He took her other nipple into his mouth then and suckled softly, slowly, lathing his tongue over it as it hardened in his mouth, then circled once again with his finger, more slowly, then inserted two more into her, rubbing against the ridges of her slowly clenching walls.

  Her back arched and her fingers clutched at the sheets around her, and he smiled against her skin. There was no way he was going to draw this out. He’d have to let her find her release, then once she came back down he’d stoke the fire again.

  Continuing the slow movement of his fingers inside her, he made his way down her stomach leaving a wet trail of kisses behind until he was in one of his most favorite positions. Between her beautiful thighs with her dripping wet pussy begging to be eaten. And she knew it was coming because he could feel her tense and catch her breath, and that made him smile as well.

  Stretching out, he propped her legs over his shoulders and moved forward so she was spread open like a smorgasbord before him. Smoothing his thumb over her throbbing clit, he bent to her and tasted her as if it were the first time. Warm and slick like honey on his tongue, he swirled her clit in slow circles while his fingers slowly moved inside her. She cried out again and arched against him and when he bent and sucked her clit into his mouth, she moaned loudly and called out his name. And he was in heaven.

  As her breaths quickened, he knew she was close, and he’d have to give her that little shove over the edge. Removing his fingers, he pressed against her thighs to open her even wider and in a long, slow movement, plunged his tongue deep into her sugary depths.

  That was the push she needed, and he could feel her clit begin to pulse against his tongue and so he sucked and fingered her at the same slow speed until she began crawling up the bed. When he could sense her orgasm about to crash into her, he quickened the pace and suckled harder and she cried out, her words a gibberish reward to his ministrations. Her thighs clenched around his face as he continued sucking and fingering her until she was gasping and begging him to stop. Only then did he slow his pace, but he did not relent. He removed his fingers and bathed her dancing clit with his tongue, soothing it and teasing it at the same time. And when her breathing had slowed, he inserted his fingers again and stroked slowly as she moaned.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he cooed, came to his knees and with great relief, took his throbbing cock into his hand, smoothing her wetness over it in preparation for his own release. Its head was swollen and nearly purple and just the thought of diving into what awaited him had him dripping in anticipation.

  One last circle of his finger over her soaked clit and he leaned forward and pressed into her. The entire length of him slid into her easily and they both cried out at the feel of it. Moving up onto his knees, he raised her legs up around his waist and slid into her once more, then again, and again. His pace was slow and deliberate. Though he could feel the burn of his own orgasm tickle the bottom of his feet, he knew the signs she gave when her own climax was right around the corner, so he had to be patient... and relentless.

  He moved his hips in slow circles and then pressed deeper when he felt her clenching around him. With one hand pinching her nipple, his other hand went to that wet place and his thumb slowly smoothed over her clit, which was now showing the response he needed. Her moans and sighs had increased, and she began grinding against him more quickly. As she squeezed his already painfully hard cock, he could feel himself grow inside her until he was filling her and he pumped into her more quickly, more deeply as the motion of his thumb increased as did the pressure until she was mindless arching against him, panting his name.

  Lowering her ass back to the bed, he pulled her knees up into his armpits and laid on top of her and began pounding relentlessly into her until they were both gasping and searching for release. Her nails were digging into his back and his fingers were clenching her hair as he intermittently kissed her and moaned into her mouth until finally, moments after his climax hit, she bucked against him and ground into him until they were both spent and panting, heaped in one another's arms.

  “Jesus Christ,” he said, kissing her neck.

  She didn’t respond, but he could feel the residual spasms of her clit against his slowly dying cock as she giggled. He could stay there forever, surrounded by her, satiated by her. In that moment, he knew this was where he wanted to be.

  “Are you happy here?” he asked, nuzzling her hair as he caught his breath.

  “Very,” she sighed.

  “I mean in your home, with me, with the way things are?” he asked, and she shifted in his arms to look at him.

  “Why would you ask that?” she asked, reaching up to cup his face. “Of course I am happy here with you. I’d be happy anywhere with you.”

  “Even if I didn’t have money?” he asked. It was always a question in the back of his mind. He’d spent so many years of his life trying to appease women who he knew only wanted him for one thing. Avalynn was different in that respect. She never asked or wanted for anything, and because of that, he was more willing to give to her, even when she didn’t ask.

  She furrowed her brows at his question, confused by what he was asking.

  “Your money has nothing to do with our relationship. I hope you know that,” she said, raising up on an elbow. “You know I’d prefer it if you didn’t use your money where I was concerned. I hope I haven’t given you that impression.”

  Sawyer reached up and ran his fingers through her bed-mussed hair and gave her a warm smile.

  “You’ve never given me that impression. On the contrary. I just worry about it. Having no money or having a lot of it puts people in different perspectives. I’m just so used to people using me and trying to take advantage of me because of what I have, what my family has. I’ve never thought that of you, but it’s always a concern no matter who I’m with.”

  “When I see you, I don’t see money. I see the man I love. The person I cherish. Money doesn’t factor in at all. I’d like to say its a nice safety net to have at your back, but I’ve never wanted to depend on anyone but myself and so I don’t consider what you have as mine anyway. I would never do that.”

  “Never?” he asked.

  “No, never,” she asserted.

  “Not even if we got married?” he asked.

  “No. Not at all. I’ve always seen marriage as teamwork. It has to be fifty-fifty, or it will never last. I’d want you to have your life as much as I’d want to have my own. That’s why my parents were never happy. My father made most of the money and controlled everything. My mom was just... there. Like she wasn’t part of the team.”

  Her answer was a refreshing one and one that mimicked his thoughts on the subject, which pleased him. But what pleased him more was that his mention of marriage, to her, didn’t make her bat an eye. With any other woman in his past, he’d be sitting in a wedding planner's office by now.

  “So you’re not averse to marriage?” he asked, though it was a rhetorical question, one to hopefully trip her up. But it didn’t.

  “To you?” she asked. “How could I be?”

  Her answer was so pure and genuine that it nearly tripped him up, and he blinked at her, stunned.

  “Really?”

  She laughed softly as she stroked his face.

  “Really.”

  “Well, that makes my task so much easier,” he chuckled.

  “Your task?”

  “To propose to you,” he said, then awkwardly, nakedly, he got up on one knee in the bed. “Avalynn Barlow, will you marry me?”

  This time, it was her turn to be shocked and her eyes widened at the question he’d put to her.

  “I mean you already said you would, but now...” he smirked. “Now that I’ve asked. Will you?”

  Avalynn was speechless and her lack of response was starting to make him nervous. Had he asked too soon? Would she think he was being impulsive assuming she’d say yes two months into the relationship?

  “Yes, I will,” she said softly, and the words nearly made him break into tears.

  “Really, you will?”

  “I just said I would,” she giggled.

  “Oh my God,” he said, falling to his ass. “We’re getting married.”

  “I mean, not this second, but sure, perhaps in a few months or so.”

  Sawyer was bubbling and started to laugh.

  “This is amazing,” he chuckled. “For some reason, I didn’t think you’d say yes.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Too soon maybe? I don’t know.”

  “Well, it’s rather quick, but we’ve known each other for years. It’s not like we started dating as strangers.”

  “That’s very true. I do feel like we’ve known each other for ages. And of course Cade and Kit didn’t think it was too soon,” he offered with a smirk.

  “You asked them first?” she asked with a grin. “Awww.”

  “Well, I couldn’t do the traditional thing and ask your dad, but I wanted someone's opinion. Cade was pragmatic as ever, but Kit was thrilled beyond words and started talking about a double wedding.”

  “Wouldn’t that be cool! We could save so much money,” she said, and Sawyer rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “Yeah, I should know better than to think you’d go after my money. If anything, I’ll save money with you around.”

  “Well it’s not like I demand dinners at five star restaurants or trips abroad.”

  “But you could,” he said pointedly. And he would take her anywhere she wanted to go.

  “I just don’t feel right doing something like that. I never have. I don’t get how people expect that kind of stuff from their significant others. They aren’t there to make your life better. You’re there to make each other’s lives better. That’s so one sided.”

  “God, you’re so refreshing,” he exclaimed and fell back, lying next to her, pulling her into his arms. “Just for that, I am demanding that you choose a weekend destination, anywhere in the world, and we will enjoy some R and R together. How does that sound?”

  “Um, that sounds... great. I’d have to check my schedule though. And wouldn’t you rather save the money? I mean, I don’t want anything flashy, but engagement rings are pricey.”

  “Oh my God,” he said and held up a finger. “Stay right here.”

  Sawyer leapt from the bed and fumbled to pull his boxer briefs on as he stumbled out of her room and down the stairs. Nimbly running across the cold, dewy grass, he went into his office, his wet feet sliding on the wood floor as he came to sit behind his desk. He punched in the keycode on the pad on the front of the drawer and when it popped, he pulled the drawer open revealing a small velvet box.

  He knew Ava wouldn’t want a huge flashy rock. He even agonized over whether or not to even buy a diamond. He knew her favorite color was purple, and he saw some beautiful amethyst rings, but he wanted something special for her. Bouncing ideas off Kit and the jeweler, he’d decided on a beautiful two carat lab grown diamond that was set in a three stone platinum band and the two stones that offset the solitaire were amethyst. It was perfect.

  He gave the ring one last look then snapped the lid shut and hurried back to Ava’s bedroom. He was bummed to see that she’d pulled on a t-shirt and was now sitting up in bed, but with all the excitement, he knew they’d have to get out of bed eventually.

  Giving her a smile, he knelt beside the bed and held the ring out to her.

  “Miss Barlow, please do me the honor.”

  “It would be my honor to do you the honor,” she said and then inhaled sharply when he opened the lid to reveal the ring. “Oh my God...”

  Her fingertips immediately went to her lips as her eyes filled with tears.

  “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, a single tear spilling down her cheek.

  Sawyer’s smile exploded and he stood and took a seat at the edge of the bed.

  “Not as beautiful as you will ever be to me,” he said, then took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. Her hands were shaking, and he brought them up to his lips then smoothed them against his cheek. “You mean the world to me, Avalynn. I hope you know how much I love you.”

  “And I’ve always loved you, Sawyer Devon. Even if I didn’t know it, I did.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Can you believe it?” Kevin asked with a laugh as he scrolled through the news on his screen. “Cartwright’s been given jail time.”

  “I can believe it,” Sawyer said as he sipped his coffee. “He’s been scamming people for years. It’s just a shame that his daughter hasn’t seen any sort of retribution.”

  “Oh, she’s seen retribution that could be more horrible than jail time. She’s been banned from half the social media sites that she was on. After your brother and his minions launched their attack to put her in her place, I really thought she’d bounce back.”

  “And I’m assuming she didn’t?”

  “Noooo, not even close. Her and her little fan club tried to fight back with their adolescent tactics of name calling and fake shade, but your brother's army had facts and kept things civil on their end. Her responses made her look like a driveling child.”

  “That’s because she is a driveling child. I can’t believe people actually followed her and looked up to her,” Sawyer bit out with a grimace.

  “I can’t believe you dated her... and slept with her,” Kevin chuckled.

  “Yes, well, we all have our regrets to overcome.”

  “I think you’ve done a wonderful job at that,” Kevin said with a smile. “Avalynn is such a great person. I mean, I’ve even started following her online. I’ve used some of her ideas in my own apartment. She’s seriously a genius.”

  That made Sawyer’s smile widen. He found that lately all he could do was smile when it came to Avalynn. She was already organizing ideas for their wedding, which in the end was going to be a double wedding with his brother and Kit. It just felt right and made sense. Her vlog was booming, and she’d already amassed over fifty thousand followers thanks to a push by Parker and Amanda, who had both done guest visits on her posts. Only after two months she’d gotten sponsorship requests from two local shops that specialized in containers and other organization supplies and the local news station did a write up about her, the tiny house and her thriving new business. It was all he could ever want for her and more.

  At the mention of her name, the door of his office opened, and she stepped inside. As always, the sight of her made his smile grow even wider and she came to his side and offered him a kiss and Kevin chuckled and went back to his office.

  “Do you have some time for me this afternoon to go over some of my finances?” she asked as she turned and sat at the edge of his desk.

  “I think I can squeeze you in,” he said as he crossed his arms. “Did you find something wrong?”

  “No, I just want to make sure money coming in is going to the right place and that some of its still being transferred to savings.”

  “Yeah, I can look into it, but everything should be fine. I haven’t shuffled anything around recently.”

  “I also wanted to make a couple of large purchases, so I wanted to be sure the money was there,” she said.

  “How large?”

  “Well, probably not large in your mind, but about a grand total, maybe a little more. I want to get a desktop unit to do editing. As much as I love my laptop, I’m going blind with that tiny screen.”

  Sawyer chuckled at that.

  “Just use the credit card I gave you. Everything on that card is considered business expense, it’ll be easier to track for taxes down the road. Just get what you need. You have more than enough money in your accounts, trust me.”

  Avalynn sighed with relief.

  “Money makes me nervous.”

  “I know, but I have it all under control. Besides, I have that meeting with Thomas Statler in an hour,” Sawyer said.

  “I made that happen by the way,” Kevin blurted out from his desk.

  “And you will be greatly compensated for it,” Sawyer offered with a laugh.

  “Who’s Thomas Statler?” Avalynn asked.

  “He’s the owner of Apex Development. Now that Cartwright’s going to prison, Apex will start to fill in where Skyway crashed. And Statler is a straight shooter. I had him looked into before I even thought to get involved and he’s not only been doing business in the county for more than forty years, but he’s got a healthy list of clients that could soon be coming our way. I already have several of them lined up for appointments in the coming weeks.”

  “That’s wonderful!”

  “You guys are both killing it. The new power couple of the county,” Kevin said as he leaned back in Sawyer’s door to give them a thumbs up.

  “And we won’t have to worry about Micheline anymore either,” Sawyer added. “She’s not only completely lost her online influence, but with the plea deal the DA got from those two jokers she conned into harassing you, her probation got increased to another year and she was slapped with a restraining order. She can’t come within one hundred yards of us or our property. Which is a shame. I really would have loved to have given her one last piece of my mind.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Avalynn said with a grimace. “No use stooping to her level. She’s done enough damage, we don’t need to perpetuate it.”

  “Yeah, but it would be nice to just give her one last jab, you know. I would love to see her being put in her place,” Sawyer said.

  “Even if she was given house arrest it wouldn’t be a prison. Her family has that huge mansion up in Gladwyne. It probably has ten bedrooms and a pool,” Kevin groused.

  “Fourteen,” Sawyer said as he took another sip of his coffee. “And there are two pools. One’s inside.”

  “Oh my God, really?” Avalynn asked in astonishment.

  “Yup. Though given the fact that Skyway is bankrupt now and the ongoing investigation keeps dredging up more and more dirt, I’m sure they’ll have to sell that place to pay legal fees,” Sawyer chuckled.

 

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