My new husband didn’t waste any time in pinning me to the bed, and as much as I wanted to keep my dress from getting rumpled, I was all the more concerned about getting out of it. He helped me to shimmy out of the garment, pulling it off and tossing it to the side of the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Truth be told, neither of us seemed to have any concerns while we were in each other’s arms. He kissed me gently, holding his lips against mine in a tender kiss. I pulled him down on top of me, running my hands down his sides as I marveled, not for the first time, at how handsome he was in his suit.

  A shame to rip him out of it, but I had never been the most patient woman in the world.

  “If you don’t take that suit off, I’m not going to guarantee it will survive as anything more than tatters on the floor,” I said, my voice husky.

  He laughed, moving to unbutton his jacket so slowly that I was sure Christmas would come and go before he got it off.

  I pouted, trying to help him as he disrobed. However, he simply took off his tie, tying my hands behind me so I couldn’t jump the gun.

  “You’ve gotten so impatient; it’s hard to believe you went 21 years without having sex, and now look at you,” he teased, grinning cheekily.

  I whined, but didn’t tug too hard at the tie restraint. Honestly, it was kind of sexy, and I didn’t want to get out of it until my new husband directly expressed that he wanted me to.

  He pressed me back against the bed, looking so deeply into my eyes it was like he could see my very soul.

  “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?” I asked, breathing a sigh as he ghosted his palm to my breast.

  He hummed under his breath, seeming to give the question some thought.

  “I guess since I asked you to marry me a month ago. What a long and tortuous month it must have been,” he teased.

  All right, so maybe I was being just a tiny bit dramatic. How could anyone blame me? I was the luckiest woman in the world, with the most handsome husband in the world.

  “I never actually thought I’d wind up married. Excuse me for being a little excited,” I sighed, tilting my head back as he kissed my neck and began to suck.

  I could tell that he was going to leave a mark, and I had no doubt that marking me as his own was very much all part of his plan. He nipped at the bruising skin, kissing his way down my chest. He
had offered to shave his stubble for the wedding, but I so loved the feeling of it against my skin. It tickled, feeling the slightest bit scratchy against my breast, but I loved every minute of it.

  “Well, just because you’re excited doesn’t mean you get to be a bad girl,” he teased, tracing his fingertips down the expanse of my stomach.

  As he dipped his hand beneath my underwear, I breathed a sigh as he dragged his finger along my lower lips, gathering the moisture there. I’d been turned on from the moment I saw him in his fancy suit, but I wasn’t going to give him a big ego by saying as much.

  Owen laughed mischievously, and I grumbled, feeling even more moisture gather in spite of myself.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You either got worked up really fast, or you’ve been thinking about this all day,” he teased.

  I rolled my eyes, giving my hips a suggestive little jerk.

  “You say that like you haven’t been thinking about it all day. Anyway, enough talk—aren’t you going to show me why I married you?”

  He didn’t seem to mind my attitude, pulling down my panties and watching me lovingly.

  “And here I thought it was for my personality,” he teased, shifting out of his dress pants and boxers.

  I sighed as he lowered himself on top of me, nudging my thighs gently and stroking himself all along my entrance. I whined at the teasing, but he didn’t seem inclined to give me what I wanted all that soon.

  I parted my lips to complain, only for a sharp squeal to erupt from me as he plunged inside.

  “Mouthy, mouthy girl,” he scolded, grinning.

  “Oh, you love what I do with this mouth,” I moaned, wishing my hands were free to tangle in his golden locks.

  There was something about not being able to touch him, though, something that brought me to new heights. He moved slowly, patiently, working me up to an agonizingly pleasurable peak before I could even properly beg him to make me his. That didn’t stop the words from spilling past my lips, however. I wrapped my legs around him, the one thing I could do to edge him closer.

  Continuing to keep an even and steady pace, I wasn’t sure how many orgasms he’d subject me to until he finally came. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of finding out, though.

  When he pressed his lips desperately to mine and began to piston furiously inside of me, I had already orgasmed four times. When he emptied himself inside of me, filling me to the brim with even a bit of spillover, it made for the fifth.

  “Oh my God,” he moaned, falling limp beside me.

  He drew me into his arms, resting his chin atop my head as I nuzzled into his chest.

  “So, this is what it’s like to be married,” I murmured, sighing as he untied my hands.

  I caressed his cheek, feeling so much love in that moment that I thought my heart might burst. He seemed equally taken with the moment, tilting his head to meet my gaze.

  “Well, that’s the fun part, anyway,” he replied.

  I rolled my eyes, giving him a light shove.

  “One of the fun parts. It’s exciting to think about the future we’ll spend together, isn’t it? Wild and free, without a care in the world. We have the rest of our lives to have fun together. I can’t think of anyone I would rather spend my days with. I love you, Emily,” he murmured.

  I felt tears pool in my eyes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

  “I love you, too. Here’s to our future. Here’s to love. Here’s to us,” I said softly.

  He chuckled, his breathing slowing to an even pace as he gave himself to the exhaustion of a long day spent making memories. I took comfort in the fact that we had years to make millions of wonderful memories together.

  Placing my hand on my stomach, I giggled as I wondered if we would be fulfilling his mother’s wishes sooner than anyone expected. Happily, I fell asleep, knowing only one thing for certain about our future.

  I would never have to live in a cage again.

  The End

  What does the future hold for Emily and Owen?

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  Baby Bet

  Ana Sparks & Layla Valentine

  Up next, we have a girl who wants a baby more than anything, and two gorgeous studs who want nothing more than to help her out!

  Mine and Ana’s Baby Bet is up next!

  Copyright 2018 by Ana Sparks and Layla Valentine

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author.

  All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.

  Prologue

  Violet

  2006

  “Oh, come to the window, fair Violet!”

  The voice pulled me from my vanity, where I was just finishing up my mascara, and to the double windows looking down into the front yard. Pushing the cracked one open, I looked down and found about what I’d expected: my best friend, Sean, holding a rose and grinning.

  My own smile tugged at my lips, and I felt a blush heat up my cheeks.

  “Are you supposed to be quoting someone?” I called down.

  “Yeah! It’s Shakespeare!”

  I pressed my palm against my mouth, unable to stop the laughter.

  “Hey!” someone called from another house. “Shut up!”

  “Get inside,” I hissed at Sean. “Before the neighbors freak out.”

  “Yes, m’lady.”

  Closing the window, I turned for the door and caught sight of myself in my full-length mirror. It wasn’t the lavish up-do my mom had taken me to get done earlier, or the curve-hugging pink prom dress that caught my attention, though. It was the giant smile on my face.

  No one could cheer me up like Sean.

  What was I going to do without him?

  I swallowed that awful thought down and quickly grabbed my little satin purse. Tonight was supposed to be about fun. We’d never have another chance to be as carefree as we were right then. I might have only been eighteen, but I knew this for a fact. Life would probably get better, sure, but the responsibilities would only grow.

  The next day, my whole world would change. But that night was still for the taking.

  Sean was already in the living room when I came down, looking amazing in his charcoal suit. His red hair had been brushed to the side, not a strand out of place. The second his green eyes fell on me, fire ignited in my stomach.

  Quickly, I bit my bottom lip and looked down.

  We’re just friends, I reminded myself. Nothing more.

  “Oh…my…God.” My mom stood in the doorway from the kitchen, shaking her head. “You two look so grown up. I can’t take this.”

  “Aw, stop, Mrs. Powers.” Sean grinned. “Violet, tell your mom to stop flirting with me.”

  “Ew.” I wrinkled my nose.

  My mom attempted to ruffle Sean’s perfect hair, but he slipped under her arm and stepped out of the way.

  “Pictures,” she cooed, plucking her digital camera from the coffee table. “Did you leave enough time to go back to Sean’s so Abigail can get some too?”

  Sean and I exchanged a quick look. No way were we trudging all the way back to his house just so his mom could take some pics. We were already fashionably late—wait any longer, and by the time we got to prom it would be over.

  “You can just email the ones you take to her, Mrs. Powers,” Sean offered.

  “Oh.” Mom frowned slightly. “I can?”

  “Yeah,” I quickly said. “Come on, Mom. We need to get going.”

  Without warning, Sean wrapped his arm around
my waist and pulled me against his firm chest. I sucked in a quick breath, inhaling his musky scent. It made my head spin and my heart pound.

  “Smile, Violet,” Mom said. “You look like a deer caught in headlights.”

  I forced my lips open, and let her click for a few seconds.

  “Okay, great,” I nearly yelped. “We need to go.”

  Without waiting for an answer, I hauled my butt out the door.

  Just friends. Just friends.

  It was a mantra I had a feeling I’d be repeating to myself a lot that night.

  At school, Sean parked at the far end of the lot. We sat silently for a moment, the only sounds our breathing.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I turned to him. “It’s just prom.”

  Sean shrugged. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Are you…are you ready?”

  “I’m a little worried I might hurt my back doing the Electric Slide, but other than that, I should be good.”

  “No,” I quietly said. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

  His usually jovial expression vanished, and the serious look I’d hardly ever seen appeared.

  “It’s what I want.”

  “I know.”

  I just didn’t understand why. Sean had everything he needed in Honolulu. His parents. His friends.

  Me.

  Why did he need to join the military and possibly go to the other side of the world?

  If it was about wanting to help his country out, I understood that, but he’d never talked about going into the service in that way. Whenever he mentioned the Army, it was always about how excited he was to travel and see new places.

  I wanted him to do that, but what I wanted even more was for us to do it together. We’d been best friends for four years, and I was terrified that his leaving meant that that would end.