Me: I’m ready now.
Harry Stone: I’ll be home in three hours, you vixen. And you’re getting spanked over this.
Me: I’ll be waiting.
I lick my lips, already thinking about later. There’s just something about Harry. His intensity was unnerving when I thought he was a horrible human, but when that intensity is focused on my pleasure, it’s hard to focus on anything else.
I have to, though. Even though Harry and I have serious chemistry between the sheets, I don’t want to fall at his feet. I force myself to get up, put Avery down for her nap and go into the kitchen to empty the dishwasher.
No matter how I try to distract myself though, my mind keeps wandering back to Harry. The image of him in his office, sitting behind his desk in a dark suit with an erection both amuses me and gets me hot.
There’s no way I’m falling asleep early this time. Harry said as many times as I want, and I’m taking him up on it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Harry
“That was way beyond a normal sixty-nine,” Winter says lazily as she lays her cheek on my chest. “That was amazing.”
“Glad you approved.” I kiss her forehead, relaxed and content after coming twice.
Three times for her, because she was wet and ready from the moment Avery fell asleep for the night.
I’ve realized over the past few days that Winter is the woman of my dreams. What I feel for her is more than attraction. I see a real future for us, the whole shebang with marriage, babies, anniversaries. I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t want the same future for us that I do.
“Do you want more kids?” I ask her.
She laughs softly. “Before Avery, I didn’t want kids at all. I was very firm about the decision, too. I wanted to travel and live my life and not worry about anyone but myself.”
“And has that changed?”
“Completely. I can’t imagine life without her now.”
“Me either. And I don’t want her to grow up an only child.”
A few seconds of silence pass before Winter asks, “Are you saying you want to have more kids…with me?”
“Yes, I want that more than anything.”
I run my fingertips over her back, still a little damp with sweat. She’s thinking about what I said but not moving away from me, which I’m taking as a good sign.
“Any thoughts?” I ask after about a minute, the anticipation of her answer nearly killing me.
“It seems like you went from not liking me, to wanting to have sex with me, to wanting a lot more, really quickly.”
“I never disliked you.”
She laughs softly. “There’s no way you liked me when we first met, Harry. I was so awful to you.”
“You thought you were doing what was best for Avery. I admired that.”
We’re both quiet for a moment before she says, “I’ll never be one of those women who absolutely adores and fawns all over you, Harry.”
“Not even when I’m giving you oral?” I joke.
“Okay, maybe then. But you know what I mean.”
I kiss her temple and run my hand down to the small of her back.
“Why is it so hard for you to accept that I love you just the way you are?”
She shifts quickly and sits up, the dim light in the bedroom outlining her stunned expression.
“Love? You just said love, Harry.”
“I did. Because I love you.”
“How?” I can tell she’s exasperated by the tone of her voice. “You don’t know me well enough to love me.”
“I’ve lived with you for more than two months now. I know.”
She exhales softly, pulling her knees to her chest. “Why do you want to be with me so much?”
Winter still doesn’t trust my motives completely, and I don’t know if she ever will. All I can do is bare my soul and hope she sees I’m being genuine.
I sit up, so we’re face to face, and tilt her chin up so our eyes meet. “The more I get to know you and the more I get to be with you, the more I want. It’s that simple. I want to marry you and have babies with you. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
“Marry me?” she whispers.
“When I want something, I don’t want a little bit of it. I want it all.”
“Am I the ‘it’ in this situation?”
“Winter.”
“I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m just…floored.”
“You don’t have to give me an answer right now.” I reach for her hand and thread our fingers together.
“Will you…was that it? Was that you asking me if I’ll marry you?”
“No,” I say with a sheepish grin. “I’m sure as hell gonna do better than that. There will be a real proposal. I just want you to know, I’m all in. I want this, Winter. With you. I want to share my life with you.”