Back in bed. I have to rub my thumb against the ring to remind myself every few minutes that yes, yes, yes: I’m engaged!
Magnus is shirtless, hovering over me. Even though he asked me to marry him four days ago, I’ve spent every spare minute I can get with him in bed with me.
It’s almost impossible to be at work, knowing my fiancé is in the office, composing some dirty text to get me all excited and aroused for our private time together.
“I feel like I should tell Cindy to make you the inner office secretary this week. That way I can bend you over my desk and fuck you hard. God, I miss being inside you.”
My hands are trembling as I text him back coyly reminding him that he was inside me barely a few hours ago, in between breakfast and taking the limo to work.
“Can’t help it. You’re addictive,” he responds.
We’ve broken the news to the company and absolutely nobody acts surprised. “Everyone could sense there was something seriously hot between the two of you, come on,” one of the managers said as I passed her at lunch. Salma and the other secretaries pretty much say the same thing too.
In a matter of months, I’m going to be Mrs Magnus Boyd. We’re supposed to talk about delineating the new boundaries that come with engagement and marriage tonight. Does he want me to quit? Is there a conflict of interest?
Every time I open my mouth to say we need to finally talk about it, the billionaire playfully pouts. “After I give you your tenth orgasm this evening, okay?” he suggests. “Please? For me?”
Goddamn Magnus is good.
The next thing I know, I’m spreading my legs for him, watching with anxious arousal as he teases me with kisses to my inner thighs, parting my legs just the way he wants, and swapping his kisses for laps of his tongue against my skin.
When he traces his tongue towards the source of my heat, making me arch my back as he begins to taste me, I instantly forget everything that doesn’t center around how delicious it is to have a man so extravagantly passionate — a man who exults in being with me.
“Did I say ten?” he lifts his head slightly, relieving the pressure on my pussy just long enough for me to throb and instantly miss him. “Maybe I should double that. Twenty.”
I am beyond wet for this man. “Darling,” I moan, “I don’t think my body’s even capable of handling that many climaxes. You’re gonna kill me.”
“A sweet, sweet death, in that case,” Magnus growls.
He has such incredible restraint that when he licks his lips in triumph minutes later having accomplished another flurry of back-to-back, overlapping orgasms, he even tells me he’ll wait until I catch my breath before he lets me have his cock.
“Fucking tease,” I pointedly say.
We go at this for hours. I know the taste and smell of his sweat intimately, and there’s nothing I enjoy more. Magnus is mine.
Eventually we settle into panting sighs and smiles. “Oh my God, don’t you dare try and tell me I need to cum another five times,” I tell him, jokingly pushing him away.
“No, no, you’re right, my love,” he laughs softly. “I think even I’m out of energy now. Congratulations. You’ve exhausted my stamina.”
“I did that?” I say, amused by his claim. “You wanna talk about exhausted stamina, you should have asked me how I was an hour ago.”
“Well… like I said, I’m addicted,” he winks. Magnus plants his head onto the pillow even harder, pulling me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me waist the way he normally does when he spoons me. “You’re so perfect.”
“Please, you flatterer,” I bat him away. “So much damn flattery with you.”
“Earnestness gets called flattery, right, okay,” Magnus pretends to be hurt. “I’ll have to fake a sense of grim, stony composure around you then.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” I wink back at him. “After all, didn’t you do that when we first met?”
“Touché,” he laughs.
Instead of cooking for me — and Phil, of course — the billionaire decides to have pizza delivered. We enjoy another vigorous round of amazing sex in the shower, before at some point remembering that we were trying to get clean, not dirty.
He looks especially magnificent in his bathrobe, rubbing a towel into his lush crop of hair. “Pizza’s here, I think. Let me get it.”
“Okay, miss you,” I flirt, wrapping a towel around me, the top of it just about covering my breasts.
I get dressed and rejoin Magnus at the beautiful wooden table he has as a statement piece in the middle of the living room. “I’ll call Phil down in a minute.”
“He can wait, I’m sure,” Magnus says, placing the pizza down and immediately standing behind me, wrapping his arms around me again. He’s practically clinging onto me. I love it.
“Mmm,” I smile.
“Okay, you wanted to do the talk. Let’s do it quick. Right now, before pizza. I can never think when I’m stuffing myself with pizza.”
“Right,” I say, quickly trying to organize my thoughts. There are so many things I need to say here. There’s that overwhelming obsession I have over us being normal.
It ends up being the only word I successfully blurt.
“Oh God, again?” Magnus laughs, but he quickly corrects his posture and nods sternly, making me know that he’s treating this with the sort of seriousness I would expect from him. “Well… what I can say here is that I know being normal, and leading a normal life is something that matters greatly to you. Therefore, it matters greatly to me too. Let’s not forget, now that we’re getting married, we’re also going to be raising a family together — when you’re ready, that is. And any children of mine should have the right to have all their needs cared for… without being spoiled rotten.”
My jaw drops. “A family, together?”
“Of course,” Magnus smiles at me. “I know that’s something you’ve been dreaming about without necessarily talking about.”
I’ve never felt more in love with a man. Here I was thinking he would default to some kind of passionate but emotionally distant relationship. Yet he’s showing here that he can be the kind of man who provides for me, really provides for me.
And provide for our children, too.
“Oh, you’re beyond amazing,” I sigh.
“I’ll take that over ‘old-fashioned’,” Magnus winks at me again. “And speaking about old-fashioned… do you trust me, Shaleigh?”
“Without a doubt,” I answer, kissing him on the shoulder as I rock my body forward.
“In that case, I’d like you to place your faith in me that I will always try to suit our lifestyle to an appropriate level. That’s all that matters, in the end. All the glitz and glam may come, but so long as we reach a level that’s appropriate for the both of us, we won’t have to worry about a damn thing,” Magnus tells me. His eyes gleam with sincerity.
“Okay,” I nod. “I believe you. We’ll find our own normal.”
“Of course, and we’re in this together.”
I can see that Magnus is paused, ready to say something… but perhaps contemplating whether now is the right time for it. “What’s on your mind, handsome?”
“Well… you know that whole thing about me being old-fashioned? I’ve actually got something to tell you — something big.”
Raising my eyebrows, I note, “I’m pretty sure you can’t possibly have got anything bigger to say than, say, proposing to me.”
Is he suggesting he’s going to leave a lot of the responsibilities at work to other people? I’m not sure I’m going to be particularly happy with that. In my mind, I complement him and all his talents and skills — I don’t hold him back from being the best CEO he could be.
“Well, given everything that’s happened, and given the current state of things… I thought it would be only appropriate for me to buy a house for Phil. And you.”
“A house for us?” I reply, my eyes widening in shock. “That might be nothing to you, but that’s… that’s a big deal, Magnus.”
“Excuse me, perhaps I need to clarify,” the billionaire clears his throat. “One house for him. One house for you. Fully paid-off. It’s not like I’m suggesting I’m going to be a sugar daddy who pays for everything for everyone — just that you deserve better than to have to worry about house payments or rent.”
“Oh my God, Magnus!” I wrap my arms around him. A mischievous glint appears in my eyes and I make sure he sees it. “So you don’t really want me around, huh? You’re content to have me move in with you, but you’d still rather I have my own place when I need to chill by myself? I see how it is…”
My fiancé laughs. “Shaleigh, if only it was that easy. No… I just think it’s a great idea if you own a place that is fully and firmly yours. Do whatever you’d like with it. Start a company there. Make it your office. We can both sleep there on alternate Tuesdays. I don’t know… maybe get a dozen dogs? Whatever you desire.”
I nod, still beaming with happiness. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you. I guess I’ll just have to swallow my pride and say yes, right?”
“That was the outcome I was banking on,” he says, kissing me.
His lips are warm to the touch, and they fill my whole body with hope. I’ve never met a man who’s ever been so fully devoted towards making me happy and secure.
The latter point is the most important thing for me. Happiness can be found temporarily or permanently… but security has to be built slowly, day by day, stacking brick after brick until it becomes a sturdy building that two people in love can live in. Together we’re stronger because of this. Because we want each other to be fulfilled.
“I don’t know about Phil, though,” I quickly note as we dress. “He might try and reject the house. It’s… it’s really something, after all.”
“Well, why don’t we try? I know he’s downstairs. I can hear him banging around the kitchen,” Magnus laughs. “Let’s go. Come on, beautiful.”
We leave the room, feeling like this is the first time in weeks I’ve managed to pry myself away from a bed and my hunky billionaire man. I reflexively find myself stretching because it just seems so foreign, trying to walk and be normal in a huge place like this.
“Heya,” Phil greets us, dipping a spoon into a bowl of breakfast cereal. Of course my roommate — well, former-roommate-to-be — eats his cereal without milk. “How are you two lovebirds today?”
“Phil, I have a proposition for you,” Magnus says. “After all the damage to your place and your possessions, I feel like it’s only fair for me to try and solve that problem if I can. And I’m thinking I can buy you a house. There’s already a property I’m in negotiations with a realtor over. Nice place, just about the same size as your old one. What do you say?”
Magnus is bracing himself for a modesty-influenced reluctant rejection, I can tell.
But what Phil does instead is grin out wide and run over to Magnus, hugging him tight. I join and we form a circle. “My God, damn son, of course I’m going to take a free house! Screw that old place… you two are the best things that have happened to me!”
Epilogue
The sea laps with gentle waves from the view from my bed. Magnus and I are wearing matching bathrobes, looking out the balcony. It’s our honeymoon, and Magnus chose a perfectly fitting destination for us to revisit: Australia.
Except we only dropped by Australia for the first night — after that, we got on a cruise ship.
“This has been a low-key dream of mine forever,” I tell Magnus. “All you can eat and an open bar while we dance on the deck? Be still my heart.”
“I have to say, it’s pretty fun,” Magnus laughs, getting back into bed with me. “I always thought of cruise ships as a stodgy way for old couples to spice their sex lives up by swinging.”
“Jesus, Magnus,” I flinch with amused shock. “That’s what you think? Not the luxury of being able to relax while a giant ship takes you from place to place? I mean, we’re going to New Zealand, passing the Great Barrier Reef, this is literally the sort of dream a girl from rural Georgia can only imagine but never actually have!”
“Except you can,” Magnus says as he wraps his arms around me and plants a kiss at the back of my neck. I immediately shudder from the lush, electric feeling of his lips. “I’m really glad you’re not seasick.”
“You know, I didn’t even factor that in,” I laugh. “I mean, it’s a little wobbly, sure, but it goes on to show how little I know about these luxury cruises that I never considered that it would still be like a ship on the sea, with waves and motion and seasickness.”
Magnus pulls me from the bed, practically yanking me towards the door. “Let’s go read from the deck. There’s a great pool there, and the sun’s out. We shouldn’t be forced inside our cabin the whole time.”
“Uh, excuse me,” I wink at him. “We’re not in a cabin. We’re in the executive state room.”
“Fine. A cabin that’s bigger than average,” he says. I know he acts like there’s no luxury that’s unfamiliar to him more out of a desire to tease me — it never gets aggravating, not when I can see the obvious playfulness in his eyes.
“Mrs Boyd,” he offers a hand to me once I get dressed. The relaxed atmosphere of the cruise ship means I get to go around wearing little more than a swimsuit and a sheer long blouse over it.
“Mr Boyd,” I take his hand.
We got married just a week and a half ago. Part of me wondered, up until the ceremony itself, whether this was real… but from the moment we exchanged our vows, it hit me. This is real. His love for me is real. My love for him is real.
We’d do anything for each other.
The sweetest gesture he made for me was to organize the wedding back in my hometown, smoothing the way for an army of Boyd employees to decorate the old, dilapidated town hall into a gorgeous setting for a small, intimate wedding.
I was able to introduce him to my grandma and my extended family. There was a lot to catch up on, and Magnus was a perfect gentlemen — everyone told me as much.
By the end of the wedding, an incredible weight had left me. I knew I would be able to integrate my past and my future together, here in my present.
Magnus traces his hands along the railing that marks the edges of the upper deck, as we pass a crowd of partygoers still raving about last night’s DJ.
“Well, I guess I’m wrong about one thing. Looks like the passengers here are distinctly younger than my initial preconception,” Magnus laughs. “I’ve only spotted one group of horny grandpas.”
“Hey, don’t mock them. You’re gonna grow into a horny grandpa one day,” I point out.
“A horny grandpa who’ll still be making counting competitions with his gorgeous wife about how many orgasms he can give her,” he winks right back.
“I love you,” I shut him up from his naughty approach. “Even if you’re a billionaire who thinks an executive state room is just an upgraded cabin.”
“I mean, what’s the difference, anyway?” Magnus says, keeping his grin up.
“Well, for one, there are windows. And space. And a bed that isn’t unlatched from the wall. Haven’t you read the brochure? You know what, Magnus, I’m glad I didn’t come from money — this means I’ll always have my sense of wonder when it comes to these luxuries,” I tell him.
He places his hands on my waist. “My darling, I would never dream of having you be blasé about wealth. You’re not gawking at money, my love. You’re appreciating the value it brings into your life. You’re appreciating the fact that together, we will have nothing we need to worry about… like you told me during our wedding, this is the first time you’ve known stable ground.”
I close my eyes and reopen them a moment later to see a beaming Magnus still holding me close to him. “I’m so fucking in love.”
“No kidding,” he says. “Just look at the way you look at me.”
For his teasing, Magnus gets a light slap to his chest. “Can’t wait to get back to work after our honeymoon,” I
actually end up saying.
I know this is just the sort of thing to surprise Magnus. “Really? I was thinking I could just stay here with you forever, leave the company to more able hands. Why do you say that?”
“Well, because I’ve really found a niche for myself, you know? Managing that deal for you was something that felt natural to me. I’m so excited to see where that goes. You know, I’m lucky. Other girls don’t get both romantic and professional fulfillment. Yet here, with you, I do.”
Magnus grins and leans forward for a kiss. “I knew I hired the right candidate.”
* * *
THE END
About the Author
Angelika Robinson is a 28 year old (okay… 40-something…) long-time romance reader turned writer, living in McDonough, GA — just outside Atlanta. She grew up a voracious reader of all literature, with a special love for books starring enigmatic, sexy heroes. Although she’s a city girl, she’s always been tempted by the laid-back, tight-knit lifestyle of a dreamy small town… and when her Mr Right came a-knocking, she couldn’t say no.
Now Angelika lives with her husband Peter, their two preteen children, and a dog, André, in a house Peter’s grandfather built for his grandmother: how romantic! There’s even an attic reserved for her writing space. Angelika spends what free time she has in between playing chauffeur for the kids and writing romance novels by obsessively reading every new release out in the market. She’s addicted to HEAs!
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If you enjoyed one of my books, please leave a review — and don’t forget to join my mailing list so you can be the first one to know about any of her new releases! http://eepurl.com/bGdDcH
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