Page 42

Theo

I pick up my glass of wine and slowly swirl the dark red liquid before taking a sip. The flavor stays on my tongue. Across the table, Mackenzie runs her fingers along the edge of her plate. She looks like she’s deep in thought.

“Listen, I want to build something real with you. However long it takes, I’m in.”

She tilts her head a little, watching me closely.

“I’d love it if you and Levi would move in with me. Or we could find a new place together. I’d even move to LA for Levi’s sake if your dad decides he needs to live there. We’d figure out how to make it work. Your dad has been commuting by plane. We could do the same. I’ll do what it takes.”

Her eyebrows lift a little, and I see something softer in her eyes.

“I want to be honest about us,” I tell her. “No more secrets. No more pretending this isn’t real. Because it is.”

Finally, she speaks. “With my dad’s help, Ellie bought a condo in Cow Hollow,” she tells me. “It’s close enough that she can walk Levi home from school with Georgia. It’s a nice setup, and I think Ellie’s hoping that one day, he’ll want to live with her. That’s up to him. He’ll always have a home with me, though.”

I nod, understanding. “That’s his choice,” I say. “I’d never get in the way of what’s best for him. I just want to be part of his life, whatever that looks like.”

She looks at me for a moment, then smiles. “We don’t have to move in together right away,” she says. “Let’s do this slowly, for Levi’s sake, if nothing else.”

I open my mouth to protest, but she continues.

“Yes, though, I’d like that someday. But you should know, I don’t think I ever want to get married.”

“Why not?” I ask.

“Because I don’t see the point. My dad has gone through five of them. And right now, we’re sitting ringside to a marriage that imploded in the worst way.”

I nod. She has a point, and I really don’t want to talk about Justin and Crystal tonight. “That’s fine. I get it. But we can still have a loving, committed relationship.”

“I agree.”

I feel a wave of relief. “Good. Because you can’t scare me off that easily.”

After that, everything feels better. We sip our wine and laugh about her work, new staff members, and Levi’s latest love, football.

When she mentions the end of summer and how Levi really wants to go camping before school starts next week, I reach across the table and gently take her hand.

“Would it be okay if I came with you?” I ask, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. “Just for a few days. Tents, marshmallows, the whole camping adventure.”

She laughs. “Levi wants to sleep in a tent. Me? I want a bathroom.”

I grin. “Okay. I’ll sleep in the tent with Levi, and you can stay in a cabin. We’ll call it glamping with a view.”

Her eyes shine. “Deal. As long as I don’t have to pee in the woods.”

“You’ll have a bathroom,” I say, lifting her hand and kissing it. “And a view. And me.”

It’s a quiet moment, but it feels big. Real. I can picture life with Mackenzie and Levi as a family. And maybe one day, a family that has more kids.

We finish our dinner and step back out into the night. When Phillip pulls up at her building, the quiet between us is full of potential.

“Would you like to come in?” she asks.

“Absolutely,” I say.

She reminds me that Levi is staying at Geoff’s and jokes about the classic “walk of shame,” her eyes twinkling.

Suddenly, the world spreads out before me, expansive. “I’ll have Phillip pick us up at eleven—”

“We have court in the morning,” she reminds me with a raised eyebrow.

“Right,” I say quickly. “Seven o’clock, then. That should give us enough time to get to the courthouse and in a seat before it starts.”

I confer with Phillip and send him on his way, following Mackenzie into her building.

Inside, the stairwell is quiet and a little dark. Her heels make soft clicking sounds as she walks up, and her keys jingle as she unlocks the door.

Inside is a comfortable mess—Levi’s footballs and soccer balls in a pile, a coffee cup left on the counter. It’s like a window into her life.

In her room, dresses cover the bed and chair, like she had a hard time choosing what to wear earlier. She moves to pick them up, looking a little embarrassed.

It’s sweet, and something about it makes my heart ache in the best way. “Hey,” I say softly, sitting on the edge of her bed. She glances over, and I smile. “You could wear anything—or nothing—and I’d still think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

She pauses, not embarrassed, but thoughtful, like the words mean something to her. Her eyes meet mine, cautious.

I reach out, gently pulling her closer by the waist. “We’ll move at your pace,” I remind her. “No pressure. No expectations.”

Her fingers slide into mine, and it anchors us.

Love isn’t about rushing. It’s about choosing. And tonight, I choose her.

She asks for help with the zipper of her dress.

“Of course,” I say, stepping behind her.

My hands find the clasp at the back of her neck, and I pull the zipper down slowly. As more of her back is revealed, I press kisses along her spine, each one soft and deliberate. She lets out a breath, and I feel her relax.

The dress slides away, and beneath it, she’s dressed in delicate lace. I pause for just a second, caught in the quiet intimacy of the moment, not about perfection, but presence.

I move to face her, beautiful, confident, yet a little unsure. I want her to see what I see, to know how much she matters.

“You don’t have to be anything but yourself,” I tell her. “You’re enough. Thank you for this incredible gift.”

Her eyes meet mine, full of trust. I drop my pants, my erection hard and dripping to be inside her. “I haven’t been with anyone since we were last together.”

“I haven’t either.”

“Are you okay if we don’t use a condom?”

“You’re very trusting,” she teases.

“I would love to get you pregnant. We could give Levi some nieces and nephews.”

She laughs, and even that’s sexy.

“Lie back and show me what you like,” I say.

Her hands are steady as she complies, revealing herself to me. Moisture glistens between her thighs as she circles her clit and dips her fingers inside. My mouth waters at the thought of tasting her, of pushing her to the brink with nothing but my tongue and lips.

“Come here,” I tell her, ready to worship at her altar. “You’re killing me.”

She locks eyes with me, challenge in their depths. “Only if I get to taste you too.”

“Deal.” I grin, heart thundering.

Her warm hands stroke my cock. “I’ve missed your little friend so much.”

“Little?” I lift my eyes to hers, and she grins.

“Little compared to the rest of you.”

I smile. “Good save.”

“I want you inside me.”

“We have all night,” I assure her, voice husky. “But maybe we can enjoy each other at the same time.”

I lean back as Mackenzie positions herself above me. The dim light casts shadows across her skin, highlighting the curves I’ve come to adore. Her mouth descends on me, warm and soft as velvet, taking me down her throat. While my hands find her hips, guiding her closer as my tongue explores. She tastes divine, a flavor I’ve longed for. With fervor, I lavish attention on her clit, sucking it into my mouth. I’m consumed by the need to hear her moan, to feel her body quiver against my lips.

“Mackenzie,” I murmur, pausing to breathe the words against her moist heat, “I won’t stop until you come all over my face.”

My promise seems to ignite something within her, and as I renew my efforts, fucking her with my tongue, she groans. The sound is music to my ears. She works my cock in and out of her mouth, and it takes concentration to stay focused on what I’m doing. I have to balance her needs with my desire to come inside her and mark her as mine.

She grinds against me, chasing her release, and when it crashes over her, I’m there to catch every drop and savor her climax.

Even as she begs for respite, I lick, suck, and nibble, drawn to the taste of her, to the addictive quivers that still ripple through her.

“Are you ready?” I ask after a moment, my voice low. “Ready for me to fuck you hard?”

“Please,” she gasps, her eyes alight. “Put it deep inside me.”

“Come then,” I encourage her.

She lowers herself onto me, and I reach up, capturing her breasts in my hands. Her nipples are already hard points, begging for attention, and as I play with them, she lets out a groan that vibrates through me. Lower and lower she sinks, enveloping me in her warmth.

I’m home.

My head falls back into the plush bedding, a groan escaping as Mackenzie moves above. The feel of her slick, warm velvet encasing me. I know this is what I’ve been searching for, yearning for all these years. She’s everything.

Her rhythm is relentless, each rise and fall a promise, each collision a testament to a passion held back too long.

“God,” I pant, gripping her hips as if they’re my anchor. Tension builds from deep within, an intense pressure that I welcome. My body tenses, a primal signal that I’m close, so damn close.

Then it hits, the release, a surge that rips through me with the force of a tempest. But even as I climax, she doesn’t stop. She continues to move, riding me, drawing out every last shudder from my erection that refuses to relent.

Mackenzie’s fingers strum her clit in a fervent rhythm that mirrors her movements on top of me. She’s so beautiful as she comes undone again. I reach up to twist her nipples, eliciting gasps that harmonize with the sound of our bodies meeting. With each rough caress, she spirals again, hitting that peak, a third climax that leaves her breathless.

She collapses against me, her chest heaving, a delicate sheen of sweat painting her skin. I caress her back, tracing her spine with a tenderness reserved for moments like this. In the quiet aftermath, as her breathing slows and her body softens atop mine, I know for sure that I want Mackenzie Davis for the rest of my life.

And right here, with her heart beating in sync with mine, I resolve to prove it to her every day.