Meant To Be Ch. 10

My head jerked back involuntarily. I stared at him, blinking in surprise. He smiled softly.

"I want you here with me, always. And it's not because I worry for you and want to protect you, though that's part of it."

He twisted a strand of my hair in his fingers, searching my eyes.

"I want to wake up with you every morning. I want your clothes in the closets and drawers and not in a suitcase. I want your makeup cluttering the vanity. I want to come home and find you here - or be here when you come home - because this is where you live, not someplace you're spending the night."

I swallowed, mesmerized by his words and his loving expression. He stroked my back lightly.

"I want to bring you tea in bed and make you breakfast and take care of you. I want you to take care of me," he said huskily, his voice shaking slightly. "I want to marry you. I want us to have children with your beautiful eyes the color of the summer sky and your marvelous curly hair -"

He stopped at my sharp gasp. I felt my eyes fill and blinked, the tears rolling down my cheeks. He lifted a hand to wipe them away tenderly.

"I want a future with you, Cassandra. I want a life with you."

He ran his hands down my arms, closing his fingers around mine. His voice was a gentle caress, spilling over me like lapping water, making my body tingle and my head spin.

"You needn't decide now," he said, stroking my fingers. "You can let me know when you're ready. I just want you to know I want this - you...us. So when you're ready - if it's what you want - we can begin." He tightened his grip on my hands. "Will you think about it? About moving in? About - everything?"

I watched him, shock and joy flooding through me.

"I'm ready now," I whispered.

A brilliant smile lit up his face and my breath caught in my throat.

"Really?" he asked, looking delighted.

I giggled at his astonishment. "Yes," I said, slipping my arms around his neck. "Yes," I repeated in a whisper, brushing my lips against his.

His mouth captured mine in a lingering kiss, his arms crushing me to him. He nudged my top up and slipped it over my head. His gaze followed his hands as they caressed my neck and my breasts. I wiggled out of my underwear and he lifted me to his lap. My body was quivering with excitement at the feel of his warm hands on my skin after so long. With a shuddering breath, I lifted his shirt off and pressed my lips to his chest, my fingers tickling his chest hair. I slid to the floor to remove his jeans and boxers, running my hands up his legs as I admired him.

"You're so gorgeous," I breathed, stroking his muscular thighs and his trim waist. "You're perfect...and you're all mine..."

He pulled me into his lap again, settling my legs on either side of him.

"And you're mine, love," he murmured before his lips found mine.

I rocked against him, gasping in delight at the sensation. My head fell back and I felt his fingers between my legs, finding the button at the center of my pleasure and circling it steadily. I shuddered instantly, moving my hips against him. I circled my fingers around him, desperate to feel him inside me, but he held me securely, continuing to move his fingers until the tense coil deep inside burst apart and I shrieked and whimpered with pleasure. The warm tingle spread throughout my body until my ears were buzzing and my fingers felt numb.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, kissing my neck.

His hand covered mine, still wrapped around him, and we guided him together, sliding him home in one gentle thrust. He stroked my back and my legs, his mouth finding my breasts and teasing the nipples with his tongue. I locked my arms around his shoulders as our bodies met, alternating fierce, urgent movements with deep, languid thrusts. I felt him swell inside me and met his eyes. Threading my fingers in his hair, I smiled slowly and angled my hips. My release began and I lost the ability to move, only able to hang on to him as he drove me over the edge twice more.

"Come with me," I begged, my mouth finding his.

He groaned and gripped my waist, holding me steady as his body moved beneath me. I whimpered and moaned against his lips, spasming around him as he pressed me onto him for one final thrust and gasped my name. I slumped against him, our arms around each other. Our chests heaved in unison, his heart pounding rapidly against my chest. I pressed further into him to feel the reassuring beat, the tangible proof of this wonderful man who loved me, who was mine.

Our breathing slowed and he began placing soft kisses on my lips, cheeks, forehead.

"You're going to move in with me," he said in wonder, as if he needed to remind himself. "Thank you."

"I told you all you had to do was ask," I said with a breathy laugh.

He raised his head to look at me, cupping my chin. I saw an unidentifiable expression flit across his face and I watched him curiously, speechless. He smiled mysteriously but didn't speak. He only stood with me in his arms and took me to bed, curling his body around mine and drawing the covers over us. I splayed my hands on his chest, listening to the sounds of him drifting into sleep. I closed my eyes, a dreamy smile on my lips.

---

Nick covered his face with his hands and then dramatically drew them away to reveal a surprised expression. Louisa gurgled and flapped her chubby arms. I smiled, feeling as if my heart would burst at the sight. I caught Abigail's eye and saw her grinning at us. Nick repeated the gesture and this time I giggled along with the baby. She turned at the sound, reaching her arms out to me. I gladly picked her up, tucking her in my arms and burying my face in her dark hair.

"She'll need to eat soon," Abigail said softly.

"Well, that's going to be a problem, isn't it, Lulu?" I murmured, pulling back to look at her. "Because I don't want to let you go, no matter what your mum says."

Louisa's grey eyes regarded me seriously as if she was weighing her options. I glanced up to see Nick watching me with a warm smile. Teo passed us on his way to the kitchen, stopping to clap Nick on the shoulder.

"Better get to work on one of your own," he advised cheerfully.

I blushed, but Nick and I both chuckled. Reluctantly, I handed the baby to Abigail and nestled against Nick's chest, his arms circling around me as we settled against the couch.

"About ready to head back to the hotel?" Nick asked. "We have an early train tomorrow."

I looked at Abigail and the baby. "Can we stay for her bath?" I said hopefully, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Okay," he said, laughing.

I kissed his cheek. It was almost six months since I'd moved in with Nick, and this was our second visit to London to see his family in that time. We were ending this trip with a short holiday in Scotland, just the two of us. With each visit London felt more like home, and the addition of Louisa to the family had only increased that feeling. I had fallen instantly in love with her. She was a wonderful baby, extremely good-natured, but I know I would have felt the same even if she'd been fussy. Having never been around babies, I had never thought much about being a mother until I held her for the first time. From that moment I just couldn't get enough. It was almost as if I had heard the switch of my biological clock start its timer.

We had begun discussing moving to England after moving in together, but once Louisa was born, the topic quickly progressed from theoretical to reality. The next time we came to London, it would be permanent, and the thought of it thrilled me. We had only told our families about the move a few months earlier; Nick's family was ecstatic while my parents were happy and supportive, though subdued. I knew my living even further away was disheartening to them, but they had always encouraged us to live our own lives, and it helped that they liked and trusted Nick.

Nick and I sat silently, watching Abigail feed the baby, hearing the distant sounds of Teo and Louise chatting in the kitchen as they tidied up.

"This is perfect," I murmured, sighing happily.

Nick's arms tightened around me and I heard him catch his breath.

"It is," he said thickly. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "When do you think we should get married, pet?"

I gave a start, looking up at him.

"Are we engaged?" I teased, grinning.

He smirked. "Did I forget to propose to you?" he teased back.

I snickered, holding out my left hand. I wiggled the bare ring finger and glanced up at him.

"Looks like it," I said in mock seriousness.

I dropped my hand into my lap but he picked it up right away, flattening our palms together. He stroked each of my fingers rhythmically in a slow caress. I heard both our breathing deepen. Hooking a finger under my chin, he raised my lips to his for a chaste but lingering kiss. He rested his forehead against mine, our eyes locked. I smiled slowly, drowning in the dark pools of his eyes. I was just about to press my lips to his again when I felt something cool against our joined hands.

I turned to see him holding a ring over the tip of my finger. I gasped, meeting his gaze. He cupped my cheek, gently stroking my face. He smiled a little nervously, but his eyes were sparkling with love and happiness. I searched them, getting lost in the warm brown irises that glowed with the promise of our future.

"I love you, Cassandra," he whispered. "You're the air I need to breathe, the sun that starts my day, the music that keeps my heart beating. You're the life I didn't know I wanted."

I was already nodding, the tears spilling over my cheeks. We heard a sharp inhale from where Abigail was seated. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Louise and Teo appear in the doorway. I stifled a hysterical giggle, smiling up at Nick. Flashing me a wry smile, he lifted my hand, still holding the ring at the top of my finger. He paused when our eyes met again and I stopped breathing. Alight with the anticipation of our life together, they sparkled with commitment and hope, and with love.

In the span of a second, my mind flooded with images of the events of the past few years, from the beginning when I was naive and inexperienced to the time apart to us reuniting. The rainstorm in the park, that first kiss, his drawing of me, the exact spot in the coffee shop where he told me he loved me for the first time. I relived the emotion of each moment as the memories flashed by, my chest swelling with warmth.

Nick already knew how I felt, he surely could see it in my eyes in that moment, but the emotion coursed through me so powerfully I couldn't keep the words inside.

"I love you," I whispered.

His eyes softened and I saw a hint of moisture. He blinked rapidly, clearing his throat.

"Cassandra Rose Drake," he said tenderly. "I love you. You make me so happy...more happy than I thought possible...will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

I was still nodding, grinning widely. The flash of a camera startled me into awareness.

"Yes," I whispered.

We both turned our gaze to our hands and he slipped the ring onto my finger. He crushed my hand in his, kissing my fingers. I let out a sob, flinging my arms around him.

There were more camera flashes and the sound of clapping and excited murmurs, but I was only aware of Nick's strong arms around me, his heart beating steadily against my chest, his lips on mine. He held me close, our faces buried in each other's necks.

"I'm sorry it wasn't more private," he whispered into my ear. "I was going to wait until we got to Scotland but -"

I laughed softly, hearing the happy voices surrounding us.

"It was perfect," I whispered. "Just like you."

---

"Finally!" my mother crowed from the laptop screen as I held up my newly adorned finger.

Nick laughed and I turned to him in surprised confusion.

"He showed it to us when you were here," my father said, seeing my expression. "When he asked for our blessing."

"What?" I gasped. "But that was -" I paused, trying to do the math and failing. "That was months ago!"

Nick smiled self-consciously. Behind us his family was chuckling. I sat in stunned silence while Teo popped his head over my shoulder to tell my parents he'd email them the pictures he'd taken. Louise sat down and Nick turned the laptop so she could speak to my parents.

"Why did you wait?" I asked Nick. "We could be married by now."

He gave me a surprised laugh, wrapping his arms around me.

"Sorry, love," he said, chuckling and kissing me. "I didn't realize you were so impatient."

I elbowed him in the stomach, giggling.

---

Nick scooped me up as soon as the elevator doors opened, carrying me to the hotel room.

"I thought they'd never let us leave," he grumbled, unlocking the door.

"Well, what did you expect?" I laughed.

"Which is why I planned to propose in private," he told me haughtily.

He slipped my shirt over my head and fumbled with the zipper of my jeans.

"Christ, I'm like a teenaged virgin," he complained, joining in my laughter.

"There's no rush," I teased.

"I disagree," he said decisively. "You are going to be my wife, and we need to celebrate that properly. Now," he added, looking at me hungrily.

My heart did a somersault at hearing 'my wife' fall from his lips so easily. I smiled happily at him, tugging his shirt off and exploring his chest with my hands, my fingers dipping greedily into every hard line of his body.

"My husband," I whispered, testing the words on my tongue.

He froze for a moment and I blinked back tears as our eyes met. I don't know how my smile could have possibly grown, but I felt my cheeks start to cramp with the force of my joy. I shoved his jeans down his legs.

"Make love to me," I murmured, pressing my lips to his.

"No," he said huskily. "I will make love with you."

He picked me up, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist, and lowered us to the bed, giving me a long kiss. Unhooking my bra, he kissed each bit of flesh as it became exposed, moving his lips over my belly until he reached my panties, taking the hem between his teeth and dragging it down my legs. He began massaging the soles of my foot, hooking the leg over his shoulder before repeating the process with the other foot. Kissing his way up my legs, he settled himself between my thighs where I was already drenched and aching for him.

"Nick," I said in a groan, tangling my fingers in his hair.

"God, pet," he breathed, stroking me lightly and flicking my nub with his tongue. "I love you so much. I am never going to let you go."

"I'm yours," I said softly. "Forever..."

My head flew back as his tongue entered me. He worked his magic with his fingers, stroking and probing and caressing, his tongue penetrating me before circling around the sensitive button and then closing his lips around it. The spark began deep in my stomach, growing quickly from an ember to a raging inferno, heating the blood coursing through me. I felt the anticipation of the moment before release, knowing soon my body would clench and tense up. I pulled on his shoulders frantically.

"Please," I gasped. "I need you – I want you inside me when you make me come."

He let out an animalistic growl, intensifying his movements on my heated center until I was panting and begging. Finally he trailed his lips up my body until our mouths met, our tongues desperately swirling around the other. He rolled to his back, spreading me on top of him and I quickly straddled him. We both let out a long sigh as he slid into me. I flattened my body on his, planting my toes on his feet as we rocked steadily against each other.

Brushing the hair from my face, he smiled tenderly and kissed me, gently tugging on my bottom lip with his teeth.

"You're amazing," he whispered. "I promise to show you every day how much I love you."

I bit my lip, my chest swelling almost painfully.

"I promise to always be there for you," I murmured in return. "You can always count on me."

My climax was beginning and speaking was becoming difficult. I gasped and clutched his arms, my body shivering with excitement, with the prickling heat covering my skin.

"Remember," I whispered. "I'm yours. And I love you."

He gripped my cheeks, his fingers tangling in my hair.

"I love you, pet," he said gruffly.

He jerked his hips and I cried out. His lips were on mine, firm and scalding, coaxing more screams from me, encouraging my body to respond to the steel pulsing inside me. I shrieked and groaned against his lips, raising my knees to the bed so I could ride him, harder and harder until I was finally rewarded with his sharp inhale, the shocked gasp that meant he was joining me. He locked his arms around me, our bodies joined in a light sheen of sweat as we moved together, still trying to get closer, crying out together, tumbling into a heavenly abyss together.

---

A few months later I was standing nervously at the Marriage Bureau, my hands gripping my small bouquet of flowers so tightly I was crushing the stems. We had picked the first available date that our families could arrange to be there; it turned out that it was two years - almost to the day - of that fateful rainstorm that had started it all. My mother was circling me, smoothing the fabric of my simple cream-colored dress. Penelope fastened another pin into my hair to secure the flower and stepped back, running her eyes disapprovingly over my head. I was unable to prevent my exasperated sigh, anticipating yet another comment about how I should be wearing a veil. She looked at me defensively and opened her mouth to speak, but Thea pinched her arm. I could feel our father shaking his head at her warningly.

"I'm sorry," she said petulantly to us. "It's just - Cassie, you only get one wedding. I don't want you to regret not having the big dress and veil and reception and all of it."

It took all my self-control not to roll my eyes. It was the same argument I'd heard from her for months. I knew Penny, though still single, had every detail of her wedding planned out in her mind, from the big church wedding to the grand reception in some hotel ballroom, from the flowers to the music to the flowing white dress. It was impossible for her to accept that I wouldn't want the same thing.

Over her shoulder I noticed the doors opening. Teo held it open for Abigail, carrying a squirming Louisa. Sunlight spilled in, making it hard to focus at first. I watched as Louise walked in, then concentrated on the large form behind her as it transformed from a blurry shadow to the broad-shouldered, dark-haired, smiling man who was about to become my husband. I stared at him as his eyes swept around to look for us, stopping short at the sight of me. His smile faded as he looked at me in wonder. The sunlight dappled over his frame, bouncing off his body as if he were the sun himself. My nervousness disappeared and I smiled at him with love and excitement. He returned the look, his lips curving into the slow, meaningful grin he reserved only for me.

"I only get one marriage," I said to my sister, not moving my eyes from Nick's.

My mother gave a small gasp and dabbed her eyes. My dad took my hand, tucking it into his elbow and squeezed. He walked me toward Nick, the rest of my family trailing behind us. Penny sighed with a hint of longing.

"Why can't he have a single brother?" she said under her breath, making us all laugh.

"You look so beautiful," Nick murmured as we approached, an amazed look in his eyes. "Like an angel."

"You look gorgeous," I replied, taking in his charcoal suit.

I smiled at the bright blue pocket square and adjusted the knot of his perfectly straight tie just to have a reason to touch him. My father cleared his throat and held out a hand to Nick, shaking it firmly before placing my hand in his.