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I heard muffled conversation fade as they left.

I got up on my knees. “Well, that was rude. Shouldn’t we get dressed and go see everyone?”

Jake’s eyes dropped to my naked body. “Fuck no.” Prowling towards me, he pushed his jeans down and removed them as he walked with the same gracefulness as when he’d put them on.

God, that’s hot. Why’s that such a turn-on?

Maybe because I know all the other ways he’s in control of his body.

And mine.

“No, I really think we should. I’ll just get dressed.” Turning from him, I leaned down and pretended to reach for my clothes.

My head shot back as he entered me hard, filling me.

His hands ran up my sides before reaching around to palm my breasts. He pulled me up so my back was pressed to his front. One of his arms wrapped under my chest to support me as he moved in me. His other curled up, his hand curving gently around the side of my neck as his thumb stroked my jaw.

The first couple of times his hand had gone to my neck, I’d flinched and jerked away. He’d understood, but I hadn’t. I hated feeling the panic grip me, and seeing the pain and rage resurface in him. I missed feeling his rough thumb rub my jaw.

I’d made him promise not to stop doing it and he hadn’t. As time passed, my reaction slowly but steadily improved until I was once again leaning into his touch.

I would have made him keep trying forever to get it back.

“If you wanna get dressed, I guess we could,” he whispered harshly against my ear, his tongue edging the side. His thrusts intensified so much so that if his arms weren’t around me, I wouldn’t have been able to stay upright.

He stopped suddenly and began inching out of me.

“No!” Reaching around, I dug my nails into his ass to pull him back in.

Jake’s deep chuckle turned into a groan. “Fuck, I love you.”

“And thank fuck for that.”

*******

He might usually be Mr. Bossy Pants, but Jake was better at compromise than I’d once thought.

When we’d initially discussed wedding plans, the parents had ganged up on us to push for a traditional wedding. They still wanted that, except for my dad.

Dad was in favor of the wedding being wherever I wanted, as long as the end result was his only child being married to someone who would literally shoot a man to protect her.

Dad did tell Jake that given the chance, he’d be there in an instant so he could walk me down the aisle.

Jake ran with that idea.

We got our Vegas wedding, but with our family and closest friends. My mom, Thomas, Gregory, Sarah, Edge, Ray, Harlow, Rhys, and Kase had been ready to fly out on Thomas’ company plane at a moment’s notice. Nat and Dad drove up from California.

Everyone knew that as soon as the bruising was gone, there’d be no convincing us to wait any longer.

After loud and chaotic hellos in the hotel lobby, I asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

“We’re going to do all things girly to get ready,” Ray said, looping my arm through hers and smiling huge at me.

“You all know the schedule,” Jake’s voice rumbled as he pulled me slightly from Ray to kiss me.

“I don’t,” I pointed out.

“And that’s the fun of it. I’ll see you tonight, sweets.”