A red hue covers her cheeks. I revel in her reaction to my words as she nibbles on her bottom lip. “All the way to Sunday?”

“All the way to fucking Sunday, sweetheart.”

My lips find hers as I ram inside her in one brutal go. My abs tighten with the ruthless force of my thrust. She arches off the bed. Her arms and legs grip around me like a vice.

In moments like these, when Elsa and I are one, the entire world vanishes.

The need to possess her beats under my skin and claws in my bones. It’s more than an obsession or even an addiction. It’s light in the darkness burning me from the inside out.

The more she holds on to me like I’m her anchor, the harder I fall into her warmth.

Being with Elsa is exactly like it was ten years ago. She always brought peace to my chaotic head.

The only difference is that I became more perverse about her company.

Kissing and hugging aren’t enough anymore. Now, she’s mine, body, heart and soul.

First, she engraved herself under my skin, then in my brain and then into my heart. She made a cosy place for herself in there. Now, that damn thing only beats for her.

After I come deep inside her walls and bring her to orgasm two times in a row, Elsa lies limp, appearing all spent.

I’ll probably need to draw her a bath.

“Did I tell you how crazy your stamina is?” She rolls onto her side and props her elbow, facing me.

I tug on the T-shirt that’s still covering her tits. “We still didn’t do the round with this off.”

“I give up.” She laughs. “I completely give up.”

“Good. Because I wasn’t kidding. I keep my promises, sweetheart.”

A twinkle shines in her bright eyes as she nibbles on her bottom lip. She then releases it fast, thinking I won’t be able to read that gesture.

It’s useless. I already know she has something in that busy head of hers.

“What is it?”

She says nothing.

My lips tug in a smirk. “Tell me or I’ll add another round of thorough fucking.”

“You said you keep all your promises,” she starts.

“I do.”

“How about promises from ten years ago?”

So it’s about that. I smile on the inside, but I show her nothing. “I don’t know. You still didn’t decide on your university.”

We’ve been talking about this for the past few months. I was more than willing to ditch Oxford and go to Cambridge — even if it’s not the best for business management and it’d piss Jonathan off.

None of that mattered. I already decided Elsa and I will live together at university. I won’t do the whole long-distance bullshit.

“I’m ditching Oxford,” I tell her matter of factly. I don’t care what anyone has to say about it.

“Bummer.” She pouts. “I was thinking of applying there.”

“You were?”

“Yes. Dad and I talked and I decided to go back to my initial dream.”

“Your initial dream?”

“Yeah. I showed you the drawings when I was young.”

“Building houses.”

She nods frantically. “I’ll go to the School of Architecture at Oxford.”

“And we’ll live together.” I know I’m burning steps, but I have to hit the iron while it’s hot.

Truth is, I can never get enough of Elsa. It kills me to send her back home every other night.

I want her with me all the fucking time. I want to sleep surrounded by her warmth every night and wake up to her face every morning.

I expect her to fight and tell me she needs to think about it.

My mind is already filled with a thousand ways to convince her. I can sabotage her dorm application. I can trick her into thinking she’s rented a house with a roommate and then surprise her by showing up. I can —

Elsa reaches under the bed and brings out a bucket of chocolates. She kneels by my side, cradling the thing as her face turns bright red.

A bucket of chocolate? What the fuck?

Wait.

The name of the brand stares back at me.

Maltesers.

* * *

“When I grow up, I’m gonna buy you a bucket of Maltesers.”

“Why?”

“Because Dad says you have to buy gifts for the one you marry.”

“Marry?” I whisper.

“Yup!” She grins. “When I grow up, I’m going to marry you.”

* * *

“I’m keeping my promise, too,” she murmurs.

“You’re not the one proposing, I am.” I groan, pulling her and the stupid bucket into me. “I’m going to fucking marry you, Elsa. You’ll be my wife. My family. My fucking home.”

She nods several times, tears shining in her eyes. “You’ll be my home, too, Aiden. Always.”

Always.

I crash my mouth to hers.

Elsa is mine.

Fucking mine.

Just like I’m hers.

Always.

Next up, I’m going to put a fucking baby in her.

Epilogue - Elsa

Three years later

* * *

“As I was saying, you can’t argue with me using some theory. Be an actual nerd and prove it in real time.”

Aiden stares at our classmates with his signature poker face. I swear he’s become even more tenacious about hiding his emotions.

I’m lucky I met him at eighteen because twenty-one-year-old Aiden would’ve driven me bonkers.

Scratch that. He does, but I know him well enough to counter him at every turn now. I don’t always win, but the challenge is worth it.

Our colleagues stare at him with questions and no answers.

Only Aiden would call university students nerds to their faces. When I told him not to do that, he said he’s a firm believer in calling things by their names.

“Anyone?” he challenges. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

He’s lucky Cole isn’t here. It would’ve morphed into a full-blown war if he was, and we’d be all sitting here watching them argue all night.

No one ever wins, but Aiden keeps insisting he takes it easy on him.

“Actually, there’s one.” A sinister voice comes from my right. His American accent differentiates him immediately.

I groan even before the twat joins the circle. I thought we were lucky tonight since Cole had things to take care of.

Turns out, no.

“What are you even doing here?” I ask. “You don’t belong to this club.”

“I do now.” Deep green eyes fill with mischief as he waves his access card. “I had to be where all the cool kids go. Isn’t that right, Pres?”

Our debate club president, Oliver, nods at the American’s charming grin.

I roll my eyes. The only reason he joined is to challenge Aiden and Cole. I swear they attract lunatics like this American as if they were magnets.

Even Aiden didn’t join the club out of goodwill. I joined first and he just slid in because ‘he was interested’.

Interested, my arse. More like he wants to be here to shoo the flies away as he calls them.

Aiden’s possessiveness knows no limits. He doesn’t like how close I am to the other club members, so he barged in to make their lives hell. He can be so frustratingly argumentative when he chooses to.