Riley Mackenzie - Beautifully Done

“Ah, Asher. Don’t stop, please don’t stop. I’m so close.”

Like fuck I was stopping. I continued my ravenous assault and she moaned the sexiest sounds to ever bathe my ears. Yeah, I might have said that before, but these sounds didn’t exist before. This beautiful music was a mixture of relief, ecstasy, and complete satiation. And together we were making this happen for her. I lapped every last drop of her climax and waited for every last spasm and twitch to pass before I gently unfolded her legs back onto the bed, kissing each thigh before doing so. Then I kissed her stomach, each nipple, her neck, until landing on her lips.

“Thank you,” she breathed into my mouth.

“Don’t you ever thank me, Teeps. Ever. Feeling you writhe beneath me, listening to those sexy sounds leaving these suckable lips. Feeling your sweetness strangle my tongue. Get ready. Because if you think I’m not gonna make that happen every day for the rest of our lives, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Her eyes bulged and I absolutely loved it, but her next words had me spinning. “Quit talking about what you’re going to do to me for the rest of our lives and make it happen all over again right now.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Oh, I see my gentleman is back,” she giggled.

“Fuck no,” I hissed, burying my entire throbbing length. A deep throaty groan left my mouth when I reached her core. I knew I wasn’t gonna last long, it felt too good. Warm, wet and so tight, I rocked into her, creating a punishing pace. She gripped my ass, pulling me closer. “Come for me again, Tal.” I watched as her caramel eyes glazed over. With every thrust she milked my cock, driving me wild. Our mouths met again and I devoured every cry of pleasure she released. Her fingers slid up my back and forcefully dug through my hair as she began to clamp down around me. Pure bliss washed across her beautiful face when I ground my hips against her and staked my claim once again. She was never running from us again. Hell no. This union solidified that we were in this together. We were on the ride of our lives. “Come with me.” She gasped and with every bit of strength she had left she lifted her tiny hips one last time before allowing the intensity of her climax to roll through her. Each spasming ripple caused me to erupt over and over again, matching her tidal wave of ecstasy. “Mine,” I groaned, spilling the last of my seed.

“Forever,” she mouthed.

“I love you.” She grinned as I collapsed some of my weight against her slick chest. “Wow,” I mumbled, unable to come up with anything else to describe the magnitude of this moment.

“Rendered speechless, huh, counselor? Doesn’t happen too often.” She laughed.

“Umm.” My other head had yet to turn on. Shit. She giggled more and kissed me.

“I love you so much. I knew you just needed time. Look...”

I lifted my heavy head and followed her finger to the side of the bed where her suitcases were sitting open on collapsible racks—fully packed.

“I wanted to be ready when you came to take me home.”

Was she kidding me? She was waiting for me to dig my head out of my ass this whole time. “I’m sorry it took me so long. God, Teeps. I’m so sorry. But I will tell you this: I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. You thought I was clingy before…”

Her brows creased and it looked like she was going to say something. I didn’t let her because I learned my lesson a thousand times over.

“I’m kidding, kidding.” Her face relaxed and she smiled. “But I’m not kidding about making it up to you. I’m glad your bags are packed because we are leaving, but we’re not going home ... yet. I promised to strip you bare under a secluded Hawaiian waterfall and I’m done breaking promises.”

Her eyes lit up with surprise and she gave me a heart-stopping look, one she reserved just for me since we were kids—like I parted the Red fucking Sea. Shit, how had I had it all along and never realized?

“And while we’re there we’re gonna do something about that last name of yours.”

“Talia Craig ... sounds perfect.” It didn’t seem possible, but her eyes twinkled even brighter, especially when she said perfect. My sentiment exactly. “But if I remember correctly, our deal was I would take care of you under that waterfall.”

“Woman, you are gonna kill me.” And just when I was starting to feel the blood circle back up through my brain.

“When are we leaving?”

“After round two, or maybe three, I could promise four … and maybe five…”

There was no rush.

We had a lifetime.

And because this was us, we had further.

Perfect.

I loved the salt water spray off the ocean and the way my toes felt wiggling in the warm sand—actually, I just loved being able to wiggle my toes. The sun was over the horizon but was still strong enough to keep the breeze from giving us chills. At least those kinds of chills—I had plenty of the other kind. Standing among family and friends, my heart warmed, but I only had eyes for him. He was nervous. He would never admit it, especially not to me, but I could tell. He shifted from barefoot to barefoot, but his smile and those eyes told me everything I ever needed to know. He was head over heels in love.

“Love you,” I mouthed as the acoustic guitar began to play. Because I did, more than anything, more than walking, more than life itself. Tack gave me the greatest gift the day he was born. He made me a mother and introduced me to unconditional love. Loving him and watching him grow (way too quickly) taught me that life was short and there’s no time to waste on regret and fear. And the beauty of unconditional love, once you recognized you’d been blessed with it, was that it was not just reserved for the one who bestowed it upon you ... oh, how I knew this, madly and deeply. Tack was on his way to finding it and nothing made me happier as a parent.

Chase and Lili had started the beach wedding tradition, not that I was there, but Ash and I followed suit with my surprise Hawaii wedding. Of course he pulled it off, there was nothing that man couldn’t do. The day after he found himself and came back to me, we arrived in Maui and a week later on a very similar beach day to this, I became Mrs. Asher Craig. I could still barely stand, but with Tack carrying me, and Asher waiting for me at the end, there was no other path I felt so secure on. It was perfect, he made sure of it. Everyone who mattered looked on as I promised my heart to the only man I ever loved. Even Pop made it for his final trip. Unfortunately, the following year we suffered his loss. But he was and always would be forever inked on our hearts.

Now twelve years later, my Tack was doing the same.

Everyone turned to gaze up. Ava grinned from ear to ear as she floated down the sandy aisle. Her gorgeous sky blue silk dress was fit for a princess and highlighted her porcelain skin. With her thick black hair twisted and loose curls framing her face, she looked beautifully mature for her ten years and I knew I was in trouble. Luckily she, too, only had eyes for her brother, at least for now. I could only pray I had a few more years.

After witnessing his five nieces grow up, Asher warned me that we were going to keep her locked away until she was twenty-five. I laughed and scoffed, but in this moment I thought he might have been on to something.

I heard a sniffle beside me and I looked over to see my dear friend’s smile and sweet blue eyes light up when her twin sons took their places standing tall next to Chase. One a complete Colton clone like his father and uncle, the other a spitting image of her. Both undeniably charming. And although Lili had more than her share of testosterone to deal with, I knew she wouldn’t have had it any other way. In fact, she loved when Asher teased Chase that God gave him boys for a reason, because ‘he only had time to be one Tarzan to his Jane.’ Ash was not wrong. Chase’s intensity could be a bit over the top, always had been, but that didn’t take away from how amazing he was with his family.

The music slowed and Pachelbel Canon in D began to play. My soon-to-be daughter-in-law emerged at the top of the staircase slicing straight through the dunes. Flanked by tall green sea grass, her stark white gown glowed against the bright blue sky. The sheer lace V-neckline was overlayed with a classic organza that clung to her slim frame and fell in open waves to the ground. As she began to descend the stairs, the fabric opened, exposing her long legs. The dress reminded me a lot of mine.

At the time I was still very much dependent on my wheelchair, and it was a good thing I at least had the ability to cross my legs, otherwise the thigh-high slit Asher drooled over when he took me shopping for my wedding gown—right after he chartered a plane and flew us to Honolulu to peruse Harry Winston’s ring display—might had proved indecent. Not that I would have cared. He requested to see ‘my sick legs while I made him the happiest man alive’ and I decided—two point two seconds after he slipped the most stunning princess cut diamond on my left hand—that I would never begrudge him anything. Ever. If you hadn’t figured out—Ash was obsessed with legs and ass. His hands were glued to mine most of the time.

It was August and we were on the serene beach behind Chase and Lili’s Cape Cod home. Tack and Paige couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Gorgeous as ever, she tried so hard to hold herself together, but those happy tears betrayed her and streamed down her beautiful face when her father lifted her veil and kissed her cheek. Fathers and daughters … it pierced my soul every time. But I buried that deep and watched with pride as my grown son shook his hand before linking his with Paige’s. My eyes welled and I reminded myself to breathe when Tack mouthed the only words that ever mattered to his stunning bride. The words that Ash repeated to me over and over again, enough to last a lifetime.