Ex with Benefits (sequel to Roommates with Benefits)

I thought you'd never ask

Sooo...I know you were waiting for a cowboy, but...I really can't make myself write it, not these days anyways. So instead of keeping you waiting indefinitely, I decided to just skip that part for now. I'll add it as bonus chapter once the story is complete, I think.

This chapter is...well, not exactly my best. I feel it kinda sterile, not at all...as passionate as the others. I think that upon editing I'll delete a couple of chapters, or rather, I'll reorder the storyline.

One chapter left, plus two bonus chapters: one is the cowboy one, wanna guess the other? lol

CHAPTER 40 - I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK

TARA'S POV

Wheezing, I got off him, barely able to wrap my head around what we just did. It's absurd, really. After so many years together, so much 'experimenting', you'd think we wouldn't have anything else left to try, and yet ... here we discover role play. Whoever thought it could be this fun?

For probably the first time, I saw Lukas just as affected as I. He was breathing heavily. He! Lukas Bennet breathing heavily after a long, long steamy marathon. That's definitely new.

"Well, well, looks like I finally made it, huh?" I teased, my breaths hitched, grinning from ear to ear as I turned to my side. "The day has come. I've worn you out, Lukas Bennet."

He laughed, turning on his side as well. "Since you're just as breathless, it doesn't count."

I snorted. "Tsk. It counts and I'll always make it count." I stuck my tongue out to him. "It took me 21 freaking years, but I finally made it."

He smiled, his hand reaching for my cheek to caress it tenderly. "For what it's worth, you've never quit taking my breath away, baby girl."

Hard not to melt at that. I grinned, leaving my forehead against his. "You always have a way with words ..." I pecked his lips. "I can't even begin to say how happy I am that we're here today."

"Me neither."

"But ..." I pulled back.

Lukas grimaced. "Ah ... I knew it was coming. Let me guess, the list?"

"You haven't finished it yet."

He sighed, pulling back as well. "I knew you'd say that. That's why ..." he reached over for the nightstand, opened it, and took out his tablet. "... I knew I'd need this." He claimed as he typed in the password, only to then hand it over to me. "You've read two of the lists, there's one more missing."

I looked at the screen, where three documents were opened in the background. The desktop image caught my eye first, though. It was of us ... our marriage. The photographer obviously captured the moment I was singing for my husband, but this was right after my small impasse, where I couldn't remember the words I'd so carefully prepared. We were laughing, but there was a glint in our eyes ... I remember seeing it in Lukas' gaze when he stared at me, this ... unconditional, infinite, unbreakable happiness and love, this immense joy. I remember feeling overwhelmed because, my God, it was me to cause all that! He was that happy, that over the moon, because we had just signed a lifelong contract, had just promised to be together for the rest of our days ... until death do us part.

Until death do us part. A phrase that'd come to have quite a literal meaning these past weeks for us. They say that nothing serves more to put your life in the right perspective than a death scare, and I couldn't agree more.

I feel different. A lot, lot different. Not from the woman I was, but from the ... well, self righteous pain the ass I've often been. This 'scare' has helped me put my life in perspective, and I realized just how many mistakes I've made.