Page 26 of Tell Me No
Without another word, he stands, cupping my face and kissing me deeply. I taste myself on his lips and it’s deliciously erotic. One hand disappears from my face and I hear the sound of his buckle clinking against the granite countertop. His zipper hisses and I brace myself for the demanding, harsh way he always takes me. But it doesn’t come.
My eyes slide close as he lines the head of his cock up at my entrance. I expect him to slam home the way he always does. But when I open my eyes, he’s staring back at me with a torturously unsteady look on his face. Like he’s more scared of loving me than any of the countless horrors he’s already faced in this world. As terrified as I am of loving someone again, of placing all of my trust in another person again, I know without a single doubt that Jason will protect my heart at all costs. I know he would choose me a million times over, above anyone else, even himself.
“Hey,” I pull his mind back to this moment. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course. Anything,” he says, holding perfectly still with one hand braced against my jaw and the other holding my hip. I place my palms against his rough cheeks, making sure he sees the truth in my eyes before I speak.
“I love you, Jason,” I say, affirming every unspoken feeling we’ve both been drowning in since the moment our lips met.
I see the moment the resistance fades in his eyes as he slowly slides into me. His eyes flutter closed and his forehead rests against mine. I cling to him, adjusting to the achingly astonishing feeling of being filled by him. Mind, body, and soul.
“Fuck, Aurora. Say it again,” he strains, his thrusts matching his deep, steady breaths.
“I love you, Jason. So much. And I know you love me, too,” I tell him, holding onto his body for dear life.
“I do.” His grey-green eyes pour into mine and I feel my soul latch on to his, cementing my heart in place next to his.
His thrusts are lazy, so unhurried, as if we have nothing but time to spend tangled up in each other. This time feels different from ever before. This is a slow, fierce claiming of each other. A permanent branding of our need to belong to one another. I feel the tears well up in my eyes and I let them fall without a care in the world. I never thought my heart would feel so full again, so reconstructed. My past left me completely shattered. It's not love that you're afraid of after you’ve been destroyed by someone. It's the fear that everyone else you meet is just like that person. But with Jason, I’m not scared to be put back together anymore. I just want to love him as wholly and completely as he loves me.
My orgasm surprises me, dragging a ragged moan from deep in my throat as I claw at Jason’s back. He follows me over the edge, burying himself so deep inside me I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get him out. Not that I would ever want to.
I stroke his back softly, both of us coming down from the adrenaline of our confessions. He buries his face in my neck, peppering soft kisses against my skin. I hear him mumble something that sounds a lot likefuck itbefore he stands to his full height. Stepping back, he zips his dress pants up with a determined look in his eyes.
I squirm against the cold granite, hopping down onto shaky legs. The feeling of his cum leaking out of me, coating my thighs in warmth, is enough to make me want to fuck him all over again right now. But he looks like he’s scheming and I know better than to derail his plans. If the rest of my life is spent hanging on to him as we chase our dreams together, I’ll be a lucky woman.
“I know that look. What are you thinking over there, Mr. Negan?” I ask, stepping around him, heading for the bedroom. He snags my wrist before I get too far, placing a kiss on my open palm before his lips curve up in a devastatingly handsome smile.
“Pack a bag,” he says, and the next adventure begins.
sixteen
The harsh lightof midmorning cuts through the blackout curtains in the hotel room. I don’t remember the last time I slept past dawn, but I never want to leave this bed. Aurora’s body curls tighter into mine, her dark chocolate brown hair fanning out in a mess across my chest. Fuck, she is beautiful.
And now, she’s all mine. Forever.
I thought she would tell me I was insane last night when I suggested this batshit crazy adventure. Shit, I felt fucking insane. But looking down at her delicate hand resting against my chest, the diamond infinity band I slipped on her finger last night throwing flecks of light across the walls, I know it was the right choice. I close my eyes, thinking back to every moment from last night.
Her eyes blew wide open when I suggested we fly to Vegas. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. But without hesitation, she smiled, squealing and racing through the bedroom to pack her bag. I knew the moment she told me she loved me, there will never be another woman for me, in this life or the next. There are very few things in my life I am completely sure of, and the greatest of them is my love for her. I run my fingers through her hair and remember the words we shared with only each other and a priest last night.
“I’m in love with you. With your entire being. I’m in love with your hands and the way they hold mine so tightly, like I’m your lifeline in a storm. I’m in love with your lips, and the way they were made to fit with mine, like the final pieces of a puzzle I’ve been working my whole life to solve. I’m in love with your eyes and the way they always find mine exactly when I need it most. I’m in love with everything about you. They told me you were dangerous. That you were the devil himself. But I say I don't care if you’re the devil. Because I’ve seen the way the devil loves hell. As long as the flames burn us both to the ground together, then I’ll happily die in your arms.”
She spoke those words with more conviction than I’ve ever heard in my entire life. The idea of tying myself to someone else permanently always seemed like a joke to me. But with Aurora, nothing has ever made more sense. I held her tiny hands in mine, her blue eyes shining back at me as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. The unfamiliar sting of overwhelming emotion welling up in me was almost too much to handle, but I managed to tell her all the things I needed to the most.
“I don't think most people understand what real, true love is. I don’t think I did until I met you. It’s not the show you put on for the world. It’s not fancy dates or gifts. True love is waking up in the middle of the night to hold you when you cry after a bad dream. It’s listening to you vent about a rough day, or a painful memory. True love is looking into each other’s souls, a level so deep and resounding that I can feel you, even when you’re not with me. True love comes down to one thing, Aurora. No matter what, I’ve got you. You may not realize this, but you saved me. From myself, and from the false idea that I wasn't worthy of a love like this. Physically, I’m a powerful man. But without you by my side, I am nothing.”
I meant every word, every syllable I spoke to her last night as I tied myself to her in every way humanly possible. She shifts against me, groaning as the sun hits her eyes. She’s so fucking adorable sometimes, it kills me.
“Why is it so daytime outside?” She mumbles, burying her head into my side.
She lifts her left hand in the air, peeking up at it with one eye open. A fit of giggles spills from her lips, making me smile right along with her. “What did we do?”
“Forgot about me already, princess?” I tease, kissing her head softly before she rolls onto her back. Her graceful, toned body is on full display for me as she turns her hand this way and that, inspecting her ring. 24 hour jewelry shops are not uncommon in Vegas, especially if you know the right people. Over the years in my line of work, I’ve made some excellent connections.
“Never,” she whispers, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
“If you don’t like it, we can find something better once -” I start to say, but she cuts me off with a steely glare.
“Don’t you fucking dare. This is mine forever now,” she says, cradling her hand against her chest. “I love it, Jason. Almost as much as I love you.” She lifts herself over me, her hair cascading around my face like a waterfall. Her lips find mine and I lose all reason, kissing her like she’s the only source of oxygen left in the world.
