Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

"Aria," I groaned my warning.

My girl didn't heed my warning. She never did. As was her way, Aria did whatever the hell she wanted to.

"You got two seconds to find it, baby."

On a downward glide she moaned. On a slow pull up, her pussy clenched. My hands stayed on her hips where she'd asked me to keep them.

This was her show, and fuck, it was a good one. But she was killing me.

Pure torture watching her tits bounce while she rode my cock without being able to touch her, keeping my hands where she told me to instead of toying with her clit or feeling her up. But she wasn't bouncing now. She was giving me a slow ride that had me riding the edge.

Magnificent.

Pure torture.

"I love watching you," she whispered. Her hand glided from my pec up to my neck, farther still until her palm grazed my jaw, and her fingernails scraped my scalp.

She slammed down on my cock and mostly repeated, "I love watching you feel me."

"Love that, baby, but if you don't start moving you're gonna feel me ."

With her hand still cupping my jaw, she leaned forward, bringing her face close.

"Come with me, Sailor."

My hips jerked up and Aria rode. Hard and fast, face-to-face, with our breath mingling, our eyes locked.

Christ, she was gorgeous.

Always.

But when her lids went half-mast, her brown eyes went lazy, drunk on pleasure, she was unbelievably pretty.

I knew if I waited she'd give me more. When the haze cleared and she came back to herself what would be left would be a beauty I never knew existed. But now I saw it, I felt it, owned it—all the love she had to give and it was mine.

All mine.

All fucking mine.

Her breath hitched.

Her cunt clamped tight.

White hot pleasure exploded while my woman fucked me through my orgasm, taking her own and doing it phenomenally.

That haze had yet to clear. This time she gave it to me early. Her lips tipped up into a smile, love shone bright and clear, and still close, she muttered, "Happy first morning in our new home."

Fuck, I loved this woman.

"Yeah, baby."

"We're going to be blissfully happy here."

I knew we would be because I already was, and it had nothing to do with new house.

"Yeah."

Her face went soft or—rather softer—as she traced the line of my jaw with her fingertips.

There was a shit-ton of work to do before this afternoon's barbeque. I should've been out of bed thirty minutes ago. But with Aria naked and sated on top of me, staring down at me, giving me her version of a welcome home, I was not getting out of bed to move furniture. It was my turn to welcome her to her new home.

One hand left her hip, I used it to smack her ass, watched her eyes flare, let that settle before I ordered, "Clean up and hurry back. I want to eat you before I fuck you."

Another eye flare, this one hungry.

My woman liked my mouth between her legs, but more she liked when I bossed, and after she'd given me all that she'd given me, I was feeling extra bossy. That meant we didn't roll out of bed for a long-ass time. We were late getting downstairs and still arranging furniture when Jonas showed up.

I gave zero fucks we were late to our own party.

Aria smiling and happy meant she didn't, either.

The sun was setting. The fire in the pit blazed even though it was not needed for warmth, but the glow turned the already kickass space more so. The backyard was huge—it would take forever to mow. Trees needed to be removed, other trees needed to be planted for privacy. Our neighbors weren't close, but close enough that we needed those trees.

"How pissed is Aria?" Jonas asked from my right.

Cash was lounging in an Adirondack chair to my left. The other three chairs had just been vacated by Theo, Easton, and Nebraska when they went inside to get fresh beers.

I needed to add a fridge to my outdoor kitchen plan.

"About the house?"

"Yeah, about the house," Jonas clarified. "It's perfect. No remodel necessary."

He was correct, the house was perfect. When we'd viewed it, Aria had frowned during the entire walk-through. It was cute, it was funny, it was Aria.

"She'll find something."

"Not sure what she's gonna find in your pristine, mini-mansion," Cash joined in.

The house wasn't a mini-mansion. It was big, bigger than we needed at five bedrooms and an office downstairs. But the dining area was huge. The day we'd signed the offer, Aria had bought a dining table that sat twelve. There was also a large space off the kitchen for a table. The living room could fit three couches. It had two with three cool-as-shit chairs that as a man I never would've bought, but Aria had and they fit great.

Aria sold her house fully furnished, with the exception of her bed that now occupied one of the four extra rooms. I donated most of my shit, keeping only my bedroom furniture which wasn't shit. That was in another of the bedrooms. My TV was in the living room.

Everything else was new.

It was ours.

Nothing in the house needed fixing, updating, or renovating. But it did need decorating and there was a lot of house to decorate.

Besides…

"She closes on a new flip in a week."

Easton and Theo came back out, sans Nebraska. I glanced back to the house. Through the huge windows, I could see the kitchen and living room. I scanned the crowd until I found who I was looking for.

Aria.

Jesus, beautiful .

Totally in her element, entertaining our family.

Smiling, happy, holding a beer, talking with Ivy, Kira, and Nebraska.

The rest of the crew talking among themselves. Gathered around the huge table covered in food.

Smiling, happy, having a good time.

In our home.

Home .

A home Aria had given me.

"Far cry from our once-a-year, break the rules meet-up," Easton said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Good times," Jonas added.

"The fucking best," Cash put in.

Jonas was right, those meets-up were good times. Once a year, we broke protocol, washed off the filthy we'd covered ourselves in to blend in with the scumbags we'd been tasked to take down, and we spent a week together. Brothers coming together, getting much needed R and R.

But Cash was wrong. They weren't the best.

This was the best.

The five of us together, free and clear of the garbage. Breathing easy. Living clean.

"You only say that because your cheap ass never paid." Theo chuckled. "Freeloader."

"I take offense to that. I paid."

"Yeah, for your hookers," Theo smoothly reminded Cash.

"I never paid for sex," he denied.

Liar.

"Listen to the jackass," Easton started. "Pulling a Bill Clinton. A blowjob is sex, pal."

"Oh, well, if you include a blowy, I've paid for those."

I listened as my brothers threw jabs and ribbed each other.

Never in my wildest dreams would I think this would be my life. Never, when I was growing up in Detroit, did I imagine one day I'd be living in a five-bedroom house, in a nice neighborhood. Never did I believe I'd win the love of a beautiful woman who was way too good for me but didn't think she was.

Those times had been hopeless.

Now I had it all.

Everything.

I was living a dream I didn't know how to hope for.

I couldn't save a young, sweet, pretty girl from her demons.

I couldn't save myself from wallowing in my guilt.

But Aria could.

My attention went to the commotion in the house.

Aria wove through the crush of people, headed to the foyer.

I pushed out of chair and made my way inside.

The smell of Aria's candles burning assaulted me. Something else I'd never thought about—the smell of home. The scent was always different; the woman had truckloads of candles. But every day when I came home from work, Aria had one lit. They used to burn on the island in my small kitchen. Now they burned all around our home.

"Oh my God!" I heard Aria shout.

"Surprise!"

Captain Taylor.

"What are you doing here? You don't come home for a week."

I got to the door as Aria threw herself into her father's arms. Lucas wrapped his arms around his girl but his gaze came to me.

"You didn't think I'd miss your welcome home party, did you?"

All those months ago, Lucas had been right. I knew it then but I understood now.

Aria had made us a home. She helped me put down roots, then she planted hers next to mine.

"Well, yeah. You don't go terminal until next week."

Captain Taylor was no longer Captain Taylor, at least not in an official capacity. He'd done what he said he was going to do and put in for separation. But Aria was right, his terminal leave didn't start for another week. And the house he'd bought using Aria as his proxy didn't close for two weeks.

It would seem one of those extra four rooms would be seeing some use.

Lucas looked back to his daughter and smiled.

I knew what he saw and I knew why his smile was gentle as he scanned Aria's face.

The last time he'd seen her in person she'd still had bruises. In the four months since, he'd seen her only through a screen during their video calls. Now, her pretty face was mark-free. Not even the stitches above her brow had left a scar.

"Gave over thirty years to the Navy," Lucas said. "They were feeling generous when I told them I wasn't going to miss my girl's party."

"The Navy never feels generous," Aria skeptically returned.

Lucas shrugged.

"Dad, are you AWOL?"

Holy shit .

"Technically speaking, my leave starts next week," he dodged.

"Dad—"

"Aria, I missed a lot, which means you missed a lot. I wasn't missing anything else. Not this. Not you getting this after you went through hell. Not you and Smith moving into your new home. I'm not missing one more damn celebration. I gave a lot, you and your mom gave more, I'm taking this. We earned it. Now I'm here to celebrate with my girl and her family. I've been in airports for twenty-six hours, how about you let me get a beer so we do what I came here to do?"

Aria's forehead hit her dad's chest.

Lucas's eyes drifted back to mine.

Months ago he'd given me his approval. Since then, we'd stayed in touch. At first it was updates on Aria, then it naturally slid into more. I couldn't say he treated me like a son—I was too old for that shit. I could say he treated me like a friend who he respected and that went both ways.

But right then, he wasn't given me his approval or blessing.

His gaze was full of gratitude.

I didn't deserve it, but I sure as fuck was going to take it.

I found Aria in front of her sink brushing her teeth.

It was late, everyone had left, we'd spent time with her dad, and he'd gone to bed after Aria gave him his pick of rooms. Proving the man was smart, he'd picked the one farthest from our room. The last time he'd stayed with us, Aria was recuperating. This time, she was healed and it had been a long three months sleeping next to her, holding her but not touching her. The last month of that three-month dry spell, torture. She was almost healed. Her ribs had stopped aching which meant she got grabby. I was determined to give her ribs the full three months they needed.

She was of another mind, which meant she'd dialed up her cute, and a few times nearly broke my resolve. A month ago when her doctor gave her the all-clear, the floodgates opened, and our already active sex life went into overdrive. This was not a complaint. My woman liked my dick, liked my mouth between her legs, had no problem showing how much she liked both. Which meant I happily, gleefully gave her both copiously.

She spit, rinsed, spit again, doing all of this while holding my eyes in the mirror.

I knew that look.

I loved that look.

And in three minutes, I was going to take advantage of her invitation.

"Good day, baby?"

"The best."

I'd take that answer.

"You know what would make the day better?" I asked, fitting my chest against her back.

She immediately tipped her ass and pushed back.

"You fucking me in the bathroom?"

Oh, I was going to fuck her, just not now and not in the bathroom.

I rested my chin on her shoulder. My left hand went to hers still holding onto the basin. I lifted it, held it out in front of us, and used my right hand to slip my ring on her finger.

"You agreeing to be my wife."

With her eyes still holding mine in our reflection, my woman preformed a miracle.

She didn't make an already great day better.

She finished the task she'd started with her flirty banter, wit, intelligence, and beauty all those months before.

She did it with one word.

A word she'd never say if she didn't believe I was enough.

"Yes."

And with that, Aria Taylor-soon-to-be-Everette made me a believer.