40. Wade

"And here, we've got the third living space with an attached smaller kitchen."

The realtor's voice faded as she rounded the corner without us. I gripped Ray's hand in mine and held her in place, mouthing a silent don't follow her. With one finger to my lips in a shushing gesture, she cracked a grin wide enough to split my heart in two as I slowly began to back up, pulling her with me.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, one eyebrow cocked.

"Seeing how long it takes her to find us in our new home," I answered.

We rounded the corner of the great room, magnificent in its entirety. Wooden floors, a grand staircase, intricate carvings in the handmade banister. I'd had my eye on this place for a while. I loved the rustic appeal and the mountainside location. A guesthouse for Ray's mom was the selling point, though.

Ray had been over the moon when we'd pulled up out front, even more so when I told her it was hers if she wanted.

I dragged her up the staircase to the second story. The hallway split in two directions, but only one led to the master suite—an area of the house the realtor had yet to show us. It was the best possible place I could think of to christen the new house. Even if it wasn't ours yet.

"Wade," she giggled as I spun her around, picking her up with ease. She was barely beginning to show, just the tiniest little bump, but I made sure to be careful. "We can't hide forever."

"Watch us," I teased.

I carried her to the end of the hallway and gently kicked the slightly ajar door open. A bed sat in the middle of the room, a model just for show, but it was a bed all the same.

"Wade," she warned, a hint of seriousness to her voice. She knew exactly where this was heading.

"You just looked so goddamn tempting, baby," I whispered in her ear before nibbling below it, her favorite spot.

"And I'm not even wearing makeup," she laughed. I set her down on the mattress. Tens of little, barely noticeable freckles covered her bare cheeks, her beaming smile infectious.

"Since when do you need to be wearing makeup to drive me crazy?" I put my knee on the bed beside her for leverage as I leaned down, lifting her chin to kiss her. "Let me have my way with you. It'll be ages until she realizes we're gone."

She rolled her eyes. "You could be right. She wasn't really paying us any attention."

"I think it's because she knows I'm going to buy it."

Ray sucked her lip between her teeth as she glanced at the closed door behind us. "Fine. But not on the bed."

My cock twitched from her brazenness. "Not on the bed?" I asked, dragging my lips down to her neck, kissing and nipping at the skin. "Where does my Raven want me to fuck her, then?"

She sighed into me, her fingers crawling up my chest and wrapping around my neck. "Anywhere."

Music to my ears.

I pulled her to her feet in an instant. "Against the window," I rasped, wrapping my fingers around the nape of her neck and gently pushing her toward it. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered one side of the room and damn, I wanted to make her scream against it.

But that would alert the realtor.

There would be plenty of time to make her scream in the house before the baby came. I could fuck her quietly against it, though.

"The window?" she asked with widened eyes. Just outside was a landscape of various trees and rock, and beyond that, an amazing view overlooking Boulder. No one would see us, unless the realtor decided to go outside.

"The window, baby."

She pressed her hands against it, arching her back in the way that drove me absolutely wild. I hooked my fingers in the waistband of her joggers, pulling them down over her rear in one quick move. I left them clinging to her thighs.

"It's just a quickie," I said when she jutted her lower lip out at me. "I'll make it up to you later."

Sliding my hand between her thighs, my cock throbbed in my jeans the moment I felt how slick she already was. She pushed back against my fingers. "Please," she breathed.

"So eager," I laughed.

The button on my jeans gave me the smallest pause to reconsider. Did I really want to fuck her here, in the middle of a house viewing, when the realtor could walk in any second?

Absolutely.

I grabbed my cock and pressed it against her entrance from behind. I slid into her with ease, coaxing a quiet groan from her as she tried to contain herself.

"Shh." I bottomed out inside of her. A shiver rolled down my spine when she squeezed around me, forcing a growl from my throat. "God, you can't do that."

"And why not?" she giggled.

Slowly, agonizingly, I began to move. Every thrust made my mind fog, made me ache to moan. I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her toward me, her back arching perfectly and wrapped my fingers lightly around her throat. She leaned her head back against my chest, fluttering lashes barely hiding her eyes from me.

"Because you'll make me blow our cover and this will no longer be a quickie." Squeezing gently on either side of her neck, I pressed my free hand against the window for stability. I knew just how to hold her throat in a way that wouldn't hurt her. No pressure on her windpipe. She went fucking wild for it every time.

"Blow our cover then," she moaned, her voice soft like butter as I picked up my speed. "I don't like quickies anyway."

"Don't tempt me, Raven."

Her hips met mine with every thrust, each little breath and squeak she made only heightening my arousal. I wanted this forever. Wanted her forever.

"Touch yourself," I ordered, squeezing just a little harder before loosening my grip.

I didn't need to ask her twice.

Her moans picked up, louder and louder as her hand slid down over her little bump and between her thighs. Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the door, setting my senses on high alert.

I moved my hand from her throat to her mouth instead. "Don't make a sound," I growled.

The footsteps got closer. I only fucked her harder.

A muffled little shriek barely escaped between my fingers as I angled myself just the right way, hitting that spot inside of her that turned her to jelly. I could feel her body shaking against me, could feel the way she clenched around me, and I knew damn well she was close.

The footsteps stopped just outside the door.

"Come for me," I said, my voice just barely above a whisper. "Be my good girl and keep quiet."

Her legs buckled beneath her at the same moment that a tiny, barely audible moan tore from her. Pleasure pooled in my gut, driving me closer and closer. I tightened my grip on her to keep her upright as the waves coursed over her.

"Keep going," I muttered, taking my hand off her mouth for one quick second to push her fingers back to her clit. She gasped, her body shaking, and I covered her mouth once again. "Don't stop touching yourself until I fill you up."

Overstimulated little grunts came from her trembling form. Over and over, I pushed myself into her, ensuring every strike was as satisfactory for her as it was for me. Footsteps retreated down the hall and I let go of her mouth, needing to hear her desperate little cries.

"Please," she moaned, too many shockwaves running through her. "Please, Wade, oh my god?—"

My hips stuttered against her. Just the way she sounded was enough to send me over the edge, every nerve ending sparking with nothing but pure, unbridled ecstasy. My legs nearly went out from under me. "You can stop," I croaked, urging her fingers from between her legs. I lifted them to my lips, sucking them clean, tasting her as the last little drops filled her to the brim.

Slowly, carefully, I caught my breath. The fog receded, letting me think clearly again as I pulled myself from her and stuffed my cock back into my jeans.

I'd almost forgotten what I'd meant to do in the first place.

Pulling her joggers up with one hand while grabbing for the box in my jacket with the other, I dropped to one knee before I could chicken out.

"What are you…?" she stammered as she turned around, the realization ofwhat was happening laid out before her. Her eyes watered as a giggle poured from her, one hand against her mouth. "Really? Right after sex?"

I barked out a laugh as I realized the absurdity of it. "I know," I grinned. "To be fair, I wasn't planning on being so desperate for you that I had to have you right here."

I popped open the box in my hand, revealing the shimmering black diamond set in platinum within.

"My Raven," I began. I cleared my throat, feeling a lump forming already. Hold it together. "I knew there was something about you the moment you ran into me on the slopes."

She raised one eyebrow at me, a laugh escaping her lips.

"I fell in love with you so easily, so unexpectedly," I continued, shifting my tone so I sounded more serious. This wasn't something I'd ever envisioned myself doing, wasn't something I ever really thought much about. "You've changed me in all the right ways, you've helped me to become a man that I'm proud to be."

"Wade," she croaked, a little tear slipping out.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me," I said. I pressed one hand against her stomach, atop the growing life inside of it. "And this… this is more than I ever could have dreamed of. Both of you. I love you more than I ever thought I could, and I swear to god, it grows every day."

I plucked the ring from the box and held it between my thumb and forefinger.

"Raylene Harleson, will you?—"

"Yes!" she shrieked, leaning down and pressing her lips to mine before I could finish my sentence. "Yes, yes, a million times yes! I'll marry you."

I slid the ring onto her waiting finger as I stood, kissing her over and over, little pecks against her lips, her forehead, her cheeks. I knew she'd say yes. I knew it in my bones. But hearing it out loud from her, experiencing it with her, was better than I ever could have imagined.

"I have a few caveats though," she laughed.

"Anything. Anything you want."

"I don't want to get married at the resort."

I snorted. "Done. We'll get married anywhere you want."

"Somewhere tropical," she grinned. "And I want my mom to come."

"I'll pay whatever it takes to get her there," I said.

"And Jackson and Mandy."

"Obviously," I laughed.

"And I don't want you to utter one word when I invite Hunter."

I narrowed my gaze at her, my smile unfaltering. "I'll do my best."

"And for the love of god, we're not inviting Zane. Or any bunnies."

I pressed another kiss against her lips. "I wouldn't dream of it, baby."

"Oh, and one last thing," she giggled, pushing my lips from her so she could meet my gaze. "I want my Raven necklace back."

My chest ached as I slipped my hand back into the pocket of my jacket, hooking my fingers around the platinum chain. "Lucky for you," I said, pulling it out and dangling it in front of her face, "I'd already planned for that."

She took the necklace, her fingers brushing against mine, her smile wide and full of promise. "Thank you, Wade," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with tears and laughter. As I fastened it around her neck, I felt the weight of our future settle between us, as solid and real as the mountains that surrounded us.

"I love you," I murmured, and she leaned into me, her forehead resting against mine.

"I love you too. So much," she replied, her voice steady despite the emotion I saw dancing in her eyes. We stood there, in the embrace of our new beginning, the chaos of the world held at bay by the strength of our connection.

As we turned to face the window, hand in hand, looking out over the rugged Boulder landscape, I knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, we had each other. And with Ray by my side, I was home.

THE END