“I love you.” His voice is guttural, hoarse from the intense moment we’re sharing.

“I love you, too. So much.”

Not breaking eye contact and his cock still deep inside me, he closes the small distance to my lips. Only when our tongues make contact does he start to move again. The same slow—painfully slow—infiltration of mind, body, heart, and soul.

I pull my mouth from his when the intimacy becomes too much. My hands fall from his face to his neck, and I feel my eyes wet when I realize that, at this moment, we’re as close as anyone could ever get to experience paradise.

Not even completely nude and with me against the wall, Nate makes love to my body. And if there was any doubt about him owning all of me before now, it was obliterated the second I clamped down on him with a scream as his own grunt of completion rumbled from deep in his chest.

IT’S BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE Ember’s art show.

Two weeks since I earned the right to have her heart back and gave her mine in return. Sometimes, I feel like the biggest pussy-whipped bastard around because all it takes is one sly smile from her and I’m ready to drop to my knees and promise her the fucking world.

And I love every single second of it.

She’s still at my house, and honestly, I wasn’t kidding when I had told her that it was where I wanted her. Fuck rushed. I don’t see the point in changing the way things are now just because society has some misconception on how fast two people in love should move. Ember and me, we aren’t conventional. Our past proves that, and just because we haven’t been together that long—almost two months—we’ve known each other our whole lives. We’re closer than most couples who have been married for years.

So if I want my girl with me, I’m going to make sure I do whatever it takes to convince her to stay.

However, judging by how quick her dad is moving the construction on her house along, I have a feeling that he isn’t too happy with his daughter ‘living in sin.’

I make a mental note to have a conversation with him tonight at our first family dinner together as a couple. I would be a fool if I weren’t a little worried that he might kick my ass just for suggesting it.

But it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

Even though everyone had come out to her show, our parents knew that we were together now, but they haven’t actually come face-to-face with just how together we really are. There hasn’t been time before tonight. She’s been busy working in my guest room on some more pieces Annabelle had commissioned out, and I’ve been busy with Dirty.

Thankfully, Dirty is running so smoothly with Shane and Dent managing the club that I’ve been able to really take a step back. I still go in every day, but I trust my team, and I’ve been able to be home early more often than not. My girl got the dates she deserved, and it’s rare that I miss one of her home-cooked meals. Sometimes, she comes with me when I go over at night, and sometimes, she doesn’t. All that matters is that we found our stride and it’s fucking perfect.

“Hey, handsome,” I hear and look up from the socks I had been pulling on to see Ember standing in the bedroom doorway, Bam panting at her side.

Pulling my jeans legs down, I grab my shoes and slip them on before standing to get my hands on her. She laughs when I bend and grab her ass to pull her up so that I can take her mouth. The sound muffles against my lips, and I smile, breaking the kiss to look at her.

“Hey baby, you ready?” Her face heats and she pulls one plump lip between her teeth. Well, shit. I thought she had gotten over her nerves about tonight, but apparently not. “What is it?”

“Nothing really. I just stupidly let some nerves take root.”