by Layla Hagen
“I can be convincing like that.”
Oh, this man, I loved him so much. I cupped his face with my palms, loving the way his five o'clock shadow felt against my skin.
I couldn't believe it. He wanted me here. He wanted a future for us. I bit my lip, and this time his groan was more of a growl.
The next second, he leaned in, capturing my mouth in a deep kiss. It electrified every cell in my body until I rose on my toes, placing one hand on the back of his neck and the other on his chest. He was mine. He was all mine.
I kissed him back desperately, needing more, needing to feel close to him. He brought an arm around my waist and placed the other one on my back, as if feeling that I needed more contact. We both laughed when we pulled apart.
He was looking at me intensely again. There was a fierceness in his eyes I'd never seen before. He touched my face with both hands, tipping my head, so I looked right at him.
"I love you, Ellie. You're so damn important to me. You've changed me. I've told you that. It's a privilege to be with you now and in the future. I love everything about you."
“Let’s go home,” I whispered.
“Hell, yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ian
I didn’t need her to ask me twice. I wanted to be completely alone with her too. I needed it. I wanted to explore her the whole night, the whole damn week. The rest of my life.
The Uber ride to my condo was twenty minutes—way too long. I was so damn hungry for her.
The second we were indoors, I pushed her against the wall, kissing her until she hummed against my mouth. Her body was vibrating. I needed to explore every inch of her.
I started by taking off our coats, dropping them in the foyer. Then I lowered myself on my haunches, taking off her sexy ankle boots. Skimming both hands under her dress, I found the waistband of her tights and yanked them down. We both laughed when we heard the sound of fabric ripping.
"I think those are my tights," she said as she stepped out of them. "How am I going to get out of the apartment?"
"You just won't. This is a perfect excuse," I said.
"Oh, I see. So you did this on purpose."
"No, but it worked out the way I wanted." I trailed my fingers up her bare ankles, slowly moving them on the back of her knees and up her thighs. I inched up her sweater dress, following the trail with my mouth on her right thigh until she shivered.
I moved farther up, bunching the dress around her waist and nudging her legs apart. I skimmed my thumb over her panties, between her thighs, until she was soaking wet and gasping.
I looked up at her. I loved seeing her face crumpled with pleasure like this. Her eyes were shut, and she reached back with her hand to the console to steady herself. I wanted to bring her completely on edge so that all her senses would be alert. I wanted to overwhelm her with pleasure and worship her like the goddess she was.
I continued to skim my thumb over that same patch of fabric, only briefly brushing her clit, splaying my hand on her lower belly. I smiled when she took the dress off herself. She was desperate for me. I kissed up her stomach until I reached her breasts and clamped my mouth around one nipple over the fabric. I lavished the other one with attention, too, skimming my thumb over it. I wanted her so sensitive that she could barely breathe from the pleasure I was about to give her.
I smiled against her breasts when she tugged at my shirt and pulled it over my head. We made eye contact for a few seconds before she leaned in to kiss my chest and Adam's apple. She cupped my erection over my jeans, and I groaned.
"Fuck," I exclaimed. The zipper pressing against my erection was almost painful. She pushed my jeans down, and I lost control. I kissed her hard, doing away with her bra and panties. We were both naked before we even stumbled into the living room, and we only made it as far as the kitchen counter.
I took a condom out of a drawer and put it on, liking the hungry look in her eyes when she saw me touching my cock.
“Keeping condoms everywhere, huh?” she teased.
“I like to be prepared.” I turned her around so her ass was facing me, and she looked at me over her shoulder, eyes wide.
"Hands on the counter. Lean forward," I said.
Licking her lips, she lowered herself with her elbows on the counter, but I pressed her back, so her nipples brushed the cold granite. She gasped as a shock wave went through her. Goose bumps broke on her arms, ass, and thighs. I positioned myself at the entrance, first rubbing her clit with my tip until she gasped and then moaned before sliding in all the way.
I needed to possess her. I needed her now. She tilted her head back, moaning my name. I moved in and out, at first a slowly, but then I bent over her, putting one hand on the counter for balance as I increased my pace. I brought my free hand to her pussy, circling her clit. I moved it in large, soft circles, watching her face to see what brought her the most pleasure. Her orgasm formed slowly while I was fighting to stave off mine. I knew she was close when she pinched her eyes closed and balled her hands into fists. If we’d been on a bed, she would have fisted the sheets.
She exploded beautifully. She parted her legs even wider. Her whole body curved while I held her tight, feeling her clench around me.
As she rode out the wave of pleasure, she was soft and pliable in my arms, and I moved us to the couch. We both needed to lie down. Standing up took far too much energy when I wanted to focus it all on her. I lay down on the couch on my back, and she climbed on top of me. She looked down at my erection, sliding down it at her own pace.
"Fuck," I exclaimed. She was so damn tight. She moved in a slow rhythm, driving me crazy. I pushed myself up enough to explore her chest and her breasts and to kiss her. Her tongue desperately searched mine, and I kissed her just the way she liked it: hot, dirty, wet.
I was already on edge because she was so tight, but when I felt her come apart again only a few minutes later, I couldn't hold back anymore. Everything faded when she cried out my name—everything except the shocking pleasure rolling through me. The orgasm took over my entire body. My chest tightened, my muscles clenched, my vision faded.
"Stay like this," I said and held her on top of me.
"We're sweaty, but I like it."
"I'll keep that in mind." I stroked her back, cupping her ass. She seemed lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
"Can I have all those flowers brought to the apartment?" Her expression was dreamy. I was so proud for putting it there.
"I'll take care of it.”
“Thanks! By the way, I’m going to talk to my boss tomorrow and tell her I’ll accept the position here.”
“Hell, yes. Best thing I’ve heard.” I pressed my mouth against hers, kissing her long and deep. She was mine.
“Someone’s happy about that,” she murmured.
“Yeah. Ellie, are you sure? If you think the rotation is better for your experience, or even moving to New Orleans for a while... we can pull it off.”
She frowned. “You hated the idea before.”
“Because I thought it meant you’d leave me. I’m on board with anything. As long as you’re mine.”
“I’m sure. I still want to open my restaurant down the road. And I think I can learn a lot here. But here is the thing. Since meeting you, I realized that building my dream doesn’t mean I have to give up on everything else. Thank you for showing me that.”
I touched her cheek, kissing her chin. “I spoke to Dylan about the coding platform.”
Her eyes lit up. “What did he say?”
“He was excited for me. I’m going to seriously work on it after the rollout for Project Z is over. I can’t wait. You’re a good influence on me, Ellie. I’m never letting you go.”
“I want to be here with you. I’ll work out everything else.”
“We are working out everything else,” I reminded her.
Ellie giggled.
“What?”
“I just can’t b
elieve you think you’re not romantic. Remember when you took care of me when I came home from the hospital? That was super romantic, the way you said to call you because I'm yours."
"You are, Ellie." I brought a hand to her face, cupping her jaw. "All mine."
She giggled, shifting on top of me. I groaned.
"See? That's what I mean. You’re romantic and don’t even know it. Can you say it a couple more times?"
I rolled her over the next second so I was on top. I buried my mouth in her neck, kissing up to her ear. "Your wish is my command."
Epilogue
Ellie
One Month Later
The day after I officially started my full-time job at On Point, I was over the moon, and I was throwing a party to celebrate. Ian said I could host it at his place, and I loved the idea.
I was in the bedroom where the catering team had brought all the food, laying it on folding tables with chafing dishes and iced trays. There wasn’t enough counter space in the kitchen to bring everything at once.
I surveyed the bed, happy with the order. The chef in charge of Isabelle’s party, which was taking place the next week, catered the food. Isabelle had advised me not to do the cooking myself because I would be more stressed about cooking than enjoying the party. It turned out she was right. Someone else was in charge of the culinary side, and I was still stressing about it.
We had quite a few people coming in. Dylan, Josie, and Isabelle were coming with their family, of course, but I’d also invited the Winchesters. I really liked them. They were a fun group. I straightened up when I heard the doorbell ring. Okay, that was interesting. The guests weren’t supposed to arrive for another hour. Were they already here? I left the bedroom quickly and was stunned when I heard voices in the living room. Oh my God. My family was here. I had invited them, but except for Henry, no one RSVP’d. Mom said she'd try to make it, and Dad said he didn't think they could leave.
But they were all there in the living room.
"What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I asked. My voice wasn't right. It was a bit high-pitched, but hey, I could be forgiven for it, right? I hadn't seen the family together in a long time. Mom had styled her brown hair in a bob since I last FaceTimed with her. It looked good on her, contrasting with her angular cheekbones. Linc, my stepdad, had a big smile on his face. Stephanie, my stepmom, was wearing a yellow dress and looked lovely.
Dad was clapping Ian’s shoulder, winking at me.
What was happening? When did Dad meet Ian? I’d thought about introducing Ian to my parents in person whenever I used the voucher Ian had gifted me, but it seemed that it wasn’t necessary anymore.
Henry was closest to me, and he hugged me first. I looked at Mom over his shoulder. She was smiling from ear to ear.
"We're surprising you," Mom said.
"Ian did what I never could manage: get everyone together," Henry said.
"He's a great guy," Mom added.
"I like what I'm hearing. Everyone's singing my praises," Ian exclaimed, looking proud of himself. He hooked an arm around my waist, kissing my cheek from behind.
“Okay, I need details,” I said. “When did all this happen?”
“Recently,” Ian replied with an air of mystery. I was so immensely happy. I couldn't believe Ian pulled this off. And he thought he wasn't a romantic? I couldn't imagine anything more romantic than this.
"All right. We have some time until everyone else arrives," Ian said, "but we can pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate Ellie's new job."
“Yes, let's celebrate," I said. My voice still wasn't right. Ian immediately brought a bottle. He poured drinks in seven glasses, and then we all clinked.
"We're so proud of you, Ellie," Mom said. Oh my God, she was a bit teary-eyed. This was so uncharacteristic for her that my stepdad kissed her temple.
Dad spoke next. "You've come a long way, little one. We're proud that you went after your dream. We might not make it there to celebrate every accomplishment, but we're proud of you, and we love you."
Ian was right next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders as if he knew how important this was for me and that I was emotionally in need of his support.
"Ellie, no one is happier than me that you moved to New York. It's not an exaggeration when I say that you've changed my life for the better." He looked at me, and I was startled at the emotion swimming in his eyes. Something clenched in my chest. "I'm so lucky you moved here and wanted to be my girlfriend. And I need luck on my side again today.”
Everyone seemed to draw in their breath. What was going on?
He took a step back and lowered himself down on one knee. My breath caught. I brought a hand to my chest. He took a velvet box out of his pocket, holding it out to me. "I'd be the luckiest man if you wanted to be my wife. Here, before everyone, I wanted to ask you—will you marry me?"
I clasped my hand there on the velvet box, taking it in my hands for a closer look.
"I think that's a yes," Mom said.
I started to laugh, and so did Ian as he stood up, putting the ring on my finger. It was gorgeous, with a square-cut diamond, and there were also little stones around the edge.
I hugged him tightly, but my throat wasn't working properly, so I couldn't put in words everything I was feeling.
Mom and Linc hugged me first, and then Dad and Stephanie. I could feel everyone's happiness like a blanket around me. Henry hugged both me and Ian at the same time.
Once everyone returned to nursing their drinks, Ian kept an arm around my waist. "My parents will kill me. Isabelle and Josie too," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"The plan was to wait for everyone to arrive before proposing."
I couldn't help but laugh. “So you couldn't wait, huh?"
"No, I couldn't."
We chatted a bit about everyone’s journey, and Ian opened another bottle of champagne. The rest of the guests arrived earlier than we expected, by a full thirty minutes. Mom’s eyes were wide when she saw both the Winchester and the Gallagher gang. She was used to me making friends wherever I moved, but she wasn’t used to me letting people in my life the way I’d let in Ian and his family and friends.
Skye, Josie, and Ryker brought their kids, too, so the condo was getting super crowded.
Isabelle took one look at my hand and burst out laughing, nudging Josie, who shook her head, smiling from ear to ear.
"We should have come even earlier. I told you he wouldn't be able to wait," she said.
Ryker gave Ian a thumbs-up. “Great job. Can’t believe you went from self-proclaimed bachelor to engaged already! It’s a record in this group.”
Ian groaned. “Ryker. I worked hard to build my reputation with Ellie’s parents. Don’t ruin it.”
Ryker winced. “Sorry, man.”
I leaned into him, kissing his jawline. “Awww, don’t worry about that. They adore you.”
Tess took her nephew from Skye’s arms, and with him on her hip, came to us.
When everyone said their congratulations, I could feel Ian's gaze on me. I looked over my shoulder at him, winking. How could I be this happy?
"Okay, everyone, I'm just going to bring in some appetizers for us to snack on. I'll be right back," I said after a while.
To my surprise, Mom joined me, and we both checked on the canapés: cheese platters and slices of baguette with vegetable spreads. It was mostly food that didn’t need to be refrigerated for that short time. Mom was looking around with a smile. She seemed lost in thought.
"Mom, is everything okay?" I asked.
"Yes.”
“Want to tell me how Dad already knew Ian? Well, all of you?”
Mom couldn’t keep secrets. “Yes, it was honestly the most romantic thing I’ve seen. He spoke to Henry first, who told us he’d be coming to visit us.”
Holy shit, he’d gone there in person? How did I not notice? I mean, we weren’t living together yet, so there were a couple of nights a we
ek we didn’t sleep in the same place, but still.
“I was so stunned when Ian asked for your hand in marriage. He went to both our households, your dad's and mine, and spoke with each of us, and also told us how important it is for you to see us all together. I'm sorry that I didn't pay attention before."
"Mom, it's okay."
"No, it's not, but it will be from now on. I'm so glad you found him and that you're happy. It makes me fulfilled. For a while, I thought you weren't going to give your heart to anyone."
I couldn't correct her because I had thought the same, but Ian changed something inside me.
I hugged Mom tightly, immensely happy that she was here. "Okay. Let's go back," I said once I pulled back. “I’ll take a tray. Can you take one too?”
“Sure.”
We each managed to grab two small trays, carrying them to the kitchen island. The group was standing and chatting around the room. I loved seeing the gang come together. I tiptoed to Ian, who seemed to hear me approach anyway, and turned around, immediately putting both hands on my waist. My skin ignited. How could a simple touch affect me so much?
"Thank you for asking everyone to come here," I whispered.
"Anything to make you happy, Ellie. Always." He kissed the side of my neck, and then he turned around to the group. "Everyone, this was supposed to be the moment when I proposed," Ian said loudly. Taking my hand, he held it up for everyone to see. "If you can't see from my fiancée’s finger, I was too eager. Thank you all for coming here to celebrate this milestone with us. Being surrounded by our family makes us both happy, and we're looking forward to celebrating many more milestones together."
"Hey, don't you even think about eloping," Josie warned, "or accidentally getting married before the guests arrive."
"Yes. I can forgive missing the proposal, but not the wedding," Isabelle added.
"We won't do that. I promise," I said. Everyone toasted. I loved the happiness practically rolling off everyone.
“Did you decide where you want to have the wedding?" Tess asked.
I pressed my lips together, glancing at Ian from the corner of my eye. "No, he just proposed, but I think we have time. I mean, we haven't even set a date."
