Page 145

I do the same.

We leave his dinosaur nightlight on, and the door cracked, padding quietly back downstairs where the others are helping clean up. I try to protest, telling them the cleaners will be here in the morning, but Olivia waves me off.

“Let us help,” she insists.

The cleanup goes quickly, though Seb and Olivia seem more interested in flirting than actually being useful. I catch them kissing behind the garage when I take out the trash but decide to save that ammunition for another day.

Finally, the last guests leave, and the house falls quiet. Eve kicks off her shoes with a grateful sigh, stretching like a cat in the evening light.

“Successful party?” I ask, pulling her close.

“Mmm.” She nuzzles into my chest despite my still-damp shirt. “Perfect. Did you see his face when he opened the bike?”

I had. The pure joy in his expression is seared into my memory, along with a thousand other moments from today—his laughter, his hugs, his absolute certainty that he is loved.

“Thank you for this. For everything.” I trace the curve of her cheek, memorizing the way she leans into my touch. “For giving me a family. For making me believe I could have this.”

“Oh, Zeke.” Her eyes go soft with understanding. “You always deserved this. You just needed someone to remind you.”

I kiss her then because I have to, because words aren’t enough to express the depth of what I feel for this woman who crashed into my life and rearranged everything I thought I knew about love.

She responds eagerly, pressing closer despite our wet, dirty clothes. When we break apart, her eyes are dark with familiar heat.

“Take me to bed,” she whispers against my lips. “I believe you promised to finish what you started earlier.”

I growl low in my throat, already hard at the reminder. “Your wish is my command, Mrs. King.”

She laughs as I sweep her into my arms, carrying her toward our bedroom where I plan to spend hours showing her exactly how grateful I am for everything she’s given me.

But even as desire burns through me, I can’t shake the lingering warmth of today—the laughter, the love, the simple joy of belonging. For the first time in my life, I’m not waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I’m just … happy.

And maybe, just maybe, I’m finally starting to believe I deserve to be.

Eve wraps her legs around my waist as I carry her upstairs, her mouth hot against my neck. “I love you,” she breathes between kisses. “So much.”

“Love you too,” I manage, already planning all the ways I’m going to worship her tonight. We have hours until morning, until reality intrudes again.

But for now, everything is perfect.

Everything is exactly as it should be.

Epilogue

Evelyn

A few months later ...

The silk bindings around my wrists and ankles pull taut as Zeke spreads me wider, leaving me completely exposed on the king-sized bed. Early morning sunlight filters through gauzy curtains, casting everything in a dreamy glow. Waves lap gently against the stilts of our overwater villa, a soothing rhythm that matches my ragged breathing.

“So beautiful,” Zeke murmurs, his dark eyes roaming over my naked body with possessive heat. “All mine.”

I arch toward him, desperate for more contact, but the restraints hold me firmly in place. This position—spread-eagled and bound—leaves me completely at his mercy. The thought sends a fresh wave of arousal through me.

“Please,” I whisper, though I’m not even sure what I’m begging for.

He smiles, that devastatingly sexy half-smirk that never fails to make my heart race. “Patience, love.” His fingers trail down my inner thigh, barely touching. “We have all day.”