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The second was just as slow, but I didn’t stop until I was seated deep, her inner walls wrapping around me. The heat of our joining flipped a switch within me and going slow wasn’t going to be enough.

I paced my strokes, wanting this to last, but when she wrapped her legs around my waist, my composure broke and I slammed fast and hard. Her moans and shouts fueled me as I took everything she gave me.

“Yes, yes, oh, yes.” Dylan lifted herself up off the bed, pressing her core against me as she came. So damn tight aroundme. Her orgasm triggered mine, and I thrust wildly, roaring her name. Dylan was mine.

She had been from that very first day.

EPILOGUE

TWO MONTHS LATER

DYLAN

As it turned out,I didn’t need the apartment after all. I’d spent one night in it before I seduced Lars. Although he claims he was on his way over to tell me, and show me, how he really felt about me. Either way, we were now couple number three thanks to the lodge and Kane had moved into the apartment. He’d been staying in town while they’d begun building his cabin further back on the property.

In doing so, it gave Lars the opportunity to add another skills-based training for their client-guests to take part in. Including Kane, who was getting on Lars' last nerve. Mr. Adrenaline Junkie was having a hard time settling into life on the mountain.

“Dylan, can you find something for Kane to do?”

“I thought he was improving. You said he went an entire day without smacking his head or a finger with the hammer?” We all knew Kane’s heart wasn’t in construction or building a house.He was gamely trying since it was his house, but once it was done, he’d need something else to focus his pent-up energy on.

“Not enough. He needs a hobby. Or a girlfriend. Anything. Otherwise, he and I are gonna throw down and the only person I want to throw down is you. On any surface. I’m not picky.” Lars wiggled his eyebrows at me and I giggled. Oh, how two months changed a man.

We needed to get out of bed and start our day. We both had a lot on our schedules. “I know that look. We don’t have time.” I tossed my side of the covers off me and shifted to get up. That’s as far as I got.

Lars tugged me back against his very warm and very aroused body.

“Wait, I have a question. It’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Remember when you were brow-beating me when I was texturing the apartment and you said, ‘I don’t have ten years.’ What did you mean by that?”

“Brow-beating? Hey, I never brow-beat. I may tease, with love, but never with any meanness.” Realizing he was doing his own teasing, I still wanted to set the record straight. Although I should be ecstatic that he was having real conversations with me since we became an official couple.

“Hmm, not sure I remember that.” I scooted away and settled myself against the headboard. “Let me think.”

His hand snaked under the covers and settled at the top of my right thigh. “Until you do, I’ll just keep this right here.” He feathered his fingers over my still tingling skin. It hadn’t been that many minutes ago I was happily screaming his name. But dang. I was ready. “I don’t think we’ll have time. I have an appointment in an hour and I need to wash my…Lars!” He flicked his thumb between my folds, hitting my still sensitive clit.

“Stop stalling.” Lars growled against my ear.

Wait. What did he ask me?

“I’m waiting. And we have time.” Lars withdrew his thumb and yes, I whimpered.

“Ten years. Right, I remember now. Well, it wasn’t particularly about ten years. It could have been ten days. Because when you know you want someone, that your life isn’t complete without knowing what that person’s kiss is like, how their hands will feel against your body?—”

“Like this?” Lars pushed two fingers inside my once again throbbing pussy and once again forgot what we were talking about.

I let my legs fall open and rode his fingers as he teased another orgasm from me. My cries filled the room moments later.

“Told you we had time.” Lars moved behind me as I got my breathing under control.

“Um, so what about you?” I watched as he reached into the nightstand on his side of the king sized bed and took something out that he kept hidden in his hand.

“Tonight. Right now, I have another question for you.”

Still basking in my afterglow, I flipped over and, probably with a dreamy look on my face, I stared at my sexy mountain man. “Okay, especially if I get another reward.” My tone hopeful. Now we had just fifty minutes to both get ready.

Lars dipped down and took my lips in a slow kiss, unlike any we’d shared. It felt almost reverent, like he was cherishing each stroke as he feathered his lips against mine. With each swipe of his tongue, he claimed what he already owned: my heart. With a final tug on my bottom lip, he pulled back, and I swear his eyes shone with tears.

“Marry me. Have my babies. Sit on the porch with me in matching rocking chairs when we’re seventy and beyond.”

It took a moment for my brain to catch up. My eyes focused on an object he held up between us, and any thoughts of teasing him about matching anything vanished.

“I love you Dylan. I’m so damn sorry I held back from you all those months. And I’m so damn happy you never gave up on me.”

For the first time, maybe ever, in my life, I was speechless and the one who ended up nodding my answer. The irony was not lost on me or my burly mountain of a man as a smile as big as he is split his face.

PJ, ever attuned to his master, and to me, howled his approval from the other room. Of course, it was breakfast time.