Sweet Possession (13 page)

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Authors: Maya Banks

BOOK: Sweet Possession
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“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he asked in a hoarse, low voice.
She raised her gaze to meet his and drowned in the warm chocolate of his eyes. They burned with so much love and desire. Her heart swelled with love. Her love for him. He was hers. She was his. They had created a child together. They had created love.
“I feel beautiful when you look at me,” she said honestly.
His eyes softened. “I want you to always see how beautiful you are when you see the way I look at you. I want you to know how loved you are.”
She smiled and waited quietly for his command. She loved moments like these when she awaited his pleasure, knowing he was content to just look at her.
“Come to me,” he said.
She crawled onto the bed and sank to her knees as she stared down at his muscled body. So perfect and beautiful. He was dark—nearly as dark as her own skin, though he had no Hispanic heritage. His hair was dark brown, so dark it looked black.
The same dark hair coiled at the juncture of his thighs and his cock lay to the side, semierect as if awaiting her attention.
She remained still, content to wait for Micah’s command.
He ran his hand up her thigh, to the curve of her waist and then higher to cup the swell of her breast. He toyed idly with one nipple, careful as always with the highly sensitive tips.
“You look tired tonight, Angel. Is your back still hurting?”
“It was earlier. I think I stood too long. It’s better now.”
“Come here.”
He pulled her down, arranging her so she faced away. His hand glided up and down the curves of her body. He ran it over her hip and up to palm her belly. Then he lowered his head and kissed the curve of her neck.
A delicate shiver raced down her spine, spreading goose bumps in its wake.
There was a dip in the bed as his hand left her and he repositioned his body. Then he began rubbing and kneading her back, his hands working sweet magic over her tired, aching muscles.
She moaned softly as he worked slowly down to her buttocks and then back up again to massage her nape.
“Feel good?” he murmured.
Tears pricked her eyelids. It was wonderful, but every day with him was wonderful. After surviving her attack months before, she was grateful for every moment she had with Micah. She lived as if each moment could be their last together, and it was ridiculous because she had the power to cement their lives together.
“Hey, are you okay, Angel girl?”
The worry in his voice made her heart squeeze. How could she find the words to tell him she’d never been better than right here, right now, in his arms?
She turned awkwardly, and in the end, he had to help her as she rotated to face him. Their noses were just an inch apart and she twined her legs with his, allowing his heat to seep into her body.
“Are you going to ask me to marry you again?” she whispered.
There was a brief flash in his eyes she could swear was pain. He stroked her cheek with one finger and then ran it slowly back and forth over her mouth.
“No, Angel. I’ve been pushing too much. I swore I wouldn’t pressure you but I’ve been doing just that.”
She put her finger to his mouth to cut off the words.
“Ask me again. Please.”
A wild spark lit his eyes and the pupils dilated, turning the brown to black. There was hope and fear simultaneously, one warring with the other. She hated the insecurity and hesitancy she saw as he came to grips with what she’d asked.
To her surprise, he pushed himself up and got off the bed. For a moment she wondered if she’d royally screwed up. But he reached for her, holding out a hand.
She slid her palm over his and he helped her to the edge of the bed until she sat with her legs hanging over the side, her feet just brushing the floor.
Still holding on to her hand, he knelt on the floor so they looked each other in the eye. Nervousness bunched in her stomach and her breathing shallowed until she realized she was holding it.
Micah raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss into the softness of her palm. Then he slowly pulled it away and gazed directly into her eyes.
“Will you marry me, Angel? Will you spend the rest of your life with me? Love me the way I love you? Have my children, grow a family with me, grow old with me and spend a lifetime allowing me to love you the way you deserve to be loved?”
Completely undone by the heartfelt words, she stared in wonder as tears slid silently down her cheeks. She raised her hands and cupped his face, gazing into the eyes of the man she adored—had always adored.
“You once told me that when I knew without a doubt that you loved me more than life and that when I trusted you with my heart, it was then you wanted me to marry you. I should have said yes a long time ago,” she whispered. “Yes. I’ll marry you. I love you. I’ll always love you.”
He rose up and crushed her to him. He held her tight, his entire body trembling against her. She felt every breath, every beat of his heart as it pounded wildly against her throat.
“Oh God, I love you, Angel girl. So much. So damn much. I thank God I didn’t destroy your faith in me, that I didn’t destroy your love. I couldn’t live with myself if I had. You and Nia are my world. I love you both so much.”
She pulled away and then took his hands and guided them down to mold to her belly. “We’re your family, Micah. She and I. She’ll love you as much as I love you.”
His smile made her heart ache. There was such joy in his eyes. It wasn’t until now that she noticed the shadows he’d worn for the past months. But now they lifted away and there was such relief in his face.
He lowered his head and pressed his lips to the hard bump of her belly. She threaded her fingers through his long hair and held him lovingly against the gentle patter of their daughter.
She closed her eyes and let the sweetness of the moment envelope her. They’d been through so much in such a short amount of time. But it was all worth it because here and now, she held everything she’d ever wanted in her arms and cradled in her womb.
Micah and their daughter. Her family.
She couldn’t help but think her brother, David, and Hannah were smiling down on them from heaven.
Micah lifted his head, then curled his hand around her nape and pulled her until their foreheads rested against each other. Their noses brushed and she felt his erratic breaths puff out as if he was valiantly trying to maintain control of his emotions.
“Tell me again,” he whispered. “Tell me you’ll marry me.”
She smiled. “I’ll marry you, Micah.”
“When?”
“Whenever you say when.”
“Tomorrow,” he breathed.
She laughed. “I think we’ll need a little longer than that. While I don’t want a huge wedding, I do want our closest friends—our family,” she amended, “to be there.”
“Yeah, I do too.”
“Are you sure this is what you want, Micah? You’ll be happy?”
He pulled away and cupped her face as she’d cupped his a moment earlier. “I’ve never been happier in my life than I am right at this very moment. But as overjoyed as I am right now, nothing will match the day you become officially mine in the eyes of the law.”
“I’ve always been yours, Micah. But now you’re mine. And I’m never going to let you go.”
He smiled then and the last remaining shadows faded away, leaving only hope and joy. “I see I’m not the only possessive one in this relationship. I like it.”
CHAPTER 11
 
 
C
onnor pulled under the hotel awning and stopped behind two other cars waiting to valet park. He cut the engine and sat there for a long moment while they watched the valet tend to the first car in line.
She could sense his irritation, which was fine, because it wasn’t like she didn’t have plenty of her own.
Finally he looked over at her. “What the hell was all that about tonight?”
Her eyelids narrowed to slits as she glared over at him. “You don’t think you did anything wrong in this scenario?”
“So I piss you off and you find that sufficient reason to hot-wire a car, get arrested and be hauled off to jail?”
She crossed her arms and huffed. “I was not arrested. I was specifically looking for a cop. It’s not my fault he overreacted and thought I was some lunatic off her meds.”
“I can’t imagine
why
he’d think something like that.”
“Cut the sarcasm. It makes you sound like an even bigger asshole,” she muttered.
He sighed. “Do you always react this strongly about everything? I mean, most people would have just called me a dickhead and been done with it. Not many people would hot-wire a car, then flag down a cop and try to convince them you’re off your fucking rocker.”
She glared at him again. “I was being smart. I didn’t want to be driving around alone and I damn sure didn’t want to come back to the hotel by myself. I mean, what if the demented dude was waiting for me in my room?”
He looked like he wanted to beat his head against the steering wheel. Luckily the valet walked up and Connor opened his door to collect the ticket. Lyric got out and forced herself to wait for Connor. Whatever he might think, she really didn’t want to go back up to her room alone. She didn’t want to stay alone, for that matter, but neither did she want him in such close proximity for the entire night. She was fucked either way and she was resigned to spending another sleepless night. She would be a freaking zombie by tomorrow.
Connor put his hand to her back and herded her toward the door. All the way to her room, he was silent. His glower spoke volumes, and to be honest, she was happy he wasn’t talking. He’d just gripe at her some more.
That deference thing she was used to would certainly come in handy right now. Unfortunately she imagined he’d cut his own nuts off before ever deferring to her.
He made her remain to the side in the hallway while he opened the door and took a look inside. Satisfied that no one was going to jump out of the closet at them, he motioned her in and then shut and bolted the door behind them.
She made her way to the bed and flopped indelicately onto the mattress. The message light was blinking on her phone and she frowned, wondering who even knew she was here. Phillip did. But she didn’t think she’d even let her band or crew know where she was staying yet.
She leaned over, picked up the receiver and punched the button marked messages. Exhausted from the day’s events and no sleep in longer than she could remember, she flopped back onto a pillow and closed her eyes as she waited for the recording to start.
“You can’t hide from me, Lyric. Your pathetic little bodyguard can’t protect you.”
She bolted straight up, not believing what she’d heard. Her hands shaking, she punched at a series of buttons to replay the message but was so upset she botched it.
“What the hell is wrong?” Connor demanded. He snatched the phone from her hands and put it to his ear. “There’s nothing here. What upset you?”
“The message,” she stammered out. “Replay the message. I didn’t erase it. It should still be there.”
He frowned and depressed the button to cut the connection and then he punched the message button again. After a moment, his expression grew stormy and his eyes went so cold she shivered.
He replayed the message several times before finally replacing the receiver. He put his hand down to gently push her leg over so he could sit on the edge of the bed.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded but she wasn’t really. She knew she had some creep sending her weird notes, but her record label had kept her in the dark and she had only Connor’s word to go on. Not that she doubted him—she had no problem believing him at all. It was why she had been so determined not to go anywhere alone. But now that she’d heard the threat, it was much more real. It shocked her to her core.
“Lyric, look at me.”

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