The door closes behind Marshall as Grant’s arms go under my legs to pick me up. “He’s right, you need your rest.”
“What I need is for you to make love to me.” I tell him as my arms go around his neck. Pulling him down to me, I kiss him with all the desperate longing I’ve been feeling.
I barely feel the mattress as I sink into it, I’m only aware Grant follows me down. Frantically, I pull off his shirt, needing to feel the heat of his skin against mine. Grant rolls away, I sob in loss, until I feel his hands pulling off my skirt with my panties in one quick motion.
His hands lift me up then onto him, I guide him into me, moaning as I sink onto him. I sway at the feeling of him deep inside me, my hands flat on his chest catch me. An agonized plea slips from me, “Grant,” it never matters I’m on top, he knows what this position does to me.
He slides my shirt off. When his hands free my breasts, blue eyes glow fire as he cups a heavy breast, running his thumb over the painfully tight nipple pleading for his mouth. “Don’t ever leave me again. You’re mine. No matter where you go.”
Seeing the pain flutter across his face, I run a finger over his lips. “Never. I’m yours forever.”
With a sigh, his hands go down to my hips, showing me again how to move on him. We’re both too full of pent up need to last long. What feels like only minutes later I fall apart with abandon, knowing Grant will put me back together again. The feel of Grant coming inside me with a long moan has me sinking down over him, reveling in the feel of his skin against mine. I whisper to the thudding of his heartbeat. “I love you.”
His arms squeeze me tight, “I love you, too, never doubt it ever, forever.”
Slowly we both slip into sleep.
I wake up to the sensation of Grant’s mouth sucking my nipple. My hand goes into his hair to hold him in place. “Mmm... god that feels so good.”
“You were asleep forever. I was beginning to worry you would sleep right through our wedding.”
“I love that you know the best way to wake me up is by making love to me.”
“Hmm... it helps your already sensitive breasts are even more so now, because of the baby. I can hardly wait until the baby comes to find out how they will be then. Do you want to breastfeed the baby? If you do, do I still get to enjoy these breasts I love so much?” His hand covers the barely perceptible swelling of my abdomen.
I smile at the way he asks hopefully. I love how he asks, not assuming anything. “I would like to breastfeed, and
you’d better keep enjoying these breasts when I do. When Thomas was born I wanted to breastfeed, but he was weak and didn’t feed often enough. I dried up after only a few weeks.”
Grant runs a finger down my cheek, “You haven’t talked about him since the ultrasound. Do you want to? Is there anything you’ve held back because of my blundering?”
Running my hand from his head down to his neck I pull him to me to kiss him lightly. “Not really, no. All I’ve really been thinking of is how amazing you’ve made these last few weeks and how different it was from when I was pregnant with Thomas. I’ve just been marveling over how much you want our baby and the way you want to be a full time dad, not because you’re already home, but because you want to be there for our kids.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about him, it’s that I’ve learned over the years he’s gone and that being sad about that isn’t going to change anything. I just make a point to remember him on his birthdays and I can never help but think of him at Christmas, then I let him go.”
His kiss is gentle. “If you want to share your memories of him I’m here to listen. Would you like to keep your last name? I’ve liked hearing everyone calling you Mrs. Dexter over the last few weeks. I know it was a way for you to remember him. I don’t want to take that away from you.”
When I burst into tears at his soft solemn words I stun us both. I barely hear Grant cursing as he pulls me into his arms tight enough to steal my breath. It takes a little while for the tears to stop. Grant doesn’t say anything through it, simply holding me tight. “Normally, when you cry it’s because you’re happy, but right now I’m not taking anything for granted. Why the tears, sweetheart?”
“Because I’m happy you asked, that you didn’t just assume. I also realized it’s been nine years and I can let it go, but I don’t want to. I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to know today or tomorrow or even a few weeks from now. When you know, you’ll know, and you can tell me anything. Don’t forget there’s always Anne Thomas Dexter as an option, very twenty-first century woman with a dignified ring to it.” He sighs as he shakes his head, and I look up at him with surprise.
“I’m doing it again. Asking you about things you might not want to talk about. From now on, talk to me if you want or tell me you don’t want to talk about it if you don’t want to. You can also ask me anything and know that I’ll talk until you tell me to shut up. Also, if you feel like I’m not giving you the attention you need, then you need to tell me what you need, and you have every right to expect it.”
I wonder how it happened, how I got lucky enough for this man to love me. Then I look into his eyes and see the same sense of wonder as he runs a hand down my body. “You take care of my physical needs very well. Do you think you could take care of them now? It’s been weeks since you spanked me. Then what do you say we get ready to go get married?”
Grant smiles wide, “You were a very bad girl for running away. I do believe a spanking is in order. Although you didn’t get far, so maybe I’ll let you come at least once before you get ready.”
The promise of him withholding my orgasm is an exquisite torture I still don’t know if I love or hate. All I know is it has me reaching for him.
When the doors of the elevator open to the rooftop deck I gasp at the change of it from the last time I saw it. Peonies are everywhere in bright pinks, white, and reds filling the air with a sweet perfume. With the setting sun washing the whole thing in a golden glow, it looks magical.
I hear Robin crying, but the only thing I see is Grant waiting for me. I’m glad it doesn’t take me long to get to him. He takes the white peony bouquet from me and hands it to Marshall. Robin is crying too hard to be trusted with the bouquet. Marshall takes the flowers with a shrug and smile.
Even with the need for an interpreter for the smiling mayor of Venice, the ceremony doesn’t last long. I’m glad, because I can’t stop smiling and my cheeks are beginning to hurt. Before the man has the words out of his mouth, Grant is kissing me. We had already promised each other just a small kiss, only, hearing the words, simple yet so full of meaning, the kiss goes from small to fire in an instant.
Only the feeling of Grant pressing into me, the need for fulfillment of the promise of our kiss, stirs either of us enough to hear the laughter around us. Oh god, my face is burning in embarrassment as I bury it into Grant’s chest.