Page 1 of Love Me

Two years ago

Love. Safety. Home. That’s what I feel when I look at Kaden, yet it’s not enough to describe the depth of my feelings. I’m not an orphan or just a girl to him. I’m his world.

My favorite place is a small cabin in the woods near our houses in Greenville. It’s cozy and quaint, with a worn-out carpet, a small bed, and a round table. No one else is allowed here. Our friends complain, but I don’t care, it’s ours.

He leans against the door, his deep-blue eyes with flecks of gray peering into mine. Goose bumps skitter over my skin, and my heartbeat picks up.

“Celine.” My name out of his mouth is a prayer of reverence that melts me.

“Kaden,” I say breathlessly.

His brown hair is thicker on top and shorter on the sides, emphasizing his elegant yet sharp features: his angular cheekbones, straight nose, and sculpted jaw. Those sinful lips curve into a smirk. He looks so mouthwateringly good—perfection from the inside out.

He reaches me in three strides and cups my cheek, his nose brushing against mine. Intimacy veils me, creating a dreamy cocoon.

“I’ll love you until my last breath and beyond.” His words ink on my heart, which is his entirely. “Marry me.”

My eyes widen, and my hand goes to my mouth as he goes down on one knee. Emotions swell in my chest, overwhelming me.

He plucks something from his pocket: two platinum necklaces, precious yet so meaningful. His necklace is shiny and simple, but mine has tiny diamonds embedded around the letters. I trace my finger over the cross-like pendant with an inscription. The Y&M are horizontal, and the two T’s and A make up a vertical line, the acronym for You and me. Today, tomorrow, always.

“You’ll wear my ring when we have the big wedding. Until then, I need to know you’re mine.”

“Oh my god.” Those are all the words I can form.

“Is that a yes?”

I nod enthusiastically, my insides humming in delight.

Kaden stands and places a sweet kiss on my lips. I savor the moment as he locks the necklace around my neck and then offers me his.

Fingers trembling, I need a few attempts to lock the chain, but our souls are irrevocably sealed when it clicks. He brightens my world. He is my world.

Our lips seek and give in to a passionate kiss. Nibbling and tasting, my eyes close as the heavenly moment sweeps me away.

Kaden’s fingers skim over my exposed neck, heating my skin. My belly flutters in anticipation. I can’t get enough. I will never get enough of him. I am desperate for everything he can give me and more.

There’s no one else for me. How could it be when I have loved him for as long as I can remember?

His smile brands my skin. He trails his lips down my cheek, neck, and the valley of my breasts. The cacophony of sensation awakens a ravenous desire. So good, so addictive, yet never enough to satiate my need for him.

“I love you,” I murmur.

“I love you more. You and me.”

“Today, tomorrow, always.”

He takes my hand in his and places it on his heart. “In the name of God and the stars above, I, Kaden Astor, take you, Celine Langley, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, never to be parted.”

Tears well in my eyes as he changes the last part of the vow, a promise not even death could break.

With a choked voice, I recite my own. “In the name of God and the stars above, I, Celine Langley, take you, Kaden Astor, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, never to be parted.”

We seal our union with a deep kiss that leaves me breathless and aching for more.

He brushes his knuckles against my cheek, his eyes glittering with unadulterated love. “Wife.”

A contented sigh falls from my lips as I lean into his touch. “Husband.”

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