EPILOGUE

MYRA

One year later

I PUT THE finishing touches on the painting and stood back to admire my work. With the morning sun streaming in the windows, the colors on the canvas seemed to glow like they had in real life. I'm surprised I recalled it so vividly, since it had been years since I'd been to the lake. The sound of the front door closing pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Car's loaded, babe," Ron's voice called. I listened to his footsteps cross the creaky wood floors of the bungalow until he settled in behind me and slipped his hands around my waist. "Is it done?" I nodded. "Looks great. You planning on keeping it or putting it out on consignment?"

"I haven't decided yet." I glanced across the sunny space to the drafting table in the corner where several sketches were arranged. "Looks like you're done, too. "

"Noah says he needs six more panels before the book is finished. Then we can send it out to beta readers."

"That's great." I smiled and leaned back against him. "I can't believe how lucky we were to find this place."

The sunroom in the back of the small bungalow made a perfect studio for our artwork. We'd lucked into the rental this past summer when one of the professors at the college decided to accept a position at another school. We both had to get part-time jobs to afford it, but it was worth it for the privacy and this space.

"I can't believe how lucky I am to have you," he replied.

He spun me around and closed his arms around me, his lips finding mine. The kiss that started out slowly became more demanding, our tongues tangling, his hands reaching down to fist the hem of my dress.

"I thought you were in a hurry to get on the road," I teased.

"What's a few more minutes?"

"I don't know," I hedged. "What time did you tell your mom we'd be there?"

He sighed, his lips trailing across mine, up my cheek, to my ear, where he nibbled on the sensitive skin. "No specific time. Besides, it'll be four days before I have you all to myself again."

"You'll be so involved with your family, you won't even notice."

"Not a chance. One day is too much." He continued to kiss me while cupping my ass and kneading my cheeks.

I tried to keep my wits about me, but it was hard with his hands and his mouth pushing all the right buttons. "Is Thanksgiving going to be at your parents' house this year? "

He slipped a hand inside my panties to stroke my pussy. "Uh mm. Uncle Gio's and Aunt Isabella's house. Fuck, you're already wet."

I moaned and ground against his growing erection as his fingers found my clit. "If you keep this up, we'll never get on the road."

"Are you complaining?"

"Not even a little."

He chuckled deep in his throat. "I could take you right here on the floor. We've never done it in the studio."

I glanced down at the cold tile and shook my head. "I'd suggest the drafting table, but I don't want to mess up your drawings."

"I have a better idea."

He pushed me back until we slammed into the wall, his fingers never breaking stride. I trailed my hand down his chest to his waistband, reaching in to unzip his pants. He was already hard, a drop of pre-cum dampening the front of his underwear. I pushed both down over his hips and closed my hand around his cock, pulling a hiss from his lips.

"Is that what you want, baby?"

"Yes," I gasped.

"Say it."

"I want you."

"You want me to what?"

I gave him a wicked smile. "I want you to fuck me with your big cock."

He chuckled again. "Mmm. I love it when you talk dirty to me."

He yanked my panties out of the way and palmed his cock, rubbing it across the lips of my pussy to get it wet before teasing me with the head. "Is this what you want? "

"Yes," I grunted as he drove it home in one smooth thrust. I pushed back against him, forcing him deeper while his hands squeezed my ass. He began to pump, long, slow strokes at first, finding his rhythm.

"Harder," I breathed.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?"

He shoved hard into me until our bodies slammed together and he was seated deep inside, pausing for a moment to regain control. I pressed tighter, rubbing my breasts against his chest, loving how easily I could distract him.

"Minx," he breathed against my ear, his hips grinding me into the wall. I sought his mouth, sucking in his tongue and biting his lip while my hands threaded through his hair, knowing how much it drove him crazy. His movements became frenzied, almost violent, and I met his every stroke, my pussy tightening around his cock, urging him deeper, faster, harder.

"Talk to me…" thrust "…baby…" thrust "…tell me…" thrust "…what you…" thrust "…want." The pictures on the wall began to rattle, threatened to come loose from their nails. I broke away from his mouth and came up for air, throwing my head back to bang into the wall.

"Your cock feels so good."

He growled and scooped his arms around my legs, lifting them up to wrap around his waist to change the angle of penetration. I held on tight, riding his cock as it drove across my clit, the cadence gaining speed, each thrust seeming to go deeper until I swear he was pounding my ribcage. I bore down, clenching my pussy around his cock, milking it with every stroke.

"Oh fuck, Myra" he groaned. "That did it. "

One more deep thrust and I felt myself let go, the spasm rocketing through me, causing my vision to blur and my head to spin. He came right behind me, his hot cum filling my pussy.

We stood like that for several minutes, waiting for our heartbeats to slow back to normal and our breathing level out. He kissed me again, his lips trailing fire across my mouth and down my neck. I pulled my legs free of his grasp and stood shakily.

"Damn, woman, you're going to kill me one of these days."

"Just remember, you started it."

"Well at least I'll die happy."

I grabbed the roll of paper towels from his drafting table and pulled off a few then handed him the roll so we could clean ourselves up.

"I guess a shower is out of the question?" he asked.

"If we get in the shower, we'll never get on the road today."

He flashed a sly grin. "Fine. We'll just show up at my parents' house smelling like cum."

"Ron!"

He laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure it will fade by the time we get there."

"You're incorrigible."

I turned and started out of the room and he grabbed my hand, pulling me back. "Hang on a minute, there's something I want to ask you."

Something in his tone caused my heart to stutter. "What is it?" I asked cautiously.

"Nothing bad," he assured me. "At least, I hope not. I was going to wait until this weekend, but I think I'd rather do it now." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box, holding it up for me to see .

I felt my heart catch in my throat. "Is that what I think it is?"

"I don't know," he teased. "What do you think it is?"

"Ron."

He laughed and opened the box. Inside was a diamond ring. It was small and understated and…perfect. He pulled it out and held it up, dropping to one knee in front of me.

"Myra Anne Landon, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

I blinked at the tears suddenly clouding my vision. I thought of everything that had happened between us over the last year and how we had finally come to a place in our lives where we were both able to put our past traumas behind us in order to embrace a future. A future I never thought I'd have with someone like him. He was light to my dark, yin to my yang. The first person since Poe I'd been able to completely open up to and know he accepted all of me without reservation. And I did the same for him.

"Yes, Ron. Yes I'll be your wife."

He grinned and grabbed my hand, slipping the ring on my finger. "Just think. One of these days we're going to be married."

"One of these days," I agreed, seeking his lips again.

"I love you, Myra.

"I love you, too, Ron."