Page 53 of Merlot Marriage

I stare into his eyes for a long minute and find nothing but the truth. There’s no hint of uncertainty. There's no sign of the crooked wrinkle between his eyebrows that only appears whenhe’s unsure of something. There’s just Philip, looking at me like he’s never going to stop.

I know we still need to talk about what comes next. Would he be willing to come to South Carolina with me? Would I be willing to go to Australia or anywhere else in the world with him? Guilt bites at the back of my mind, reminding me I haven’t even told him about my interview with Penny tomorrow. But right now, I don’t care. Right now, all I want is to bask in the certainty that we love each other.

Everything else is just details.

I lean forward and press a kiss to his lips. “I’m in.”

With a whoop, Philip scoops me up and carries me to the bedroom. My dress hits the floor somewhere on the way, his shirt and jeans not far behind. In moments, I’m lying on my back on the bed, staring up at my husband as he climbs over me.

“My liefling,” he whispers into my skin, his lips trailing along my stomach.

“What does that mean?” I push up to my elbows, watching as he nears my pussy. “You promised to tell me.”

He hooks his thumbs in the sides of my underwear, inching them down my thighs. “It means ‘my darling.’”

All the times he’s said it over the years, I always assumed it was a reference to my being short. Or my not-so-secret love of fantasy books. “That’s what you’ve been calling me all this time?”

“Are you upset?” His eyes are glued to mine as he starts kissing up the inside of my leg. The sensation is featherlight but rockets straight to my core, stoking the embers of desire that have been burning there all damn day.

“It’s very hard to be anything other than a mushy pile of need right now.”

Pain and pleasure chase up my spine as he nips the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. “Good. That’s how I like you best.”

He works his way closer to my aching core and I writhe. “Phil-ip.” It comes out with a half whine, half moan as he hooks my leg over his shoulder, his thumbs opening me while he gazes at me.

“I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to learn this most secret part of you, Ophie. I need to study it—I haven’t had as long to learn my way around your pretty pussy.” Before I can object, he dives in, his tongue delving between my labia, mapping every centimeter of me.

The tingling of pleasure that had been building surges through me as he continues to explore. The intensity is different this time. He’s not tentative like the first time or slightly detached like before. This time, he eats me out like he owns me, like my body is his to enjoy. He’s not wrong.

When he finally comes up for air, and I’m a panting mess, he grins at me over the edge of my body. “The first time you moaned my name…I knew I never wanted to hear anyone else say it again.”

It’s my turn to claim him, and I do. I roll him under me, straddling his hips and guiding him inside me. The moment his cock fills me is like putting the final piece in a puzzle—the whole picture becomes clear. “I love you,” I say over and over again as I ride him.

I crest that wave again, another orgasm washing over me as my hips jerk and my fingers grip his chest. Without waiting for me to finish coming, Philip rolls us over, thrusting into me and whispering the words right back.

He keeps the same steady pace, arms caging me in as he makes love to me. “Liefling,” he whispers over and over in my ear, his lips trailing kisses along my jaw and neck.

Another orgasm builds on top of the last, and I wrap my heels around his calves, pulling him deeper with each thrust. “Almost there,” I grunt, shifting my hips to find friction as we move together.

With a groan, Philip pushes up on one hand, using the leverage to scrape my clit with each thrust. His back stiffens as he calls my name one more time, still thrusting as his orgasm pumps into me until I also come apart once more.

Later, golden light drapes across Philip’s shoulders as we lie spent on the bed. The setting sun paints the skin on his back an even deeper tan than normal. Head resting on his arms, Philip faces me, his eyes closed against the bright light streaming through the window.

“I’m not dreaming this, right? This is really real?”

“Yes, it’s real.” I push up to press a kiss to his shoulder blade. “But now we have to figure out what to tell everyone.”

This is the part I’ve been most afraid of. As if he senses the anxiety bubbling up inside me, he reaches over and pulls me against his chest, spooning me from behind.

“What are you afraid of?”

“That this is going to change everything. What if my family thinks it’s a terrible idea?” My words are a whisper, barely audible. “But I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Why does everything have to keep changing on me?”

He squeezes me from behind, pressing a kiss behind my ear. “I hate to break it to you, Ophelia, but you were the one who made everything change. No take-backsies.”

“But—”

He cuts me off, turning my face back to capture my lips. “Youwere the one who suggested getting married ‘just in case.’”

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