Chapter 25 - Ari

There was no doubt in my mind how Vivian felt about me and our plans to raise our children together, but hearing those words from her seemed to cement it all for me.

Even if the feud was with her brothers, and she was caught in the middle, she didn't hate me for it. Against all odds, she came around to the idea of me so completely that she was willing to put her complete faith in me.

She wasn't upset or opposed to the idea of me stopping her brothers before they could cause any more problems, and it turned out I had been worrying for no reason.

I had her blessing, and that meant the world to me.

I didn't know what to say in return at first, not while I was still wrapping my head around what that meant for us.

She was with me, and she was determined to keep it that way. Even if her family somehow came to retrieve her, she would want to stay.

But with her looking so delicate and committed in front of me, I couldn't help but relax and be vulnerable myself.

"You don't know how much that means to me," I murmured, leaning closer so I could cup her cheek with my hand while I held her. "I'm completely committed to you, Vivian, beyond our marriage license. Beyond those half-assed vows. You saw me at arguably my worst, and you still managed to find something better in me. You've shown me it's okay to be soft, even if I've only ever known had to conceal my emotions. You've brought out the best in me, and I want to be better thanks to you."

Despite her brave face, Vivian's eyes watered as she looked up at me tenderly. "A part of me didn't want to believe you could be caring in the beginning. I kept searching for any reason to despise you and to be vindicated for it, but I stopped being able to see those reasons. I was terrified to be here, and I was even more scared to admit I was falling for you, Ari. I don't know how you did it, but you showed me the things in life I was missing back home, and now I don't want to be without it. I don't want to be without you."

"And you won't have to be," I returned gently, stroking her cheek as I took in every gorgeous feature of her face. "I promise to keep you and the babies safe, regardless of what it takes. I never thought I was capable of being loved, or of letting myself return that affection, but you changed all of that for me. I love you, Vivian."

As more tears gathered in her waterline, I carefully placed a hand against her small belly and mustered up every ounce of sincerity I had. "For us and them, I'll take care of everything."

"I love you too," she managed, despite the slight crack in her voice. Unable to fight back her tearful smile, she beamed up at me as I tried to dry her eyes. "You're going to be an incredible father."

As my heart squeezed, glad she thought so, I leaned in and sealed those words with a kiss.

She sighed against my lips, relaxing completely into my touch.

Something about the way she eased against me, accepting everything I had to give, always made me want more, regardless of where we were or what was going on.

When I pulled back, to both our dismay, I pressed my forehead against hers to maintain as much of that contact as possible.

"Since we're on the same page, and we could both use a distraction, I'm going to plan a date for us," I told her, siphoning her affection straight into my veins. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'll let you know the place and time, and we can celebrate us privately. We'll be one-on-one without my mouthy siblings to interrupt."

"That sounds perfect," she hummed, embracing me in return with her arms around my waist. "I loved that restaurant from before. It seemed so romantic."

"Then I guess the place is taken care of. I'll contact my friend there and have him reserve us a table."

Glad to see her smile, I couldn't get over how perfectly it complimented her features, and how it made her glow. She was perfect in every sense of the word, and I needed the opportunity to show her just how much I cared about her.

"Right now," I murmured, slipping my hands to the back of her thighs to hoist her into my arms as she giggled to herself, "I have some time before work to do whatever I want with, and I have an idea of how I want to spend it."

Vivian clung to me with her pleasant aura, surrounding me with both her arms and her complete attention. "If I'm thinking what you're thinking, then I'd be happy to oblige."

"Let's find out, then."

While I intended on taking her upstairs, just looking at her lips was enough to pull that drive from me, and I settled for the couch instead.

I sat down and brought her onto my lap, pulling her as close as possible while our lips met once again.

I was immediately met with her returned enthusiasm, riling me up even more. Whether she was aware of it or not, it never took much for her to get me hard and in desperate need of her touch.

Most days, I found myself stuck in that familiar haze, daydreaming about when I'd get the chance to be inside her again, and when I'd get to watch her face tighten in pleasure. Her sounds of appeasement were so addictive that I couldn't wait to get my next fix, regardless of how recently we had sex.

She meant everything to me, and knowing she felt the same way about me made me even more eager to prove just how much I adored her.

Mutually holding one another as tightly as possible, we moved our lips with such sensual longing that I knew there was no turning back. I didn't want to stop, and neither did she.

At the brush of Vivian's tongue against my lower lip, I muffled a groan into her mouth and felt as it excited her from how she wriggled on my lap. Even the slightest movements of her hips were enough to cause a semblance of friction, getting me painfully worked up.

All thoughts of romantic candle-lit dinners and celebrating went completely out the window as sinful thoughts took over my mind, urging me to squeeze her hips and draw her impossibly close. While that would certainly come eventually, I was too fixated on having her and letting her know the exact power she held over me without even knowing it.

Growing impatient, I hummed against her lips as I hoisted her up again, turning us around so that she was spread out on the couch, looking up at me with those surprisingly lewd eyes, and her cheeks painted pink as she caught her breath.

Keenly noting how my self-restraint was crumbling with every passing second, I moved in, caging her against the couch as I latched my mouth to her neck, finding that sweet spot immediately.

Vivian let go of a breathy moan for me as I kissed down her neck, reaching the plunging neckline of her thin sleep set. The flimsy material was pushed up easily enough to expose her breasts, sending another wave of anticipation through me.

Cupping them both, I trailed my lips further down, leaving a teasing stripe against her left nipple before heading straight for the other. As my thumb stroked the former, I took the latter in my mouth and listened to how she was already falling apart, desperate for more.

Her quiet moans were all the encouragement I needed to keep going, and it became my personal goal to make them even louder.

I took great pleasure in pulling those breathless sounds from her with my ministrations, flicking with my tongue to make her back arch away from the couch cushions.

When I couldn't wait anymore, I popped my mouth off her and continued, catching her slight sigh from losing that contact.

Don't worry, I thought to myself. Soon enough.

Moving further south, I grazed every inch of skin I could find, making her wriggle out of desperation for more friction. As much as I just wanted to be inside her already, I wanted to make her come undone first. I wanted to maximize her pleasure as much as I could, even if it went to the point of overstimulation.

As my palms trailed down her thighs with my lips in tow, I lowered myself between them and felt right at home.

Vivian's breathing was already erratic as she waited for me to do something, anything. Not willing to wait any longer, I hooked my fingers in the equally flimsy bed shorts and pulled them down to reveal her more casual underwear underneath. Given her pregnancy, she opted for comfort over style, but I still found it sexy.

Especially because they so easily showed that lewd damp spot that made me harden even more, delirious at the thought of how turned on she already was.

"Ari, please…" she whimpered, nearly trembling from how needy she was.

"I said I'd take care of you, right?" I hummed, gently pressing a thumb against that tantalizing spot as she sucked in a sharp breath. "Trust me, sweetheart."

With her eyes already shut, Vivian leaned back into the couch, soaking in the light pressure of my thumb.

I continued with an almost wonder-like focus on her clothed sex, watching how she twitched from needing more. How she could hardly handle my teasing.

Feeling charitable, I ran a finger next to the lower hem of her underwear and snagged the material to pull it to the side.

Seeing how perfect and wet she already was for me, I couldn't hold back.

Whether it came from an honest place of wanting to help her feel release, or from my selfish desire, I wasted no time reacquainting myself.

I wanted to start slowly, to draw out her moans and listen to how they'd gradually grow in volume, but I couldn't wait anymore. The sight alone made me feral just to taste her again.

With one long swipe, I moved my tongue through the length of her, taking in her arousal. It triggered something almost primal within me as I wrapped my arms around her thighs and held her close, pinning her in place.

A moan ending with a cry of surprise left her mouth immediately, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

She was so perfect and she didn't even know it. Every sound and desperate little movement she made had my nerves frayed from how viscerally I needed her.

Even if my self-control was waning, I had enough left to please her first. To keep her pleasure at the forefront of my priorities.

Spreading her thighs apart to give me better access, I focused all of my desires and needs on caressing her clit with my tongue and exploring every inch of her, offering the occasional squeeze to her plush legs.

As Vivian's moans grew louder, my movements became even more intense, and I knew we'd both be reduced to sloppy, degenerate versions of ourselves sooner rather than later.

And I wouldn't change it for the world.