"Well, that works out great. Because I picked you a long time ago."
* * *
"Say it again," Amanda begged as Derek thrust deep inside her. It was still early, but they'd spent the rest of the afternoon in bed making love. Fast and hard. Slow and lazy. Didn't matter. They just wanted each other.
"Say it," she begged.
"I love you," Derek murmured as he buried himself inside her. "I love you, Amanda. And I always will."
"I love you, too," she said, but that was all she could manage, because he was close, and he'd quickened his pace, thrusting deeper each time until he'd completely filled her, and she didn't know where he ended and she began.
"Touch yourself," he demanded. "Come with me."
With a moan, she slid her hand between their bodies, then stroked her clit, her passion rising as she felt his muscles tense. And then--faster than she'd anticipated--her body went over. Her sex clenched with the force of the orgasm, milking him. Taking him to the final, utter edge until they both fell, shattered and satisfied, against each other as the world slowly put itself back together.
; "That was spectacular," Amanda murmured.
"You're spectacular."
She smiled, but didn't roll over. She was too wiped to even move.
Or so she thought until the phone rang. Then she leaped for it, saying a silent prayer when she saw it was Reece. "How is she?"
"Perfect," he said. "And so is the baby."
"Thank goodness." She nodded to Derek, and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Jenna said she has a favor to ask Derek, and that surely he won't turn down an injured pregnant woman."
"What's that?"
"One of the contestants dropped out of the next Man of the Month contest. She wants him to take the slot."
Amanda let her eyes drift over the naked man beside her, then decided that she was generous enough to share his bare chest with the world. So long as there was no touching. "He's in," she said, flashing him an evil grin.
"Shouldn't you ask him?"
"Nope," she said, scampering backward as Derek tried to grab the phone. "He told me he loved me and that he'd do anything for me. I'm calling in my marker. Wait!" she cried as Derek stole the phone, and the last thing she heard was the echo of Reece's laughter.
* * *
Just shy of two weeks later, she stood in the crowd at The Fix on Sixth and watched the crowd ooh and ahhh over her shirtless, gorgeous boyfriend.
"They do know he's mine," she asked Jenna, who was still using a crutch, but otherwise fine.
"They know."
Amanda nodded with satisfaction. "I knew he was going to win, you know."
"Oh? How?"
Amanda shrugged. "Simple. He's been my man of the month for the last year. About time he got the title to go with it."
Then she blew a kiss to the man she loved, and sighed with pleasure when he caught it and sent it right back, his eyes on no woman but her.
Epilogue