Lukas (Ashes & Embers 3)

I close my eyes and start to play. The melody is slow, haunting, and emotional. It’s everything she makes me feel, and I’m grateful I’m talented enough to play with deep emotion, to make her feel it with me.

Her eyes don’t leave me as I play, and she sways as she listens, her eyes glimmering with tears. She loves it; I can feel it pouring out of her. She loves me. She has quickly become my world, my best friend, my lover, my biggest fan, my queen. I’ve played the violin and piano in front of all sorts of crowds, ranging from metal concerts to classical plays to open mic night at the café, but playing this for her means more to me than any other audience I’ve ever been in front of. I want her to be proud of me and feel equal standing next to me as my wife. I won’t ever be some big fucking executive in a corner office wearing a tailored suit, but I know for damn sure that I’ll be someone that her and the kids will be proud of.

“I loved it,” she whispers when I’m finished playing, her voice hoarse. “It was so incredibly beautiful . . . and moving. I have goosebumps.” She sniffles and wipes at her eyes. “You are so amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s called Fierce.”

She nods, smiling knowingly at me, remembering. “You do love me that way, just like I asked you to,” she murmurs.

“I do, Ivy. More than you could ever know.”

Moving closer to her, I take her face in my hands, kissing her deeply, wanting to possess every part of her.

“I love you the same,” she says breathlessly.

“I was hoping you’d say that. Close your eyes, little doll.”

A smile touches her lips, and her eyes close. I take her hand and gently slide the diamond ring onto her finger. After weeks of searching, I found it at an antique shop, and it’s perfect for her—for us. A two-carat heart-shaped diamond set in rose gold with tiny diamonds and floral etchings down the side, it’s delicate and feminine, just like her.

I kiss her hand. “Open your eyes.”

Her eyes flutter open, but she doesn’t look at her hand. Instead, she locks her eyes on to mine. “I know what you just did,” she says, choking up. “And I’m not going to look at it yet. First, I’m going to tell you how precious you are to me, and I love you with everything that I am. My soul recognized yours that day we first met.”

She stills my heart in the way that only she can. “I had a big speech memorized, but you just made me forget it,” I tell her. “So, I’m gonna just say what I feel now. You’re everything to me. You’re the stability and safety I need, and the only one I would trust my heart with. You can make all my dreams come true, and I want to make yours come true, if you let me. I will always cherish you.”

We kiss before she finally looks down at her hand, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open. “My God, Lukas, it’s beautiful.” She covers her mouth as she stares at it. “Wow. Holy moly, I love it. Thank you so much.” I smile at her and take her small hand in mine, turning her hand so I can see the diamond sparkle.

“You don’t thank me for an engagement ring, baby. You say yes. Or no. But, hopefully yes.”

“Yes. It’s still yes. It will always be yes.”

“Good.” I kiss her softly. “Welcome to your happily ever after.”

She grabs my shirt and pulls me against her. “God, Lukas, I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you always manage to take my breath away.” She presses her soft lips to mine again and then pulls away, grinning impishly at me. “This is kinda funny, but I have a special gift for you tonight, too.”

I lean back against the love seat and stretch my legs out in front of me. “Oh, really? Does it entail you getting naked soon? Because I’m about to rip that dress off you.” Emotional closeness with her always mutates into an intense need to have wild sex with her, and tonight is no different. I want her clothes off like yesterday.

She laughs and smiles seductively at me. “You get that, too, but first . . . this.” She digs into her purse and hands me a small box.

I take it in my hand and slowly turn it over. It’s a very small box, like a ring box, and it’s made of oak. I’ve never seen such a tiny box made of real wood before. “It’s wild. I love it.”

She lets out an exasperated sigh. “Lukas! That’s just the box! Open it.”

“I love the box, though. It’s handmade. I can tell.”

“I know that. I found it just for you, for what’s inside. Now open it.”

Inside the box is a black metal ring with a tiny teal gem that’s the exact color of her eyes nestled in purple velvet. I suck in a breath, and my heartbeat quickens. No one has ever given me such an awesome gift. My fingers shake as I try to take the ring out of its velvet bed, but I can’t even grab it. She leans forward and takes it out of the box for me.

“Looks like we’ve had the same thing on our minds lately,” she says softly. “I wanted to give you a symbol of my love for you, a promise that I’m going to be here with you forever.” She slips it onto my right hand. “We’ll leave that finger open for your wedding band.” She nods toward my left hand.

“I’m never gonna take it off.” I pull her onto my lap and slide my hand up her thigh, under her tight skirt, and grab her ass. “I can’t say the same about this dress. You look hot as hell in this thing, but it’s totally in the way of me fucking my future wife.”

I grab the front of her dress and rip the fabric apart, splitting it at the v of her cleavage all the way down to her belly button. Black lace remains, cradling her breasts. I slip my finger under the fabric of her bra between her breasts and pull her closer to me.

“Did you think I was kidding, little doll?” I nip at her lip and give the thin fabric a quick yank, tearing it in two. My hands roam up to caress her breasts, and I suck a nipple into my mouth, flicking my tongue over the hardening bud. She gasps and grabs onto my shoulders, her nails digging through the fabric of my shirt. The quick panic that overcomes her when I let myself loose on her turns me on like fucking mad. Most times, I like to treat her sweet and go slow with her, but other times, like now, going slow just ain’t gonna begin to tame the beast that likes to come out and play.

I slide my tongue over her soft mound and encircle her other nipple with my tongue, while my hand delves between her legs, disappearing under her skirt and pushing the thin fabric of her panties aside to feel her wetness.

“You know I love you more than anything in this world, right?” I slip my finger between her soft wet lips, and she lets out a tiny whimper.

She nods, which she does when she’s so turned on that she can’t speak.

“Remember all those times you said I was too young for you?” I slip a second finger into her and twist them both inside her, spreading her.

She nods and reaches between us to unbutton my shirt.

“That was bullshit, wasn’t it?” I taunt, wanting to hear her talk dirty to me. Nothing gets me going like when she does that.

Her hands touch my chest, and she leans her head against mine.

“Say it,” I coax, fingering her deeper and kissing her breasts.

“It was bullshit,” she whispers, spreading her legs a little bit more.

“Tell me why . . . I wanna hear your voice say it.”

She kisses my lips hungrily as I finger her. “I love it all . . . your tattoos and your long hair and your hard body. I love your music and how sexy and wild you look on stage. I love knowing you’re mine. I love how you fuck me and how wet you make me. You drive me wild.” My thumb finds her clit and rubs it languidly, while my fingers thrust deeper inside her. “And I love how sweet and caring you are.”

My heart swoons, and my cock grows harder. “I kinda love having an older chick that sits in a big office, wearing a pretty little suit and librarian glasses, that comes home to let me fuck her brains out in a church.”

She reaches between my legs and rubs my cock through my jeans. “I want you . . .” She sighs. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”

Fuck. I love how that sounds. My wif

e.

Sweet and sexy just for me.

“I want you to do me one favor,” I say, watching her crawl down my body to kneel at my feet and pull my shoes and pants off.

“Anything.”

“Please, don’t ever refer to me as your second husband. I hate it. It makes my heart scream.”

Her small hand encircles my hard cock and slowly glides up and down my shaft.

“I promise,” she says, before lowering her lips down over my cock. I lean back and gather her hair in my hand, gently pulling it away from her face so I can watch her. I know it makes her uncomfortable to be so visible, but I’ve learned that if I don’t push her a little, she will let her insecurities take over, and she’ll hide from me. It’s a shame that Paul never made her feel sexy and wanted, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing just that.

Watching her suck me turns me into an animal, because she sucks me like her life depends on it. The way she moves her tongue over my flesh, grips my shaft in her hand, and breathes so deeply, drags me so far into her that I can barely think. With her, it goes way beyond just a blowjob and getting off. She fucking cherishes every inch of me with her mouth and hands, building me up slow and seductively, then taking me deeper and faster into her sweet mouth. The world could explode while she’s blowing me, and I wouldn’t even blink. It doesn’t take long before I’m shooting my load down her throat, and she swallows every drop then slowly laps my cock like it’s a decadent treat that can’t have one drop wasted.

“There are so many ways I want to fuck you right now,” I say, caressing her cheek. “But since tonight is special, I’m going to just lay you out on that fluffy rug and do you nice and slow.” She blinks up at me like a sleepy kitten. “Would you like that?”

“Yes,” she breathes. “I would love that tonight.”

I remove what’s left of her dress and lingerie, and she sprawls out on the white rug for me, waiting for me. Wanting me.

“I like that the only thing you have on is your ring.” I like how it glistens on her finger like a little star.

“I love it. I love you.”

I lower myself between her legs and slide into my forever.

LUKAS

I’M WOKEN UP BY MY CELL phone ringing and vibrating. I turn over and glance at the clock on my nightstand to see it’s one A.M. Grabbing my phone, I look at the screen and see Macy’s name and number flashing across it.

“Hey, kiddo,” I say.

“Lukas . . . did I wake you?” she asks, her voice louder than usual.

“A little bit. What’s wrong? Do you know what time it is?”

She giggles into the phone. “Um, late?”

I sit up, shaking the sleep out of my head. “Are you drunk?”

“Maybe a little?” She giggles some more.