Page 221 of The Reason I Married Him
“That’s what I thought. And even though I like this sweatshirt on you, maybe you can join me in the topless cooking show next time. Only fair.”
“I thought this was a show for me, not for you.”
I smooth my hands over her bare thighs since she’s only wearing my sweatshirt and my sweatshirt alone, courtesy of my need to fuck her with my tongue the moment we got home. “It’s a show for both of us.”
She loops her arms around my neck and pulls me closer. “That’s false advertising.”
“Fine . . . consider it your tip for the meal I made you.”
“But if it doesn’t taste good, I won’t tip you.”
My face falls. “That’s fucking rude.”
She laughs such a hearty laugh that it brings a smile to my face.
I love seeing her like this so fucking much. The ease in her expressions, the ease she feels when touching and holding me. She’s vocal and doesn’t hold back but also very understanding and sweet. She’s everything her childhood wasn’t, and I love that about her because I know she could have easily followed in her father’s footsteps. But she chose not to.
“Looks like you’re doing some thinking,” she says as she plays with the short strands of my hair.
“Yeah, just thinking about how amazing you are.”
“Oh?” She wraps her legs around my waist. “Tell me more.”
I lift her into my arms and bring her over to one of the oversized chairs in the living room where I sit us both down. I lean back against the cushion while she straddles my lap.
“Comfortable?” I ask her.
She nods. “Very.”
“Good.” I place my hands on her legs again, my thumbs running along her inner thighs. “I was thinking about how you had a hard childhood, and instead of letting it break you, you decided to make something of yourself. I find that incredibly sexy.” My eyes meet hers. “And I know we haven’t talked about it much, but what I do know is enough for me to know that you were faced with a decision to either sink or float, but you took the next step and soared out of the water.”
She glances away, but I force her to look at me.
“It’s nothing to shy away from, Aubree. Own it.”
Her beautiful green eyes stare back at me. There’s so much soul in them, so much life, I can’t imagine anyone ever wanting to dull her spirit. It’s criminal.
“I know,” she says softly. “Just never really had anyone talk to me the way you do. I mean, Cassidy was always encouraging, and I know she loved me, Ryland and Hattie as well, but growing up, it was like we were all just trying to make it out of that house alive. We didn’t have a chance to compliment or congratulate each other. And you just hand it over so easily.”
“I’m not handing it over,” I say. “I’m stating facts. I’m offering you my honest opinion. There’s no sugarcoating over here. What you hear from me is truth, babe.”
“Is that how your parents were when you were growing up?” she asks. “Encouraging, supportive?”
“Yes,” I answer. “As well as my grandpa. I realize the kind of childhood I was blessed with. I think what I’ve learned from them has transferred over because my goal in life is to try to make people happy, whether through a joke or an escape fromreality with my books. Anything to bring more joy into the world.”
“Well, you’re good at it,” she says as her hands fall to my chest. “I know I’ve been happier since you’ve stepped into Almond Bay.”
I raise a brow. “Is that so? Even at the beginning?”
She shakes her head. “No, at the beginning, I wanted to wring your neck. But then somewhere along the way, I slowly loosened up and started to see you for the man you are. Kind and sweet and thoughtful. You took my thoughts, my feelings into consideration, and that’s never happened before. Not even with my siblings, and I don’t say that to slight them because we’ve been through so much. But with Amanda as a best friend, she didn’t care about me. Matt, he brushed my idea of a beautiful life to the side and said it wasn’t good enough. My father considered me his servant rather than his own flesh and blood.” Her eyes connect with mine. “You’re the first person in my life to want to know what I want.” Her hands smooth up my chest as she leans forward. “You’re special to me, Wyatt. You’ve made me feel like I matter. You’ve made me feel like I have something to offer this world.”
I cup her cheek and bring her in closer. “Because you do matter, Aubree.”
“Thank you,” she says right before she closes the space between us and kisses me, soft and tender. Her hands barely grip my face before she leads her kisses over my jaw, down my neck, and then to my chest as she slides between my legs and kneels on the ground in front of me.
“Aubree . . .” I whisper as she reaches for the hem of my sweatpants and pulls them down, letting my cock spring forward. “Baby.”
She moves her hair to the side and brings her sultry lips to the tip of my cock, where she runs her tongue around the head, circling it over and over, driving me crazy with desire.
