“It’s okay,” I whisper, as fire rages through me at the mention of his name. “He’s never going to hurt you again.”
“We never did anything…intimate,” she goes on. “I would never let him and, for all Declan’s cruelty, he was never physical with me. I think that’s one of the reasons he hated me so much. So what we just did, between you and me, was the first sexual anything I’ve ever done. That’s why it all seemed like such a big deal.”
My manhood hardens, leaking hot precome, as the revelation hammers into me. She’s never done anything intimate before. I’m going to be her first everything. I’m going to be the man that shows her how sexy she truly is.
“It’s okay. I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself.”
“I just thought you should know. I want to keep… exploring that part of our relationship though.” She laughs adorably. “That sounds so freaking awesome. Our relationship. I can’t believe how fast we’re moving.”
At another red light, I take her hand in mine, squeezing as softly as I can when she’s so close to me. “But it feels right, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” she whispers. “It feels perfect.”
The word perfect echoes through my mind.
If what we have right now feels perfect, what the hell is going to happen when I drop the atom bomb of my full desire?
“We’re not just boyfriend and girlfriend. You’re mine, Autumn. Forever. I own you. Your body belongs to me. Your mind belongs to me. Everything about you is mine.”
I feel like a jackass, not telling her the full truth, but the idea of scaring her away makes my insides churn.
Pulling into the parking garage, I climb from the car and lead Autumn over to the elevator. I keep my hand on the small of her back, cradling her possessively, even when every instinct tells me to move my hand lower.
I can’t stop thinking about the way she looked, lying on her back, pink pussy glistening with her wetness, her slit looking so ready for my cock.
As we ride the elevator up, I spin and crush her against the wall. She whimpers as I kiss her. Her arms loop around my shoulders as I slide my hand down to her hips, around to her ass. I squeeze, eliciting another moan, as I walk her toward my door.
I open the door and Egil starts yapping from the end of the hall.
Autumn tilts her head at me, a captivating smile on her lips. “I’m guessing that’s the little guy?”
“That would be him.”
Taking her hand – using all my willpower not to guide it to my rock solid dick – we walk down the hallway together. Egil leaps up at me, tongue hanging out, as I kneel and greet him. Then he turns to Autumn, sniffing the air as though cautious.
But when Autumn kneels next to me, Egil rushes over and leaps onto her knees. Autumn giggles and sits on the floor, stroking the little Jack Russell as he whines and rolls onto his back, offering his belly for belly rubs.
“He likes you,” I say.
There’s no way he could not like her. Egil must sense that this woman is going to be around for a very long time.
He must sense that I’ve branded her as mine, forever.
He must know I’m never going to let her go.
“Shall we take him for a walk?” Autumn asks. “He seems so full of energy.”
“A walk sounds good. But he’s always full of energy. Aren’t you, little man?”
Egil spins and runs over to me, panting as he wags his tail and spins in circles.
“We have to take him for a walk now, anyway.” I chuckle. “Once you say it, he’ll never let you forget it.”
I grab his harness and his leash, and together Autumn and I wrestle the little man into his harness. We’re laughing all the while, and I think about how we’ll laugh as we dress our first child, or when they’re old enough to toddle ahead, splashing in puddles.
A thousand vignettes run through my mind's eye as I meet my woman’s gaze.
“Ready?” she asks.
She means for the dog walk, but I’m ready, ready for everything, ready for a life with my Autumn. Holding the leash in one hand, I reach forward and take her hand with my other.
“I’m ready,” I tell her, and we make for the door.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Autumn
“So what happened after the dog walk?” Paula asks, sitting at the table of the college’s break room and staring at me with her wide hungry-for-gossip eyes. “This is so crazy. One second he’s going to read your essay. Next, you’re doing the dirty and you’re in a relationship.”
I smile. I haven’t been able to stop. Ever since he said he wanted me to be his girlfriend, I’ve had a wide grin on my face, my cheeks aching. “I know. I couldn’t believe it when he kissed me, and then… Well, you know what happened.”