I nod, squinting away from the sun. “Yeah, I am.”

I made promises to Olivia that I have to keep—that I want to keep. I made promises to myself, too. I’m going to be the parent my father never was. My home is going to be happy and warm, not cold and sterile.

Jackson keeps his eyes on his shoes. “Congrats, man,” he mutters.

I let one side of my lips pull into a semi-smile and turn around. That’s the best I’m going to get out of him and I’ll take it.

Quickly, I make my way to my car and get in. After I turn my key in the ignition, I pause. If Don is going to be my last fight, I have to win it. I will not quit on a loss… my pride won’t let me. If I’m going to win, I need to keep a clear head… which means I have to hold off on telling Olivia what happened at the Aria casino today. I rake my fingers through my hair. I don’t want guilt to weigh on me if she leaves. I know it’s not right and I know it’s messed up. I don’t like keeping things from her, but once this is over I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her, treating her like the queen I promised her father and her brother.

I swear it.

Chapter Eleven

Olivia

I fall asleep with my head on Darryl’s lap, but I don’t dream. He came to tell me that Seth is coming back soon and I’m elated that he’s willing to make this work. I knew he would… Seth Marc is many things, but a liar he is not. He said he’ll take care of me. He promised me that we’re going to be okay and now he’s coming to deliver that promise.

I fell asleep to Darryl telling me stories about Seth as a teenager. They made me smile—he was such a little troublemaker. Once, Seth was arrested for running naked through a church during a Sunday morning sermon. It turns out they didn’t appreciate his God-like figure quite like I do. Indecent exposure, Darryl called it, making me giggle. Everything Seth does is indecent, and although Darryl is telling me these stories of his carefree youth, I don’t believe them. To me, Seth has always been stern and a little intense. Sure, he can be over-confident and playful, too, but for the most part he’s a serious guy. I can’t imagine him running naked for fun or skateboarding and surfing like the other stories Darryl’s told me. I see him as the big guy with the heavy hands… maybe having a child will bring out Seth’s inner boy?

Sudden weightlessness overcomes me and I’m awoken from my nap. I peer through barely open eyes and I’m met with a strong jaw, darkened by five o’clock shadow and some full, kissable lips. I stare at them for a few seconds, trying to get my bearings, and it isn’t until I meet his gorgeous brown eyes, I realize my husband has finally come back to me. The golden rivers of honey deep in his irises flare brightly—apologetically.

“O, I’m so sor—”

I throw my arms around his neck and crush my lips to his. I kiss him hard—desperate for us to mold together and never separate, like play dough when you mix the colors. He can say sorry all he wants, but it doesn’t matter, not to me. We all make rash decisions, we all run when we’re mad or afraid, and it’s okay. Sometimes it’s not the apology that means the most… sometimes coming back is enough to fix everything.

In the distance, I hear the front door close. Darryl is gone, leaving Seth and I alone. He pulls away from me, cautiously taking in my face. “You’re not mad at me?”

I cup his face and run my fingers through his hair just to make sure he’s real and I’m not still dreaming—to make sure he’s here with me. “No, not anymore.”

I squeeze his hair between my fingers and force his mouth back to mine. I want to feel him against me—inside me. I want nothing to be exchanged between us but hot air and long, needy stares. We exchange punishing kisses up the stairs and into the bedroom before he lowers me onto our messy bed, pressing his hard, heavy body against mine. I can feel every inch of him and the rough denim of his jeans cause goosebumps to break across every inch of the exposed flesh of my legs. His obvious arousal presses firmly against my core as his mouth hungrily consumes mine. I moan against his lips as his rough hands reach under the hem of my shirt and grasp my bare hip. His hand lingers there for a few seconds before he runs a living finger along my side, making me shiver. And then he stops. He pulls his mouth back, barely an inch from mine.

“We should talk about what happened.”

Desperately, I grip the hem of his shirt and squeeze it in my hands. “We can talk… we can talk later, I promise,” I tell him breathlessly. “But for now let’s touch. Only touch.”

“I owe you a lot…” he admits. “I did and said some fucking horrible things today… things I’m not sure you’re ever going to forgive me for. I’m willing to explain everything to you right now, O. Are you sure you want to wait?”

There’s a pleading in his expression—like he’s asking me not to wait, but I need him now. I need him more than I’ve ever needed him… I need him to make me feel loved before he ruins it. Yep, I know he’s going to tell me something that’s going to ruin this. Darryl gave me a heads up—not intentionally—but I know a warning when I hear one. Darryl came here and spoke about a little stunt Seth played for the MMAC today. He didn’t say what happened, only that Seth will tell me. It’s playing at the very back of my mind and I’m choosing to ignore it… because I trust him. If he thinks it’s worth telling, he will. Seth isn’t Blade. He’s not a coward or sneaky. Seth’s straight up… if he’s done something wrong by me, he’ll admit it. Besides, Selena was there. If he did anything she thought would hurt me, she’d defend me. She’d tell me… like I told her what Jackson was doing, even though she knew already.

With a small, confirming nod of my head, Seth comes out in full force, managing to undress us both quicker than ever before. I kneel on the bed and Seth, and all of his naked glory, joins me. He plants his hands firmly on my hips and lowers his mouth to my neck. A moan ripples from my chest as he kisses my collar bone, sucking the flesh between his supple lips. Inside, my blood burns and heats my flesh as he cups my breast. Releasing my skin, he brings his face directly in front of mine and he’s smiling his Goddamn smile—a smile I feel like I haven’t seen in forever.

“I thought I lost you today…” he tells me. “I thought I was going to have to break some serious laws to get you back.”

“Well, you can hang your outlaw hat up, cowboy,” I say. “You’ll never lose me.”

“Can I get that in writing?”

I smirk. “How about I seal it with a kiss instead?”

I press my lips to his and shiver as he glides his hand over my skin. His rough fingers snake between our bodies before slipping between my legs. The second he touches my center, he groans into my mouth and the low sound causes a sudden flash of heat to shoot down my spine. I’m unable to get into a groove before Seth scoops me up and turns me around, and I gasp as he shoves me onto my knees and I catch myself on my hands.

“Do you want me to show you?” he moans into my ear, taking a fistful of my hair as he palms my ass with the other. “Do you want me to fuck you like I lost you?” His voice is rough, and I can feel him pressing against my ass as his other hand holds me in place.

“Yes,” I swallow, nodding. “I want you to.”

I try my hardest not to let him know how his desire and aggressive force is making me wet for him, but fail when he trails the very tip of his index finger between my creases. Amazing sensations seize my entire body and I roll my hips back on him. He pinches and squeezes me everywhere, like he’s missed every inch of me in the small amount of time he was gone. I really do love the way he handles me. No one can build me up quite like Seth does. Hell, he does me better than I do myself.

He moves his own hips, grinding himself low on my backside, forcing me to feel all of him against my back. He feels good, he always feels good.

“Is this what you want, Olivia?” he rasps in a gravelly voice that makes my skin tingle. I moan as his hand claims my nipple between his fingers and he bucks against my back. “You want me to treat your body like I haven’t touched it in ages?”

“Oh God, yes,” I groan in a soft, breathy voice that barely sounds like my own. “I want passion. I want you, Seth.”

I love it when he makes me beg for him because it’s in those moments I can show him how desperate I am to have him close. Both of his hands palm my breasts now, and it feels like he builds me up using only my breasts for hours before his mouth finally claims my neck and breaks up the sensation. While he teases me, touches and caresses me, all I can think about is tasting him. When the need becomes unbearable, I still his hands by placing mine on top.

“Wait,” I pant, my breath coming out quick and fast.

He stops and removes his hands from me. I try not to pout as his warmth leaves the surface of my skin and I remind myself that he’s going to touch me again soon. First, I have to please him. I turn around and take in his entire form. He stares down at me through lusty slits as I let my eyes devour him. He looks fantastic—every developed inch of him. I take his rock-hard erection in my hand, sliding the palm of it up and down his shaft a few times. His eyes widen, realizing my intent as I lean in and lick the very tip. He groans, letting his head fall back and his thick fingers run through my hair. He tightens his fist, gripping until my scalp burns…and I love it. I suck the head between my lips, keeping my eyes trained on his exposed throat. He swallows hard, making his Adam’s apple bob, before angling his head back in my direction. Our eyes meet and fireworks explode inside of me, setting my organs alight as I circle him with my tongue, collecting a sudden amount of precum. My strokes are purposely shallow, rarely moving my lips past his head and I know the technique both thrills and frustrates him.

He tastes good—he always tastes good. In my hair, his fingers contract and relax, over and over again. It makes my skin erupt with goosebumps. I love working him up this way, playing only with the very tip.

“Fuck, O. Go deeper,” he commands, but never pushes any further.

I smile. He can never stand it when I tease him for too long. Conceding, I suck him further into my mouth, moving my fingers lower on his shaft, and every now and then, without warning, I abruptly take him deeper, making his fingers tighten, his chest rumble and the bed shake. This is where I need him… right here with me—inside of me. I don’t care how just as long as he is.

Loosening his grip on my hair, he grabs my head and pulls me off of him. The head slips out from between my lips with a pop as he encourages me upward. Without a word, he crushes my lips to his and kisses me passionately, forcing his tongue into my mouth. He kisses me until I’m out of breath, until I’m certain all color has drained from my face and pooled in my lips.

“God, Olivia,” he says softly, moving down to scatter my throat with kisses and licks. Eventually, my back arches as he lowers his head, taking my incredibly hard nipple into his mouth.

“You have the nicest tits I’ve ever seen, I swear,” he mumbles with a mouth full of my breast. As he teases my nipple on the tip of his tongue, his hand ventures south and he slowly lowers me onto my back. The cold, satin sheets cool my burning skin, creating a new sensation I feel from the tips of my fingers right down to my toes, and it’s not another moment before he spreads my legs with his hand, parts me with his fingers, and rubs my clit, eliciting a verbal shudder from me.

Finally, he’s touching me where I need it the most. His fingers slowly rub me up and down, pinching my clit between his thumb and forefinger before sliding right to the entrance. I flex my hips, encouraging him to just fucking take me already. I need him to. I need him to catapult me over the edge of insanity so I can lose myself for a few minutes. A few minutes of bliss only Seth can provide are what I want. Slowly but firmly, he slips a finger into me. I grip the sheet, bunching them up in my hands in an attempt to keep myself still. Don’t come yet. Not yet. I want this to last.

“You're so fucking pretty down here, baby,” he says, making my cheeks heat up. “And wet—so fucking wet.” He adds another finger and now I feel full—full to the point of exploding. I barely have time to register the second finger before his tongue flattens against my clit. Inevitably, my hips buck into his mouth, forcing him harder against me—even catching some teeth. It feels good—he makes me feel good. I feel a familiar tingle begin to work its way from my core outwards, not stopping until it wraps tightly around my spine and radiates down all of my nerves. As I start to edge off into an abyss of ecstasy, Seth deprives me of his mouth and I’m suddenly yanked up and thrust towards the head of the bed. I grip the headboard as he grabs my hips and pushes on my lower back, making my ass jut outwards. He strokes my ass cheek with his stiff shaft—once, no, twice—before he slips it between my legs, coating himself in my wetness. In a swift, forceful movement, he enters me completely, taking me off guard. My fingers dig into the wood and I cry out at the sensation.

“You’re not coming unless it’s on my cock,” he whispers harshly in my ear. He nips at the lobe, making me moan and wince at the same time.

In another swift movement, he pulls out of me completely, leaving me feeling totally empty. I drop my head against the wooden headboard. I can’t take much of his teasing, not right now.

“Seth…please,” I beg.

“I nearly lost you, baby,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “I want to take my time with you.”

He enters me again, slower this time. Inch by inch he pushes it, making my head spin, until he’s fully inside me. My lips twitch as he holds himself there, kissing my shoulder ever so sweetly. His body molds so perfectly to mine and he fits so perfectly into me that it assures me we are meant to be together. He is mine and I won’t share him… not for another nine months, at least. I grip his hands and pull them around my stomach and up to my breasts. He takes over, squeezing them roughly.