Page 128 of Holiday Hostage
Reed dropped to a knee. “Damn right it was. Payton, will you marry us?”
“We can look for a new place if you want,” Tarron added.
I took it all in with a sense of pride that eclipsed everything I’d ever experienced.
Love was a wild, volatile thing.
It came when it wanted and left hearts better for it.
We’d been moving through life with a steadiness that bordered on stale. Not anymore.
Payton placed her hands on Reed’s shoulders and bent to kiss him. “I’ll marry you. And I love this place. We’ll worry about paint and all that once it’s closer to time. Pretty sure there’s not much a baby can do to mess with the walls.”
Reed wrapped his arms around Payton’s waist and lifted her into the air. “We should celebrate.”
“Reed.” Payton clutched his shoulders, her body shaking with laughter. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you how much we love you. Whose room?” He didn’t bother looking away from Payton, but he knew us all well enough to understand our needs and desires.
“Mine.” My body flared to life, and I led the way to my door, pushing it open wide enough for Reed to carry Payton through.
He wasn’t about to let her go, and I didn’t blame him.
She was pregnant with our child and had agreed to tie her life to ours. We belonged together.
My heart took flight in that kind of whooshing rush that made blood roar in my ears. Our lives were about to change forever.
For the better.
Reed lowered Payton to the bed and untied her robe. The lapels fell open, baring her naked body for our perusal.
I took it all in and stepped forward. “We’ve worshiped you before, Payton, but this time is different. This time, we all belong to each other. This is no longer just sex. This is us showing you how much we love you, how we plan on taking care of you, for the rest of our lives.”
The list of things I wanted to do with her stretched into infinity.
I’d never grow tired of her heated gaze, her flushing skin.
No matter how many times I sank into her, it would never be enough.
After a lifetime of searching, we’d found a family worth fighting for.
Payton shimmied to the edge of the bed and sat up. She shrugged out of the robe and stood, making her way toward me with those determined strides I appreciated.
“And this is how I show you that I’m all in. It might have started out as sex based on attraction.” She shook her head. “Not anymore. This is love. Even when it’s rough, it’s love. We need different things at different times, and I’m here for all of it.”
I took my time running my hands up and down her arms. Her nipples peaked, and I flicked my thumbs over them.
“It’s our turn to take care of you. Slowly. Deliciously.” I let her see my desire in the way I looked at her, how my gaze roamed over her body.
Her breathing hitched, and she ran her hands over my chest.
“You always take care of me.” She rose onto her tiptoes and whispered into my ear. “I’m ready for you, Mav.”
A quick nip on the side of my neck, and she slid down my body, her nipples taut enough to scrape over my skin with a delightful abrasiveness.
I walked her backward to the bed.
Her calves bumped the edge, and she went down with my arms around her to guide the fall.
