He gave her more and started pounding deep, watching her face. Then he drove in faster just looking at it coming over her.

He saw no surprise. She was used to him giving it to her now.

Fuck, seeing that, it felt like he’d conquered a world.

He went faster.

All her limbs convulsed and she breathed, “Jacob.”

Close himself and quickly getting closer, he demanded, “Give that to me, baby.”

“Jacob!” It came out as a cry.

She was nearly there.

He put his mouth to hers. “Give it to me, Emme,” he growled, and tugged hard on her nipple.

She inhaled sharply then moaned, giving it to him.

Deck invaded her mouth with his tongue, liking the taste of her orgasm, and then he could take no more. He broke the connection of their mouths, shoved his face in her neck and thrust harder.

Faster.

Pumping inside her, her pu**y spasming around his cock—fucking ecstasy.

He felt her hands at either side of his head. He knew what she wanted and he lifted up to give it to her just in time to plant his h*ps between hers, burying his c**k to the root. His head jerked back and he groaned as he poured himself inside his Emme.

As it left him, Deck dropped his forehead to her shoulder, staying deep, and felt her hands move on him but her legs stayed tight, anchoring him to her.

That was Emme, now and since they began.

During sex, she liked to be connected. After sex, she liked to stay that way.

He slid his lips up her neck and murmured in her ear, “Love you, baby.”

Her hands stopped moving so her arms could wrap around and hold tight.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his neck, and he lifted his head to grin down at her.

“Babe, you don’t have to thank me for an orgasm,” he teased but the grin froze on his face as his body froze on hers when he saw the tears in her eyes. “Emme,” he whispered.

“The orgasm…” she started but stopped when she hiccupped to swallow down a sob, the origin of which he had no f**king clue. He dipped his face closer, lifting a hand to cup her jaw and she went on, “It was great, honey. But I’m thanking you for bringing me back to… well, me.”

Fuck yeah.

Every bit of her, sweet.

He dropped his head to hers on a groaned, “Emme.”

“I…” her body jerked under his as she tried to control her sob and her voice was croaky when she continued, “don’t know where I’d be right now without you.”

He slid his thumb to her lips and whispered, “Stop.”

“I can’t,” she whispered back, a tear sliding out of her eye. “I have to say it. You have to know. You have to know that I’d be alone, lost and alone forever, if I didn’t have you.”

He pressed his thumb against her lips and begged, “Stop it, baby.”

She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, pulling his hand away, tears streaming out the sides of her eyes, and declared, “You gave me my life back.”

Fuck.

So sweet.

“Emme—”

“You didn’t give up on me.”

“Honey—”

Her fingers tensed on his wrist. “You’re everything to me, Jacob.”

He held her bright eyes then slid his cheek down hers to warn in her ear, “Can’t take more of this sweet, Emmanuelle.”

She fell silent.

“You’re everything to me too, baby,” he told her, and felt her shake her head.

“No. You have a house and a dog and a job that challenges you. You’re close with your family. You have friends, good friends, so good they name their children after you. You have everything, including me. I have good stuff too. Now more than before, but only because of you. Because you led me to that. Stuff I held myself away from. Stuff I’d never have if I hadn’t found you. Stuff I know I’d lose if I didn’t have you.”

“You wouldn’t lose it, Emme.”

“If I lost you, I’d lose everything, Jacob. I’d fade away, alone, denying all along I was lonely.”

Jesus.

He lifted his head, locked eyes with her and told her gruffly, “You gotta believe, babe, you’re everything to me too.”

She shook her head again, opened her mouth but he cupped her cheek, thumb back to her lips, and dipped his face close.

“You’re gonna build on what you started. We’re gettin’ a puppy. You’re building a crew. You’re workin’ through shit with family. You’re gonna have everything I have, Emme. But when you get all that, that won’t mean I won’t be everything to you and that holds true for me.”

“I—” she pushed out from around his thumb, but he again pressed it to her lips.

“You’re going to give me children.”

Her eyes and mouth closed.

“You’re gonna share my bed, my home, my life, and build a family with me, Emmanuelle,” he told her, and her eyes opened, brighter now, tears again streaming. “That’s everything, baby.”

She pressed her lips together under his thumb and nodded so he slid his thumb away.

“You’re right.” She gave him a smile, it was trembling but it lit her eyes and pressed that dimple in her cheek. “That’s everything.”

He pushed his h*ps into hers, put his lips to hers and whispered, “Love you, Emme.”

She curled her arms around him and whispered back, “I love you too, honey.”

He slanted his head and took her mouth in a deep, searing kiss that demonstrated the words they’d just uttered.

And Emme gave back as good as she got.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later…

“Hi-yah!”

Emme attacked.

Buford barked.

Deck, walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, getting attacked from behind, threw his hands behind his head. He grabbed Emme under her arms, hefted her up his back and took four strides to the bed. She squealed and Buford barked again when he bent at the waist and flipped her over on the bed. He leaned in, grasped her hips, twisted her around and dropped on top of her.

She huffed out a breath of air and blinked up at him.

Then she noted, “My instructor didn’t teach that when we were going over scenarios of what to do when being attacked from behind.”

Deck burst out laughing.

Emme had liked the idea of self-defense classes and wasted no time finding one and enrolling in it. It was held in the Community Center in Chantelle and she’d been to the first two of six weekly classes. They also did an advanced course, which she’d already signed up to take.