Chapter 72

CHAPTER 72

ZAYN

A s her lips met mine, a warmth filled me from head to toe. I loved seeing her smile. I loved seeing the love and joy in her eyes. To know I did that just made it all the better.

Pulling back, I offered her a mischievous grin. "Why don't we start with the kitchen?"

Laughter escaped her lips. "The kitchen?" she echoed, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Sure," I simply said, offering my hand to help her up. "We'll work our way through the house. No furniture means we need to get creative. We'll clean before we move in."

She took my hand, her fingers delicately curling around mine. "Lead the way."

"Alright then," I said as I led her through the grandeur of our new home. The house was massive. I knew once we got some furniture in the place, it wouldn't look so big and feel so massive.

As we entered the kitchen, I paused for a moment, drinking in the sight of her in this setting. It was a dream come true. The kitchen was spacious and filled with potential. I could imagine her cooking meals in this kitchen. Maybe there would be a toddler pulling at her leg while she made cookies.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked.

"You. Getting to be here with you."

I pulled her into my arms and slowly backed her up against the counter. Her laughter echoed around the empty room. I brushed a kiss against her collarbone, my hands splayed out on the cold granite surface on either side of her. Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer.

"I think I like this kitchen," she murmured against my ear.

"Do you?" I teased her, nipping at her earlobe before pulling back to meet her gaze. I could see the love in her eyes. It reflected my own feelings right back at me.

"I do."

I kissed her again. The sweet, languid kiss made every nerve in my body come alive. Her hands roamed over my back, sending electricity crackling through me wherever they touched. Pulling her closer, I deepened the kiss, the taste of her intoxicating me more than any drink ever could. She tasted like sweet champagne and the strawberry tart she'd been snacking on earlier.

I broke away from our kiss to trail my lips down her neck. Her fingers tangled in my hair.

"I love you," I murmured against the skin of her neck.

"And I love you," she responded breathlessly, her hands slipping down from my hair, skimming down my back before coming to rest at my waist.

With a determined look on her face, she leaned forward, catching my lips in a fiery kiss that made my head spin. I reached for her shirt and pulled it over her head. She grabbed mine, jerking the sweater over my head and tossing it on the kitchen floor. My hands immediately went to her pants, undoing the button and pushing them down. I wanted to savor every minute, but I was also desperate to be inside her.

I told myself to take it slow. We had all night.

Hell, we had the rest of our lives.

We both stood naked in the kitchen. We stopped for just a moment before we both started laughing. "I think this is a first for me," she said.

"Me too."

The laughter died and passion roared back to life. I grabbed her at the waist and lifted her to drop her on the counter. I nudged her legs open and stepped between them. Her hands slid down my arms and around to my back. I slid my hand up the inside of her thigh.

The warmth of her skin, the softness of her touch, everything felt so perfect, so right. Our gazes met, a shared understanding passing between us. This was our new beginning. She leaned back slightly against the counter, her hair cascading down in a beautiful mess. I loved the way she looked at me, those eyes filled with mischief and desire.

My knuckles brushed against her heated core. A sharp gasp left her lips, her eyes widening at the contact. The sight of her flushed and breathless made my heart pound in my chest.

"Zayn," she murmured, her voice full of longing.

"Yes, love?" I asked, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. Her fingers traced a path up my back, sending shivers down my spine.

She captured my lips in a passionate kiss that stole my breath away. I slid one finger inside her, her soft gasp swallowed by our kiss. My other hand cradled the back of her head.

As we kissed, I sank deeper into her soft warmth, aching for her. Her taste was intoxicating, her lips hungry for mine. My fingers curled around her hip, pulling her body against mine, and I thrust two fingers into her slowly.

The taste of strawberry tart and champagne still lingered on our tongues, adding a sweetness to the moment. The scent of lavender from her shampoo filled my senses as I nibbled on her neck lightly. She felt so good, so right in my arms, against my bare skin. Her moans grew louder, her fingers digging into my shoulders when I brushed my thumb over her clit.

My lips trailed passionate kisses down her neck and collarbone before I sucked gently, making her gasp. As her hips bucked into me, I slid another finger inside her, stretching her slowly, feeling her walls squeeze around me. She whimpered, the sound driving me wild.

"Marigold," I groaned, my voice rough as I continued my slow thrusts.

I could feel she was on the edge of orgasm. I took her right over the edge before pulling my fingers away and dragging her to the edge of the counter. I pushed my cock inside her, eliciting a shuddering moan. The sensation was overwhelming. Her softness contrasted beautifully with the firm, demanding grip she had on me. I buried myself deep inside her. Our lips slammed together in a heated kiss as I began to move.

"I need you," she breathed against my lips, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"And I need you," I admitted without hesitation, my voice low and thick with desire. I slipped one hand into her hair while the other remained on her hip.

She met my thrusts, her nails digging into my shoulders. We moved together. She felt so good like this with the softness of her inner walls gripping at my cock. I groaned into her mouth, the sound vibrating against her lips. Her taste filled my mouth, the scent of her hair and her skin all intoxicating. I loved her.

"Zayn," she moaned.

My hand found her clit, teasing it. I thrust deeper into her with each of my strokes. Her hips moved in sync with mine, her body arching into me. I could feel her walls contracting.

Her hands gripped the edge of the counter as she threw her head back, her neck exposed to my sweet kisses. It was perfection, the taste of her skin, her eyes fluttering open again as she looked into mine. She was so beautiful.

She was so wet.

Her eyes rolled back in pleasure, and I loved every single moment. This was our new beginning, our new life together. We were in our new home, ready to create memories. Suddenly, she was crying out. Her body squeezed mine, snapping my control. I erupted inside her, my chest squeezing too. Her head dropped to my shoulder with her arms wrapping around me.

"Holy shit," she whispered. "That was incredible."

"Yes, it was," I managed to choke out.

My body jerked inside her. I took a deep breath, just allowing myself to be in the moment.

"The bedroom next?" she asked when we finally broke apart.

I laughed. "I might have oversold myself. I'm going to need a minute."

"It'll take us ten minutes to get there," she said with a small laugh.

"Someone's eager," I joked.

"You've turned me into a bit of a nymphomaniac."

"Good. I'm going to match your energy. In a minute."

I helped her off the counter. We collected our clothes and padded out of the kitchen. Before going upstairs, we paused in the living room—well, what would be the living room eventually—and looked around at the absolute emptiness of the place. Not a single couch, chair, or coffee table to break up the vast expanse of hardwood floors and blank walls.

"So, what do you think?" I asked, turning to Marigold, who was standing naked next to me, looking around.

I loved that she wasn't shy. She was completely comfortable with me. That was a huge turn-on. I loved that she trusted me enough to be vulnerable. I felt the same with her.

"It's huge," she said, spinning slowly in a circle. "Like, really huge. How many rooms does this place have again?"

I grinned, already knowing the answer but wanting to see her face when I said it. "Bedrooms?"

"I know there are six, but there are so many rooms in general."

"Twenty-four, give or take."

Her eyes went even wider, which I didn't think was possible. "Twenty-four?"

"Yep," I said, popping the P and trying to sound casual. "Including the bathrooms."

She let out a laugh, the sound bouncing off the empty walls. "Are we starting a bed and breakfast I didn't know about?"

I shrugged, pretending to think about it. "Well, I figured between my office, your office, the gym, the guest rooms, the other guest rooms, and a couple of rooms for when we don't know what to do with all the kids we're going to have?—"

" Kids ?" she cut in, raising an eyebrow. "Plural?"

"Oh yeah," I said with a grin, walking over to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "I mean, we've got the space for it, right?"

She rolled her eyes but smiled up at me. "You're crazy."

"I know," I said, leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head. "But you love me anyway."

She sighed dramatically, but her arms slid around my waist. "Yeah, I guess I do."

We stood there for a minute, just taking it all in. The silence was nice, even if it was a little empty. The emptiness would be gone soon. This would be our home, not just a big, empty house.

"I love this life with you."

"And I love you."

"You know, my mom would have been so proud of me. Of us. And, honestly? Super jealous if she saw this house."

"I think your mom and I would've gotten along great."

She smiled up at me, her eyes bright. "Yeah, I think so too."

I guided her out of the room and led her to the stairs. We took our time walking upstairs.

We paused to look down at the foyer.

"Come on," I said, my hand finding the small of her back as I guided her down the hallway toward the door at the end. "We're going to have a lot of time to admire our beautiful home in the future. For now, I need to admire your beautiful body."