He brushes a tear from my cheek and I nod. “I promise, honey.”

When he pulls me forward, I brace myself with my palms to his chest and open my mouth to deepen our kiss the second our lips touch. He doesn’t make any move to take things further than the intimacy of our kiss, but the second his tongue slides against mine, I know I need to feel all of him.

Breaking away from him with a small shove, both of our chests rising rapidly, I quickly pull the shirt up and over my head. The desperation I feel to be filled by him hits a fever pitch, and I shift my hips until I can place my feet on the ground to stand before him. I rip my panties down my legs at the same time he lifts off the back of the couch and silently pulls his shirt off. I rock on my feet while he pulls at the waistband of his sweatpants. The second his erection springs out, I pounce, not even giving him a chance to get his sweats past mid-thigh.

When I get back in his lap, his shaft hits my folds, and I moan deep in my chest. I thread my fingers into his hair and pull him to me as I restart our kiss. There is no slow speed for us right now. No need for a gentle buildup of seduction with our hands. We both need this, his hunger just as fierce as mine is.

I push off the couch with my knees, and he helps me with one hand at his cock. When I sink down on his length, we both cry out. My body welcomes his thickness with a tight hug as our lips feast on each other.

No words are needed. His normal control-fueled demands are silent. He lets my body set the pace only tightening his hold on my hips when my pleasure becomes too much to handle and I lose the ability to make love to him. He bottoms out with each thrust of his hips off the couch, hitting something so deep inside me that I swear I could pass out from the intensity of that alone.

This is so much more than just making love to each other. I’ve never imagined that our already powerful bond could grow, but as my body clamps around him with a hoarse cry from my lips, he thunders out his release as his heat fills me.

I know at that moment what we just shared was our souls colliding with the power of our love, solidifying our unbreakable and unshakable bond. A bond that guarantees we will only feel the beauty of it as long as we’re together.

“I love you with everything I am, Ember.”

“As do I, Nate. As do I.”

SIX MONTHS AND SIXTEEN DAYS LATER

I CAN’T HAVE AN ERECTION at the altar.

I can’t have an erection at the altar.

I can’t have an erection at the altar.

“I can’t have an erection at the altar.”

“Uh, I’m thinking you probably shouldn’t think about having one at the altar, either.”

I turn my head from where Ember will be walking at any second and give Cohen confused look. Shane, my other groomsman, is having a hard time holding in his laughter. Cohen, the bastard, laughs softly as he looks around the church, and shifts a little closer to me.

“You have been mumbling about not getting hard for the last five minutes. I figured you might want to shut up with all that before your bride-to-be makes her walk down the aisle or you’ll be saying ‘I’m hard’ instead of ‘I do.’”

“Fuck,” I hiss.

“Yeah, probably shouldn’t say that either.”

Before I can think of a comeback, the soft music, which had been playing since I stepped out from some secret room on the side of the altar, changes.

“Get ready,” Cohen whispers, straightening himself up.

I don’t turn to look at him. Instead, I watch as Molly and Owen start walking down the aisle. Owen, giving no fucks whatsoever, starts some weird run waddle thing. Hell, I don’t blame him. I don’t even want to be wearing this damn monkey suit, so I can’t imagine the little dude does either.