Muted early morning light pooled into the bedroom through the steel and glass french doors but it hasn't touched the bed quite yet.
In the barely there shadows, under the rumpled covers, lying on my right side, I hiked a leg up, hooking my foot behind Stellan's ankle to give him better access. His hand, the heel already grinding against my clit while his two of his fingers slid in and out of me, picked up speed and aggression in its quest.
But before I could draw him in deeper, his hand moved away and I gasped at the sudden emptiness.
Thankfully, it didn't last long before he was there, plunging into me from behind. The arm he had under me slid up to strap across my front so he could hold me against his chest while he plucked at my hardened nipples. To keep his penetration tight, his other hand clutched my left hip, keeping it in place as his thrusts quickened.
"I need it deeper," I moaned, pulling away from his hold so I could curl into all fours on the bed, reaching for him to cover me from behind.
Draping his long, muscular body over me, he yanked at my hips to lift them up, his hands leisurely shaping the outward curves of my ass before he drove back into me.
From there, everything escalated—how fast and hard and deep he was taking me, and how quickly I hurtled into my climax. In the vise grip that my muscles had his shaft locked in, Stellan pulsed into his own release, groaning loudly against the nape of my neck as we shuddered and collapsed together back on the bed.
Sunlight was fully flooding the room when my eyes opened again much later.
I smiled and turned my head to the other side, finding Stellan watching me with a small smile on his lips.
"Good morning," he said, scooting a little bit closer to me as I rolled to that side to fully face him.
At my slight wince, he stilled. "Are you too sore?"
I rubbed my eyes and grinned. "No. My neck's just slightly stiff from sleeping at a weird angle. I can go again if you're interested."
"Don't tempt me. We've already slept in," Stellan said with a laugh, pulling himself up to a sitting position and reaching for his glasses and phone from the nightstand. "It's already quarter to seven. Your crew's going to be here any minute now."
"And us coming down at least half an hour later is no different from most mornings in the last four weeks," I said, kicking off the covers and stretching out naked on the bed.
I mentally noted that after twice last night and early this morning, we were going to need to change sheets again. It's almost a daily thing now. Probably because I was insatiable when it comes to Stellan. After over two and a half celibate years of being apart, we had a lot to make up for so stow it.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Letty brought over some breakfast for us," Stellan said as he got up and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Only because she knows how late we've been starting our mornings," I said, following him into the bathroom and grabbing my own toothbrush.
Letty usually only cooked for the stay-in staff and when there were gatherings at the house, mostly leaving leftovers for Stellan if he was going to be around. But since I started staying over almost four weeks ago, with Stellan and I mostly content to just stay in during the evenings, she'd been bringing over meals more frequently. The only exception was on the weekends when Stellan insisted on cooking for us.
Just like my crew, Stellan's household and security team had quickly figured out these new developments.
We didn't have an official discussion as to how we were going to go about this but the past month, outside of the flurry of work deadlines, had been very much a honeymoon-stage that we'd wanted to keep to ourselves for a little while. The playhouse was set to be completed in time for the fourth of July, to be unveiled during the small party Stellan was throwing for his family and close friends. I was attending and we figured, even if we didn't broadcast it, it was going to become obvious to everyone that were actually together. We weren't exactly hiding anything but after the scrutiny I'd been put through most of my adult life, and the measure of peace I'd attained by staying out of the public eye—and earshot—the last few years, Stellan and I shared the opinion that our lives were not for social consumption.
"I've actually become a fan of late mornings. I'm happy to have many more of them," Stellan said, kissing my cheek before stepping into the shower.
While he showered, I went into the separate toilet to do my business and then tidy up my hair so I could get it under a shower cap. I hit the shower after Stellan was done and by the time I was ready to get dressed, he was already out of the room, probably poking around the kitchen for coffee and breakfast.
We were just chowing down some of Letty's breakfast casserole when Jamie poked his head in with a quick nod in greeting.
"We still checking out that warehouse by Langley Field?" he asked as he came over, leaning down automatically to let me give him a hug. I haven't seen him much outside of work lately. He and Sidney, along with Carmela, have been giving me some space, aware that I was pretty much living at Stellan's right now, doing plenty of 'catching up'.
"Yup. We can go after lunch time," I told him, lifting a forkful of the casserole to him. "Try this. It's pretty amazing."
Jamie took a bite, gave a couple deep nods (which is Jamie-speak for something being delicious).
"Is that for the market-style retail project you're contemplating?" Stellan asked, scooping up a hefty serving of casserole onto another plate and handing it to Jamie. "Langley Field would actually be a pretty cool area to have it. Lots of neighborhoods close by and other restaurants and shops within walking distance."
"We're thinking the same thing," I told him, filling a glass with orange juice for Jamie after motioning for him to sit his ass down and eat. He usually eats breakfast in the morning before leaving for work but considering his morning starts at about four, it's been a few hours since he's eaten. And considering he's the size of a small mountain, Jamie eats a lot. "But we have to be pretty careful about this investment. It's going to cost a couple million and that's before any work. It's at least a two-year project if we're lucky. And if we don't have half a dozen other large projects going on at the same time."
Jamie and I have been looking for a scrap building to buy in an up and coming, high-pedestrian-traffic area which we can then convert into an indoor market of some sort with small retail and dining spaces to rent out on the main level and professional offices above them. Think Chelsea Market but smaller and with a coastal view. It's ambitious but we've had a pretty good record in the last handful of commercial investments we've made that we were feeling confident about this.
"I'm sure it will work out. To say that you two are on a roll is an understatement," Stellan said with what looked like a very proud smile before getting up from the breakfast bar to load his dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
"As if you're not busy enough with your hands in about a hundred different projects of your own," I said, grinning up at him as he stood behind me.
"You like my busy hands," he murmured with a smile before giving me a quick upside-down kiss on the mouth. "I love you. I'll see you later."
Jamie cleared his throat and Stellan and I laughed when we saw him looking around at everything but us.
"I'll be in the office most of the day," Stellan said. "Vivienne's back in town and she and Cassie might swing by later this afternoon. I'm not sure if you'll be here or not at that time. I'll be home around four but Letty's going to set up dinner. Jamie, you're welcome to stay and join us."
"Sid's taking him rug shopping after work because romance," I said, snickering at Jamie's eye roll. "But I'll try to be home around the same time."
Stellan just laughed and clapped Jamie on the shoulder on the way out, with me hollering after him. "Have a good day! I love you too!"
Once he was gone, I turned back to Jamie who'd just cleaned his plate off.
"You're happy," he said in the same tone he would use to describe the weather to me.
I grinned. "You think?"
Jamie hasn't said much since he put two and two together four weeks ago but that wasn't unusual for him. I didn't think he would have anything bad to say about Stellan because, well, it's Stellan, but I had a pang of anxiety when he was quiet just now, after my teasing response.
"What?" I prodded, slapping him on the knee.
He raised a brow at me. "Nothin'. It suits you. Long overdue."
My heart—happy, bumping thing it has been lately—squeezed hard with happiness as I slid out of my stool and wrapped my arms around Jamie.
It's crazy how things can turn around if you just let go. You never know till you land whether it was a good idea or not.
I stayed floating on that cloud nine all day, even as I helped the crew race to get all the playhouse finishes done by our deadline which was going to be in a week. The trip to check out the warehouse with Jamie was insightful. We just had to crunch some numbers together and figure out our negotiating room. Then I stopped by at Carmela's (she wasn't home yet) to drop off a basket of goodies I got at a local shop at Langley Field before before heading over to my own condo to find something nice to wear.
I already had a good amount of personal items and mostly work clothes over at Stellan's house. He actually gave me several of my own drawers and shelves in his humungous closet plus my own side of the bathroom vanity. It was a little weird at first because despite our long history together, we never established any kind of routine that would hint at some degree of permanence. This was all new to us. But it all happened organically, without much fuss or discussion because honestly, Stellan and I were way long past that. We haven't figured out all the details but permanence was part of the deal.
No one goes through the shit we did just to fuck around. We checked that box off early on.
With some options, I drove back to Stellan's place. It was just about five after four when I finished showering and getting ready.
My crew looked like they just finished their early dinner and was packing up when I made my way there.
Kevin saw me coming over and held his hands up to stop me. "You can't come in here with those open-toed...things."
I glanced down at my tan leather sandals that laced up around the ankles. "They're gladiator sandals, Kev."
Blake, one of our newer and younger guys, scratched his head like I'd stumped him. "You look like a girl."
"She is a girl, you dumbass," Kevin said, rolling his eyes. These two bickered like siblings all the time. "She's just dressed up, that's all. Looks nice, boss."
Since none of my crew usually ever paid my looks a compliment—either they were all really immune to what's so obvious to other people or they liked their jobs too much, I must have cleaned up alright. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard but the long, ivory-colored boho dress I had on, with its softly ruffled sleeves and billowy bodice, complimented my coloring and emphasized enough of my shape without being extravagant.
I sighed and shook my head. "And you two wonder why you can't charm a woman long enough to have a conversation with you? A little finesse could go a long way, boys."
"I got finesse," Kevin muttered under his breath and I just laughed and smacked him lightly on the chest.
Stellan, with his hair disheveled, his shirtsleeves up and his tie loose, found me out there not more than ten minutes later, saying goodbye to the crew.
Once the van was out of our view, he pulled me close for one of his long, lazy kisses.
"You're quite a sight to come home to," he said as he leaned back to take a better look at me. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," I told him, leaning up to press another kiss against his mouth. "Did you have a good day?"
"I did. Too many meetings but good. You?"
"Same. The warehouse is looking promising. The playhouse is on schedule."
"Of course, it is," Stellan murmured with a small smile. "I never realized how amazingly efficient you are with timelines until I saw you work a little more the past several weeks."
I felt a little giddy with that small praise. "Time is money. The sooner we're done, the quicker we get to the next investment."
"I should schedule in some time away with you, wherever you can make it work in your calendar. Take a trip somewhere."
I snorted. "Sure. But have we seriously become that boring old couple already? We start booking on each other's calendars now?"
"We might be but I don't think boring's such a bad thing for us," he said, looping my arm around his and leading us back toward the house.
"Yeah, it'll be a nice change, actually, from all the excitement of the last six years," I said with a dry laugh. "I would take boring any day."
"Tonight might not be too boring," Stellan said as we stopped just before the stairs that went up the two upper decks. "My sisters are here."
I stiffened out of nervousness, which he instantly picked up on, and he gently tipped up my chin. "I'm pretty sure they both like you. Vivienne's definitely hinted at it enough."
I swallowed hard, trying to relax—which, of course, was the least relaxing thing. "If she could've strong-armed us into this, she would have."
"I would never," a distinctly feminine voice in a dramatically miffed tone floated from above us. "I have other more effective means of persuasion."
Vivienne was leaning against the railing of the top deck, smiling down at us—a little smugly, too—while holding Noelle on her left hip. "Hey, Kady. You're looking friendly with my brother. Have you both recovered your senses and figured it out?"
I laughed, my anxiety instantly dispelled, because Vivienne was looking very pleased at the moment. Stellan and I hurried up the stairs and met her halfway at the middle deck. "I have but he's completely lost his which allows me to take advantage, so I think we're good here."
"Oh, don't give my brother that much credit," she said with a dainty snort, walking over and handing her daughter to Stellan. The little girl's face had lit up at the sight of him and she was eagerly struggling to jump into his arms. "I'm certain Stellan knows exactly what perks he's getting out of this bargain."
"I do," Stellan replied good-naturedly, not quite taking his sister's bait and dropping a kiss on the top of Noelle's head instead. "I have the most amazing women in my life. Don't you agree, Ellie? Because you're one of them."
"Giving someone a nickname with the same number of syllables as their real name isn't saving anyone any time," Vivienne muttered as Stellan carried Noelle up the last set of stairs. She turned to me and rolled her eyes. "I've tried but he and Dad still call her that sometimes. Make sure you call your kid something that actually justifies a nickname, okay?"
"Whoa, we're not quite there yet," I said, scrunching up my nose in slight embarrassment.
"Well, where exactly are you at with my brother?" Vivienne asked. "I mean, I've been on three trips out of town this month but it still feels like I haven't seen much of Stellan. Cassie thought he was babysitting Max who's been gallivanting across the country these past several weeks."
My cheeks burned as I tried to keep a straight face. "We may have been holing up in here a bit. I mean, we're still trying to finish up the playhouse. But outside of that we've been... spending time."
"Did this come about right after Lily's departure?"
I arched a brow at her. "Did you know the real deal about them?"
Vivienne shook her head. "Not at first. I honestly thought they were dating and Stellan didn't really say one way or another. But after I've been around them both a little bit more, especially after Christmas dinner, it kinda became obvious. They didn't act with the intimacy of a couple. And Lily spaced out a lot. She put a big smile on but I think she wanted to be somewhere else."
"She did," I said with a sigh. "You think you could've told me when you realized that she and Stellan were just platonic?"
"When would've I cheerfully clued you in on that?" Vivienne returned with a direct, demanding gaze. "You got scarce right after Stellan's birthday. You declined Christmas dinner. I could've called or met up with you, I guess, but honestly, I didn't want to intervene. Stellan seemed like he had a plan and if there's one man I trust to get something right, it's my brother. Although, from the way you asked me that question, I'm guessing he screwed it up by not setting the record straight from the start."
I rolled my eyes. "He explained his reasons and he's grovelled quite a bit about it but yes, I would've appreciated the truth from day one."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes, as if in distant thought for a moment there. "I used to think that a person's attitude about the truth has to be pretty black and white. You either tell the truth or you don't. But I've learned the hard way that the truth can be messy and when it's in your hands, it becomes real complicated quick on whether you should share it or not."
I wasn't mad. I understood good intentions and poor execution. I've had my fair share of them.
Besides, I was way past the point of what-ifs and what-abouts.
The things that unfolded between Stellan and I did so for a reason.
I don't take for granted the lessons we learned from our mistakes but I also can't stay stuck in the past, asking a thousand more times how else we could've done something that we've already done a different way.
We were here, together, today, determined not to repeat our mistakes, and that's the important thing.
"I take it you're okay with all this?" I asked Vivienne.
Not because I needed her permission. I didn't.
But her support would be nice.
And I valued our very young friendship.
I haven't met a lot of women who neither put out or put up with bullshit.
"Am I okay with my brother being happy?" Vivienne repeated. "Of course, I am. And I have a lot of respect for you, Kady. Most women wouldn't put up a fight against landing Stellan. That you did out of some noble if somewhat misguided notion that you didn't deserve him until you got yourself to a better place makes me think you're in this for the right reasons."
"He's the only reason," I said with a wry shake of my head. "I want him to be happy. Luckily for me, I have some power to make him that way."
"That same power can be used to break his heart again which I strongly advise against," Vivienne said in all seriousness. "I can be a petty bitch if the situation calls for it."
"Of that, I have no doubt," I retorted but Vivienne only seemed proud of the confirmation.
"Is this shareable news or still a secret?" she asked when we finally walked up the last set of stairs that led to the top deck which connected to the kitchen.
"It's not a secret—not like it was before," I said with a light shrug. "But we're not renting a billboard to tell the world either. The people close to us will quickly figure it out but other than that, we're keeping it low-key. As weird as it may sound, some things still feel new even though I feel like we've done this forever. I want us to enjoy these little things that we never got to have before. The last thing I want to do right now is read some online article digging up all my dirt and painting me as Stellan's worst mistake just when I'm trying to be the exact opposite."
"There'll be a lot of those out there in the world, for sure," Vivienne agreed with an exasperated sigh. "Nothing makes quite as much noise as scandal."
"I know. That's how I stayed notorious for years. I gave them so much gossip fodder," I muttered. "And as much as I'd like to say that I didn't change my life around just for the sake of rehabilitating my image, I'm hoping that with time, what I've done in the past isn't going to matter as much as what I've done—or not done—lately."
"It'll take time—and a lot of tolerance from you—but I think people will start to notice," Vivienne said before perking up and giving me a broad smile. "But speaking of rehabilitating your image, I actually have an idea I've been wanting to run by you. What do you think about modeling again?"
"I'm not sure that putting myself out there wearing nipple pasties and butt floss to become jack-off inspiration is going to help public opinion of me."
Vivienne snorted out a laugh. "No, not that. I wasn't exactly thinking of you going back to provo-couture. You get it? Like provocateur but fashion?"
My answer was pretty deadpan. "Yes, wordsmith."
Vivienne just rolled her eyes. "I'm thinking more along the lines of Paris Fashion Week this fall."
I studied Vivienne for a second to see if she was just pulling my leg—cruelly. She was smiling but she looked dead serious about it. "I'm a couple inches too short and about four times bigger than the usual dress size for runway couture."
"And so are a couple dozen people who have walked my shows," Vivienne retorted with mild exasperation. "I'm assuming you haven't seen many of them. I don't label my collections specifically other than what their inspiration is about. My clothes can be customized to fit whatever shape and size someone is and still represent my vision. I've hired all across the spectrum because I mostly care about who can connect with my work and bring it to life. And I've found many times that they tend to be people who are not only unique but have absolutely no problem with knowing that they are and they come in all shapes and sizes. Why do you think I'm asking you?"
I scrunched up my nose. "For the same reason many brands have asked me before. They wanted to provoke and seduce. They wanted the attention of being labeled a rebel."
Vivienne raised her brow. "I'm already one. I don't need you for that. That's partly why I left the first design house I worked for. My ideas were too unconventional."
"I didn't know that."
"About two years ago, I made Cassie model some of my pieces on a magazine spread featuring my fall collection. She was about eight months pregnant. And the clothes were not maternity wear."
I must've looked really surprised because she relaxed into a giggle. "Her dimples needed international attention, okay? Seriously though, why shouldn't she showcase a collection that was all about fresh, natural, innocent beauty? She embodies all of that. She just happened to be pregnant but so what? Besides, I love her to pieces. She deserved the spotlight."
"Of course, she did. But I don't. At the very least, I should avoid it."
"But I have a ten-piece mini-collection inspired by you," Vivienne said, looking crushed. "Since I saw you up close that night at Sainthill, I've been thinking on the kind of emotions such fierce, breathtaking beauty can evoke. The collection has a very romantic take with dreamlike colors and textures but it's also audaciously bold and unapologetically feminine. The idea is that beauty in abstract cannot be rationalized or evaded to protect yourself from its power—you have to let it fill your eyes, take room in your mind, own a piece of your heart and make you consider yourself grateful to have the chance to experience it. I'm sure there will be other models out there who will give the vision justice but it wouldn't feel right not having my muse in the centerfold."
I let out a breathy laugh at the end of that pitch and had to agree with common knowledge that there was saying no to Vivienne. Not even about this and not after all of that. It was nothing like the spiel other designers and brands would give me before, which were usually along the lines of how much my body would sell the item by selling consumers the illusion of sex—either with me for men, or as me, for women. Obviously, Vivienne would be selling these clothes but I respected that she was looking at me and my 'inspiration' on this with a very different eye.
For once, I actually felt beautiful, not just fuckable.
I've been called the first word by many all my life but it always seemed glaringly obvious that they really meant the latter.
"I'll say yes to this because I trust you but before I commit to every single thing it entails, let me figure out what my world looks like in the next few months," I told Vivienne and before I could even continue, she shrieked happily, throwing her arms around me for a hug.
Then she burst into the house, making straight for the living room area where Stellan and Cassandra were entertaining Rylan and Noelle.
"She said yes!" Vivienne announced loudly with an uncharacteristic lack of ladylike poise.
Stellan swung around slowly with Rylan sitting on his shoulders, looking puzzled. "Who did what?"
"Kady said yes!" Vivienne laughed and winked at her brother. "I'm letting her practice until it's your turn to ask her something."
My cheeks burned especially when Cassandra started clapping excitedly. "Oh, I'm so glad you said yes to doing Viv's Paris show! She's been going on and on about asking you." Then suddenly, realization dawned on her face. "Oh, my God, have I completely missed the fact that there's something going on between you and Stellan?"
Then she turned to Vivienne incredulously. "And why haven't you said anything to me?"
Vivienne shrugged. "I'm very good at keeping secrets, in case anyone's forgotten. But also, I didn't want you to be so invested in the idea and adore Kady to bits especially if things didn't work out and we had to kick her butt."
"I'm definitely not as heartless as you," Cassandra agreed with her sister before coming up to me with a gloriously dimpled smile and a quick hug. "But I'm very happy for you and my brother, Kady. No wonder he hasn't stopped smiling since he walked in here. I just thought it was seeing the kids."
Stellan came over with Rylan still on his shoulders and now Noelle in one arm. "Well, you and Vivienne aren't unwelcome either."
"You should've told us we'd be interrupting your evening." Cassandra rolled her eyes as if Stellan was just absolutely clueless, jabbing him on the side with an elbow, seemingly unconcerned that he might possibly drop both children. "Does Dad know?"
"He will now," he said with a slight shake of his head, turning a slightly apologetic smile to me. "Unless you want to swear them to secrecy until you're ready."
I was pretty sure that there were still moments when Stellan hedges my stand on certain next steps. He hasn't pressured me to do much of anything in the last four weeks and still leaves the ball in my court when it came to future plans. It would take time for him to feel completely confident and it would take some work for me to check myself and see how my words or actions might come across. Happily-ever-after, it turns out, is constant work from each other.
"You can tell Jack," I said with a shrug. "He's probably not going to be that surprised."
Cassandra groaned. "Was I seriously the only one who didn't clue in?"
Vivienne snickered. "I think our husbands won't be that surprised either but being men, I don't think they're thinking that hard about it. And Max is Max. Other than he's been partying it up coast to coast lately, it probably won't occur to him that Stellan might be settling into a relationship because he has trouble with the concept himself."
I laughed, thinking of how Stellan had pointed out mine and Max's similarities before. "It just takes the right person to sneak in and catch him off guard. It's only a matter of time at this point."
"All you boys settling down," Vivienne said with a dramatic sniffle, batting her lashes as she pretended to tear up. "It's so nostalgic when one thinks of how much trouble you four assholes used to be."
She grinned at her brother. "Well, except you, of course, but that seems to have worked out."
"Does Oliver know you call him the a-word behind his back and in front of his daughter?" Stellan demanded with a laugh.
"No, but it doesn't matter because I'd call him that in his face if he does something to deserve it," Vivienne snapped back. "And he knows it."
We were still laughing over some other outrageous things Vivienne was telling us when Letty called us over for dinner. The woman prepared an elaborate feast and she happily volunteered to help feed Rylan who wouldn't stay put in one of the two high chairs I didn't even know Stellan had in storage. The little boy wanted to roam the entire kitchen and dining area instead, and Letty followed him around with his plate and airplane spoon with surprising speed and agility.
It was our first dinner with other people and it couldn't have gone better.
I had to tell Cassandra a little bit of mine and Stellan's history but while both women were definitely curious and outspoken, they were nothing but kind and classy even through the dark parts. They took their turns sharing a little bit of their own stories with their husbands and even with the bare minimum that I know, I realized that Stellan's family and friends might have a lot more in common with me than I first thought. While it may seem like it on the surface, none had perfect lives and perfect love stories.
The women promised not to tattle even though we didn't ask it of them—as if they almost sensed how tentatively we were taking each step. I appreciated that.
It was only eight when they left but the kids were practically asleep at that point.
Stellan and I hung out with Letty in the kitchen as she did some final clean up, chatting and trying to help where she would let us.
After she said goodnight and walked back to the staff quarters, Stellan and I ended up lazily swimming in the pool, under the brilliant canopy of stars.
"I just realized that the last time I've seen this much open sky was standing outside of the cabin in Montana," I said as I swam up to Stellan who was in a corner of the pool where it was shallow enough for him to stand with his head and shoulders out above water. He tracking me with the same lambent glow that had been in his gaze that night of the pool party.
A shiver went through me even though the water was warm.
"Winter or summer, the skies are glorious there," I added huskily, sliding my arms around his neck. "You should come back there with me."
He pulled me close, his hands resting on my rear under the water. All I had on was a simple white two-piece swimsuit that gleamed in the moonlight against my shimmering wet dark skin.
"I'd love to," Stellan murmured, leaning down to trace his lips against the line of my jaw. "Do you still have the cabin there?"
"Uh-huh," I answered, distracted, when his mouth continued down to the curve between my neck and shoulder, sucking softly against my skin, just as his hands slid up to cup my breasts and give them a possessive squeeze. "Started renos when I got there a-after Cece died... But didn't complete it."
"What is its condition now?" Stellan asked, sounding perfectly calm. I didn't find that fair considering the condition he'd put me in, so I lowered my arms to keep me fully submerged from shoulders down and tugged at the waistband of his swim shorts and the erection that was aggressively filling them out. Fortunately, this corner of the pool had a neat, thick line of waist-high hedges that kept it well in the shadows at night, the only illumination coming low from a couple of the lights installed underwater. We might have used it a handful of times in the last four weeks.
"Bare bones," I answered before he abruptly took my mouth in a hard kiss in reaction to my tightened grip around him. He paid me back by pushing the deep neckline of my suit open and popping my breasts free under the water. "Jamie h-had it all tarped. I didn't want to look at it... for a while."
He touched his forehead to mine, his gaze locked in on my lips that now felt slightly swollen. "Was it because of our memories there?"
I nodded, swallowing hard against the pang of pain. "I bought that place thinking I was going to start new traditions with you. Then things ended before they could really begin. All I could see was that failure every time I looked at it."
"We didn't fail," Stellan murmured, pressing little kisses down the line of my nose. "We just... took a little detour."
I laughed at his creative reasoning before moaning low at the touch of his tongue swirling gently along the curve of my ear. His hands were back to kneading my breasts, his fingers tugging at my nipples. "I think I'm ready to look at it again. I want us to spend some time there around Christmas like we'd planned years ago. Start those new traditions."
"What do you have planned?" he asked before carefully pushing my bottoms down and fishing it out of the water. He flung it unceremoniously on the ledge and easily had me wrap my legs around his hips. "You want to finish the renovation?"
"My summer is a bit light since I'd padded the Magnolia timeline a couple of months and we finished much earlier. You sometimes never know what you'll find when you take apart an ancient building but we got lucky."
"How about your smaller flips?"
"We only have one four-plex to do in the summer and Jamie can handle most of that."
"And that warehouse for your retail market?"
"Most of that will be negotiations and contracts for a while which I can handle remotely," I told him, gasping softly when I found his bare shaft prodding against my opening. I grabbed on to his shoulders as he gently spun us around, pressing me against the tiles just before darting into me with one quick deep thrust.
We didn't say anything for a stretch of time. I lost my train of thought as the feeling of being taken in slow but deep strokes built an unbearable tension in me. Stellan bit down on his lower lip as he rocked into me, his eyes fascinated as he watched me unravel around him with a low, broken moan.
Limp from my climax, I sagged against him and tried to catch my breath. He was still hard and his body was taut from reining in his release. He was going to take me hard and fast in the next round and I was going to shatter a second time.
"I'm thinking of going after the fourth of July," I said, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction. "I'll have to reapply for all the permits but I can start on the site clean up and inspection while we wait. If I can hire a big enough local crew there, and assuming there are no major structural problems since we last worked on it, we can have it on lock-up in three to four months just before the temperature plunges there. Maybe another month or two of interior work and finishing but that should be pretty straightforward. It should be ready by December."
"Are you staying there for six months?"
At Stellan's dark look, I laughed. "No. I'll mostly be there for the main construction until we get to lock-up. I'll stay for three weeks at a time and come home for a week. If you have the time or flexibility, you can spend a week there with me or visit on the weekends. Or I can fly back here too if you want. We'll make it work. I'm thinking of renting an RV like I did when I started the renovations. That way I can stay on the property."
"And who's staying with you when I'm not there? You'll be by yourself in a construction zone in the middle of nowhere," Stellan pointed out.
"I'll bring a couple of guys from the crew and rent them their own RV," I said, not too concerned about it since I knew some of them wouldn't mind a different kind of scenery. "Or I can rent a room in the town hotel. Remember where you booked me in?"
Stellan scowled, not liking the reminder. "It was better than leaving you in that cabin that was about to fall on your head."
I laughed and kissed him squarely on the mouth, shifting my hips and slowly moving on him again. He shot back to full hardness in seconds. "I know. I hold no hard feelings about that. But think of spending some of the summer with me there. We can take the RV to camp out by the mountains or a lake and do some hiking. We can enjoy some of the town festivals and entertainment, get to know some of the locals. What do you think?"
"You sure you can't put this off another time when you wouldn't need to be gone for weeks on end?" he asked.
"Not really," I admitted. "I've been getting swamped with ideas about what I want to do with this place now. I have so much inspiration. We can take winter vacations there. We can invite some family and friends over since I'd framed out an extension that would give the place at least two more generously-sized bedrooms."
Stellan wasn't really going to say no if I wanted something like this but I wanted him to understand a little bit of where it was coming from so that he could see it from my perspective and hopefully share it with me. "There's plenty of headroom in those additional bedrooms for bunk beds. You know... when the time comes to have those three or four little rascals you want to invade our lives."
The light that flared in his eyes warmed me from the core and when he grinned, I almost sighed at how happy he looked. "You don't mind three or four of them turning our lives upside down?"
"Parenthood is a challenge I never thought I would experience but I would love to have children with you," I said softly, aware of something shifting and altering completely in my soul. "Do you want them soon?"
Stellan looked like he just held his breath. "I want them whenever you're ready to have them."
I grinned. "How about you make use of this perfectly impressive erection before it can go to waste and I stop taking the pill tonight?"
His eyes rounded with surprise. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"When I was talking about new traditions, I meant it in every sense." I reached up and cupped the side of his face. "This is us starting our life together, Stellan. And in this life, we're a family. You, me, the people in our lives, and the little ones we happen to make should we be blessed to have them."
Stellan's answer was to kiss me hard, pinning me flat against the tiles and filling me completely with one sure stroke. "I love you, Kady. I can't believe I'm about to have everything I've ever wanted."
Tears stung my eyes as I smiled and closed them, giving myself up completely to his loving. "It's about time we did."
Fate wasn't going to let us have it that easy, clearly.
A day after I told Stellan of my grand plans for the cabin, I got a call from Darby's Deputy Marshal.
Most of the building had burned down.
*****
Ninya's Notes:
I know, the chapter is a bit smutty but come on, the eight chapters before the last one had zero sex so I thought I'd make you all happy. LOL. Honestly, though. This chapter was just really to give them some normalcy, some settling in.
I know last chapter, lots of people were hoping these two don't end up pregnant. I've already written this chapter before I saw those comments but it did make me think. I'm honestly not too concerned about that because these two have been together for a while now, even if it had been under some unconventional circumstances. And thanks to the timeline, Stellan's getting kinda old here. LOL.
To those who seemed shocked to realize how old he is in this timeline, (he's 37 like the rest of the CBB guys) it's a result of the how all the stories lined up where they did with Seb being 34 at the end of Virtue and Vice (excluding the epilogue). There's still quite a bit of detail to fix there but I'll deal with in once this story is done. An advice to writers out there, try to plan for a series if you suspect your first book is going to go there so you won't end up having to write your later stories at the mercy of the timeline your first book had set. That's been the toughest challenge so far of completing this series, integrating each book into the existing timeline.
But for anyone who finds him too old, feel free to have him however old you can realistically make him in your head.
Anyway, let me know what you think!
I'm on a James Arthur kick lately so here's another one of my favorites from him. I love the mention of children in the later part of the song. Thought it'd fit well with the chapter.
XOXO,
Ninya
♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: Falling Like The Stars by James Arthur ♪♪♪
I swear to God, when I come home
I'm gonna hold you so close
I swear to God, when I come home
I'll never let go
Like a river, I flow
To the ocean I know
You pull me close
Guiding me home
And I need you to know that we're
Falling so fast
We're falling like the stars
Falling in love
And I'm not scared to say those words
With you I'm safe
We're falling like the stars
We're falling in love
I swear to God, I can see
Four kids and no sleep
We'll have one on each knee
You and me
And when they've grown up
You're still the girl in the club
When I held your hair up
'Cause you'd had too much
And I need you to know that we're
Falling so fast
We're falling like the stars
Falling in love
And I'm not scared to say those words
With you I'm safe
We're falling like the stars
Falling in love