MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Eighty-Three: The Weight of Forever
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The sun had barely dipped below the horizon before the air between them shifted again.
It was a magnetic pull, a silent agreement forged in the glances they exchanged across the dinner table under the watchful eyes of the family. Percy had noticed. He always noticed. He had raised an eyebrow across the table, his mouth forming a silent "again?" that made Honey elbow him in the ribs. Lyra had pretended not to see. Care had smiled into her wine glass. Alex had kept his hand on Lyra's thigh, grounding her, keeping her present.
Now, the bedroom door clicked shut, locking out the world and leaving only the two of them in the amber glow of the bedside lamps. The sounds of the house faded. Percy's laughter. Honey's sharp retort. The clinking of glasses. The footsteps in the hallway. All of it disappeared. There was only him. Only her. Only this.
Keifer didn't wait.
He crossed the room in two strides, his hands catching Jay's waist and pulling her flush against him. Her back hit the door. His body was against hers. His lips found her neck. He tasted like the whiskey he'd had downstairs and the possessiveness that only came out when they were truly alone.
"You've been looking at me like that all day," he growled against her lips, his thumbs hooking into the waistband of her silk shorts.
She gasped. His teeth grazed her jaw. "Like what?"
He pulled back just enough to look at her. His eyes were dark. His lips were parted. His chest was rising and falling. "Like you're hungry."
She pulled him close. Her hands were in his hair. Her lips were on his. "I am hungry."
He kissed her. Hard. Deep. A kiss that said he had been waiting all day. All week. All year. All his life.
---
He backed her toward the bed. His hands were on her waist. Her hands were on his chest. The silk shorts fell to the floor. His shirt followed. His skin was gold in the amber light. The scars were white on his chest. The scar from Singapore. The scar from the warehouse. The scar from the bullet that was meant for her.
He stripped her with a frantic sort of reverence, his eyes dark as they tracked the light hitting her curves. When she stood bare before him, he let out a low, shaky breath. He knelt before her, his large hands spanning the width of her thighs.
"You're beautiful," he said.
She touched his face. "So are you."
He started with her knees. His lips trailed upward. Slow. Deliberate. Seering her skin. Her thighs. Her hips. Her stomach. Her ribs. He reached the soft swell of her breasts, his tongue swirling around the aching peaks of her nipples before taking one fully into his mouth.
Jay gasped. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Her nails marked his skin. He sucked strongly. His teeth grazed her. She arched her back. She begged for more.
He gave her more.
His lips moved to her other breast. His tongue was slow. His teeth were gentle. Her legs were shaking. Her hands were in his hair.
"Keifer," she whimpered.
He looked up. His eyes were dark. "Yes?"
She pulled him up. Her lips were on his. "I need you."
He kissed her. "You have me."
---
He moved lower. His face pressed against the flat of her stomach. He inhaled the scent of her skin. She was warm. She was soft. She was his.
He parted her legs with a firm, steady hand. The amber light was on her skin. The silk sheets were cool beneath her. His breath was hot.
"Keifer," she whispered. Her legs were trembling.
He didn't answer with words. He leaned in. His breath was hot against her sensitive core. Then his tongue found her.
She gasped. Her hands fisted the sheets. Her back arched. He was meticulous. Licking her with long, slow strokes that made her toes curl into the carpet. He knew exactly where to press. Exactly how to flick his tongue against her clitoris until she was a sobbing, shaking mess in his hands.
He tasted her fully. Drinking her in as she peaked. Her body shuddered against his face. Her hands were in his hair. Her voice was gone. Her mind was blank. There was only him. Only his tongue. Only his hands. Only his mouth.
He rose then. His own clothes discarded in a heap. He was all corded muscle and raw intent. His chest was heaving. His eyes were dark. His hands were on her thighs, pushing them apart, pushing her back onto the silk sheets.
His body was a heavy, welcome weight between her thighs.
"Look at me, Jay," he commanded. His voice was a gravelly rasp.
She opened her eyes. She saw the man who had killed for her. Lived for her. Bled for her. Almost died for her. The man who had saved her. The man who had waited for her. The man who had never stopped loving her. The man who now belonged entirely to her.
She reached up. Her fingers touched his face. "I love you."
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. A kiss that promised forever.
He plunged into her. Filling her completely. The world narrowed down to the rhythm of their hearts. Every thrust was deep. Demanding. Visceral. He wasn't just making love to her. He was reclaiming her. Marking his place in her soul.
The headboard thudded against the wall. A steady drumbeat to their shared gasps. Jay wrapped her legs around his waist. Pulling him deeper. Wanting to feel every inch of the man she had married.
They moved together. A feverish blur of skin on skin. Sweat. Whispered promises. Until the final, crashing release shattered them both. Leaving them tangled and breathless in the cooling night air.
---
The room fell silent again. Save for the sound of their synchronized breathing.
Keifer shifted, pulling the duvet over Jay's glowing skin. He didn't let go. He tucked her head under his chin. His hand rested protectively over her heart.
"Three more years?" he murmured, kissing the top of her head.
Jay smiled against his chest. Her eyes were drifting shut. "Every three years, for the rest of our lives, Keifer."
He kissed her forehead. "Every three years."
She touched his face. "Forever."
He pulled her closer. His arms were around her. His heart was beating beneath her ear. "Forever."
---
The moonlight was silver on the sheets. The curtains were still. The house was quiet. Jay lay in Keifer's arms, her head on his chest, his hand on her heart.
"You're thinking," he said.
She smiled. "I'm always thinking."
He kissed her hair. "What are you thinking about?"
She looked at the window. At the moon. At the stars. At the future that was waiting. "I'm thinking about the garden. About the mud. About the Ferris wheel. About the contract. About the day you put the ring back on my finger."
He pulled her closer. "I'm thinking about the day you took a bullet for me."
She touched his face. "I would do it again."
He kissed her hand. "I wouldn't let you."
She smiled. "You don't have a choice."
He rolled her onto her back. His body was above hers. His face was close. His eyes were dark.
"Keifer," she said.
He kissed her neck. Her shoulder. Her collarbone.
"I love you," he said.
She pulled him close. "Show me."
He showed her.
---
The sun was rising when Jay opened her eyes.
Keifer was beside her. His arm was around her. His face was close. His eyes were open.
"You're staring," she said.
He smiled. "I'm observing."
She laughed. "Same thing."
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. A morning kiss. The kind of kiss that said he would never leave. The kind of kiss that said she was home.
She kissed him back.
---
The house was waking.
Percy was in the kitchen. Honey was beside him. Aries and Ella were at the table. Lyra was in her corner, Alex beside her. Care was with Cole. Rakki was with Ci N. Mica was with Calix. Freya was with Erdix. Grace was with Denzel. Kuya Angelo was with Ion. Tita Gemma was with Tita Rachel.
Jay walked into the kitchen. Keifer was behind her. His hand was in hers.
Percy looked up. His face split into a grin. "You're late."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "We're not late."
Percy's grin widened. "You're late."
Honey elbowed him. "Leave them alone."
Percy laughed. "I'm just saying."
Jay walked to the counter. Keifer was beside her. His hand was on her back.
Percy watched them. His face was soft. "Three years," he said. "Three years and you're still like this."
Jay looked at Keifer. Keifer looked at her.
"Three more," Jay said.
Percy grinned. "Three more."
Lyra was in her corner. Alex was beside her. Her face was blank. Her eyes were soft.
"They're happy," Alex said.
Lyra looked at Jay and Keifer. At the way Keifer's hand was on Jay's back. At the way Jay leaned into him. At the way they moved together. Like they were one person. Like they had always been one person.
"They're happy," Lyra said.
Alex pulled her close. "We're happy."
She leaned against him. "We're happy."
---
Care was at the table. Cole was beside her. Her hand was in his.
"They're still like that," Care said.
Cole smiled. "They'll always be like that."
Care looked at Jay. At her sister. At the woman who had saved her. At the woman who had found her. At the woman who had brought her home.
"She deserves it," Care said.
Cole kissed her hand. "So do you."
She looked at him. "I have you."
He pulled her close. "You have me."
---
The morning passed. The house was full. The family was together. Percy was making breakfast. Honey was beside him. Aries and Ella were at the table. Lyra was in her corner, Alex beside her. Care was with Cole. Rakki was with Ci N. Mica was with Calix. Freya was with Erdix. Grace was with Denzel. Kuya Angelo was with Ion. Tita Gemma was with Tita Rachel.
Jay sat on the steps of the garden. Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers.
The flowers were blooming. The grass was green. The steps were warm. The garden was quiet.
"Three more years," Jay said.
Keifer looked at her. "Three more years."
She leaned against him. "And then three more. And then three more. And then—"
He kissed her hair. "Forever."
She smiled. "Forever."
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END OF CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE