Page 69 of Third Time is the Charm (Passion and Perseverance #3)

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. His other hand plucked hers off of his arm, lifting it up to his mouth in order to kiss the tender skin of her palm. His fingers brushed back and forth over the ring he’d given her earlier.

Beth felt his exhale harshly against her hand. “I can’t help thinking that if I hadn’t given you this ring earlier, she wouldn’t have tried to kill you; you almost died tonight because of me.”

Beth sucked in a breath at the desolation in his tone, quickly shaking her head in denial.

“No, Darcy – tonight, I lived because of you.” Her other hand reached up to cup his face.

“Caroline had that gun with her and she was going to use it regardless of what I said or she saw. This ring did not change that; you did not change that. Because of you, I chose to fight. Earlier, I asked you to be my sword. This ring… your love for me… was my weapon and my strength. All I could think was that I wasn’t willing to let her take any more from me… any more from us.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered, watching a tear roll down her face.

“I don’t care,” she replied. “You are everything that I want.”

Slowly, his head bent down to hers to gently kiss her, tasting the salty-sweetness that was a mixture of her and her tears.

“Marry me?” he asked against her lips.

“Yes.” She smiled into their kiss just before he deepened it.

His arms came around her, pulling her flush against his body. The heat from his naked chest scorching through her. Beth moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck and angling her head to give him deeper access to her mouth.

His tongue stroked over hers, stoking the flames that spread through every cell.

His hand grabbed onto her ass, pulling her tight against the hardness of his erection.

His other hand moved to the back of her neck, undoing the closure at the top of her dress.

Beth felt the material give way, the straps sliding swiftly down from her shoulders.

The top of her dress only stayed up covering her chest because she was pressed so firmly against him.

“Say it again,” he whispered as his lips slid from hers to kiss the sensitive skin along her jaw. Beth tipped her head back, exposing more of the pristine, pale skin of her neck to him.

“Say what?” she asked breathlessly. Darcy growled against her neck, lightly biting the tender skin. Beth gasped, realizing what he wanted. “ Yes, I will marry you.”

His mouth closed over the bite sucking firmly on the spot as he pushed his chest away from hers for a split second, allowing the top of her dress to fall, exposing her bare breasts.

She moaned as her nipples came into contact with his hard chest. Her hands tangled in his hair as his mouth moved down onto the slope of her shoulder.

His fingers hooked into the bunched black silk around her waist, tugging downward.

Her dress fell to the floor with a soft swoosh, leaving her standing naked except for her matching black silk panties.

Darcy groaned against her collarbone as his hands sunk into the soft flesh of her ass, kneading it as his mouth continued to trail further south over the swell of one breast.

“Say it again,” he rasped hoarsely against her nipple, his tongue coming out to toy with the aching peak.

“Yes,” she gasped. “I… will marry… you.”

At the end of her breathless statement, his mouth closed over the tormented bud, pulling it deeply into his mouth.

He sucked rhythmically on her nipple, his tongue swirling around the tender, erect tip, sending sparks of electricity straight to her core.

She pulled his head tighter against her, willing him to take more of her farther into his mouth; her moans accompanying each draw of his mouth.

His lips released her, kissing a trail over to her other breast.

“You are mine,” he said hoarsely just before he captured the unattended nipple, repeating his torture.

Beth wasn’t sure that she could even feel her legs anymore.

She only knew that she was standing because she could see Darcy bent over her chest. The agitation and heightened emotions from earlier now only made her pleasure more intense, her cells craving a physical release from the stress that had built up and that Darcy was now turning into molten pleasure as it flowed through her veins.

His mouth released her nipple, blowing a steady stream of air over the sensitive peak as he knelt to continue to kiss his way down her stomach.

Beth felt his fingers hook up underneath the edge of her panties and pull them down over her legs.

His hand gripped her right calf, lifting her foot out from them.

Instead of setting it back down on the floor, his hand slid up under her knee, hiking her leg up higher to rest over his shoulder.

She swayed for a moment, her hands quickly moving to his shoulders to steady herself; his hands clasped her hips, holding them stable as his mouth stopped its path just short of her aching center.

“ Darcy,” she moaned.

“ Say it again, gorgeous.” He blew gently over her moist folds, enjoying the shiver that sparked through her body.

“ Yes, I will marry you!” Her answer was frenzied, needing his touch.

“ I will never get tired of hearing that,” he groaned. “ Or tasting the honey between your thighs.”

Beth almost came as his tongue licked directly down the center of her.

Her standing leg shook, almost giving out on her.

She gasped loudly as his mouth closed over the most tender part of her.

Darcy kissed her over and over again, the pleasure so intense that she couldn’t even hear her own moans any longer, her brain had tuned everything else out.

At some point, she must have cried his name, no longer able to stand, for he quickly stood up, taking her with him as he carried her the few paces into the bedroom.

Darcy lay her on the cool comforter, his head immediately returning to the heaven between her thighs.

Her legs now crossed around his neck as he pleasured her.

Now that his hands weren’t busy keeping her upright, she felt him push two fingers inside of her.

She gasped at the invasion, arching against him.

Those fingers barely moved though, only rubbing gently on the inside of her, feeling her inner muscles flexing in frustration, yearning for release.

“ That’s it, gorgeous.” His hoarse words crept through the haze of desire. The movement of his lips over her clit as he spoke the words bringing her perilously close to the edge. “ Give me all of your sweetness.”

His delicious encouragement, followed by the firm flick of his tongue sent Beth flying over the edge of release.

All of the anxiety, tension, stress, pleasure, and love that had been building exploded from every cell.

Her legs flexed around his neck, keeping his mouth tight against her as her orgasm rolled through her, her body clenching around his fingers still inside of her.

Darcy groaned against her, drinking deeply of her sugared release. As her body began to come back down from its high, her legs slowly relaxed around him, his head slowly lifting off from her to trail up her flushed body and into her sated gaze.

He lifted his torso up, kneeling on the bed between her bent legs.

His fingers still inside of her, gently stroking the muscles that continued to convulse.

Beth watched as he licked his lips, savoring the last taste of her as his free hand moved to undo the front of his pants.

He pulled them down roughly over his hips; his thick, swollen cock hanging heavily in front of him.

Bending over her, he quickly pulled one of her nipples into his mouth for a quick taste before his face aligned with hers.

His mouth claimed hers and her gasp that escaped as he flipped them over, seating her on top of him.

Both hands now on her hips, he held her hot center against the hard length of his erection, groaning as her heat and wetness covered him.

Beth pushed up on his chest, pressing herself even more firmly against him for a moment before his hands lifted her hips, placing the tip of his erection at her entrance.

She started to slide down onto his hard length, but his firm grip stopped her when the head of his cock was just barely inside of her passage.

Beth gasped, her hips pushing against his hands, begging to be filled once more.

“Say it again,” he whispered harshly. His body needed to be joined with hers, but not as much as he needed to hear those words again – the ones that comforted his tortured soul. “ Say that you’ll take me…”

“ I am yours ,” she began, her gaze burning her love into him. “ I love you.” His jaw muscles flexed, his hands tightening on her hips, every fiber of his being waiting to be released. “ So, a thousand-times yes, I will marry you.”

Darcy groaned again with relief from her words as his hands slowly relaxed on her hips, letting her slowly slide his hardness into her honeyed warmth. Beth moaned, her head tipping back, at the intense feeling of completeness that came over her.

For the first time, she felt like there were finally no more barriers between them.

He groaned as he seated himself fully inside of her. “ I love you so fucking much ,” he groaned. “ Take me – I’m yours.” In his eyes, she saw truth – that he was completely undone by her, just as she was by him.

His words claimed her heart as he claimed her body. Her hips rose and fell against his, her need rising again. Darcy poured everything he felt into his touch as his hands skated over every inch of her body, watching her pleasure them both.

He teased her breasts before his hands found their way back onto her hips; his need for her too great.

Gripping into her soft flesh, he held her steady as he thrust up into her hard and fast, sending her right back into that mind-numbing state of pleasure that overstimulated every sense of hers into complete bliss.

She cried out his name as her body flew apart around her, taking him with her. He continued to push into her, riding out the waves of their climax and claiming every last part of her as his own.

Beth collapsed onto him, their chests heaving from exertion. She was pretty sure her heartbeat hadn’t slowed since she’d left the hotel room earlier that night. But she had a feeling that it finally would now.

His arms encased her, holding her against him as she held him inside of her. His hand began to lightly play with her hair as he dropped soft kisses onto her forehead.

“You are everything, Beth,” he whispered as her eyes began to drift shut; her body finally coming down from its prolonged adrenaline high into the safety of his arms. “You are everything I want… everything I need… Everything .”

“Mmm,” she mumbled softly. “I just want you.”

“Well, you’re lying on top of me with my dick buried completely inside of you while I’m confessing how much I love you… I’d say you fucking have me, gorgeous.” He chuckled. “I think it’s safe to assume that everything I have is yours.”

“Mmm… good.” She sighed against his chest, quickly losing the battle against sleep.

“Alright, let’s get you in bed,” he whispered. He slipped himself out of her, gently turning her onto her side when she gripped him, her eyes flying open.

“Don’t leave… just hold me.” She’d been so strong and so brave earlier, but even the strongest people can’t hold the world up forever.

The trauma of the night was finally starting to sink in – how close she’d come to losing everything. Now she needed his strength to soothe those thoughts.

“Don’t worry, gorgeous, I’ll be holding you all night long… I’ll be holding you all life long.” He kissed her forehead.

His words of reassurance calmed her enough to let him throw back the covers and slide them both underneath, tucking her against his chest.

Sated, safe, and, most importantly, together – they both quickly slipped into sleep.