“WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE!” I exclaim, ushering Dominic out of the hotel. “Hurry up!”

“Relax, Mara,” Dominic sighs. “We’re only going down the road. And plus, is it really possible to be late to your own child’s first birthday party?”

I huff and shift the baby from one arm to the other. “I guess not,” I respond. I see Dominic grin out of the corner of my eye as we head toward his truck. Once the baby is strapped into her seat, I tickle her nose and climb into the passenger’s seat. My dress almost gets caught in the door, but I pull the thin, flowing material into the truck just in time. Dominic gets into the driver’s seat and glances back at our daughter in her car seat. His eyes crinkle as he smiles.

“Don’t tell me you’re going soft on me,” I tell him, the corners of my mouth hitching up.

Dominic shoots me a glance and raises an eyebrow. He lifts a hand and runs it along my jaw, tickling the last fading scars from my accident. He leans forward and lays a soft kiss on my lips.

“I’m definitely, definitely not going soft.”

His eyes spark and my cheeks flush. I laugh and pull his hand away, glancing at the baby. “Dominic!” I laugh. “She’s right there.”

“She’s a one-year-old baby,” he laughs as he turns the ignition. “I don’t think she can understand innuendo yet.”

I try to hide my smile and steal a glance at Dominic’s broad shoulders. Even now, it still sends a thrill through me to think that he’s all mine. Dominic catches my hand and brings it to his lips as we drive down the dusty gravel road away from his – no, our cabin in the woods. My diamond ring glints in the evening light as he kisses my hand, and I feel another wave of love wash over me.

Gabby is babbling in the back seat, and I look back to see the drool dropping down her chin. I laugh and reach back to wipe her face as she looks at me, smiling and telling me all kinds of baby-language nonsense.

“You’re going to be a chatty Cathy when you’re older, aren’t you?” I tell her.

Dominic glances in the rear-view mirror and shakes his head.

“I don’t even want to think about that yet,” he chuckles.

We drive onto Main Street and I glance up at the mountains around us. Our little town is nestled deep in the valley, and as the sun goes down it sets the sky on fire with a million different colors. I sigh and feel myself relax into the seat as we make the short drive into town. Before long, we’re parking and unloading Gabby, saying hellos and thank yous and good-to-see-yous to everyone who’s come to the hotel.

Soon, my cheeks are flushed and aching from smiling. I hand Gabby over to her grandfather, who kisses her forehead and holds her close.

“She likes you, Dad,” I say with a smile.

He grins and tickles her cheek. “She’s precious,” he answers. “She’s got your eyes.”

I smile and squeeze his shoulder. I glance around the room at our friends and family, all laughing and drinking and eating. The warmth of happiness spreads through my chest, and I catch Dominic staring at me. The side of his mouth curls upwards and he nods to the door.

I follow him out and down the hall.

“Where are we going?” I ask in a hushed voice. I glance behind me, towards the door to the function room, but no one is following.

“Shh,” he says with a laugh. “They’ll hear you.”

“Why are we sneaking around?”

Dominic grins and catches my hand. He pulls me into my old childhood bedroom at the back of the hotel and closes the door, pinning me between him and the door behind me. He dips his chin down and crushes his lips against mine without warning.

I reach my hands around the nape of his neck and tangle my fingers into his hair. He still smells of sawdust and pine. When he presses me against the door, it sends a delicious thrill to every extremity.

His hands drop to my waist and then around to my ass. He squeezes it and groans against my mouth. I chuckle, pulling away to look in his eyes.

“What are you doing, Mr. Clarke?”

“I’m reliving our first night together,” he growls. “I wanted you so badly that night. Almost as much as I want you now,” he adds, pressing himself against me.

When I feel his hard shaft against me, I almost gasp. My heart starts beating and I drop my hands to hook into the waistband of his pants.

Dominic grins again, and lifts me up in one smooth motion, pressing me against the door again. I wrap my legs around his waist as he grips my ass, sliding his fingers under my dress to feel my bare skin. His fingers slide underneath my panties and graze the cleft of my ass. My whole body shivers at his touch, and I grind my hips against him.

“You’re very bad, Dominic,” I tease. “At our own daughter’s birthday.”

“We won’t be missed,” he replies. He drops a hand to fumble with his pants, all the while devouring my mouth with kisses. I hear his belt and pants fall to the ground as he presses his body against mine and drops his mouth to my neck, my ear, my collarbone.

My body is on fire. I squeeze my legs around his waist and gasp as he pulls my dress down to take my nipple between his lips. He bites at it gently before lifting his eyes up to me.

“What do you want?” he asks with fire in his eyes.

“You,” I breathe.

“Say it again,” he says, trailing his tongue across my collarbone.

“I want you, Dominic,” I pant. My whole body is electric with desire. I can feel his shaft through his underwear. It’s grinding against my hip bone and all I want is to feel it inside me.

He growls against and reaches down to drop his jocks. With my legs still wrapped around him, he pushes my panties to one side and buries himself inside me.

His body crushes me against the door as his cock spears me, over and over. He fucks me like that, against the door to my old bedroom, as I hold onto him for dear life. I can’t think of anything except the way my body stretches and contracts around his girth.

“Dominic,” I breathe, my voice coming out in gasps. He grunts as he drives his cock into me again, pressing me against the door and latching his mouth onto my neck.

“Dominic,” I say again, this time a little bit louder. His cock plunges into me a tiny bit deeper, and the ball of fire in the pit of my stomach starts to grow. My fingers dig into his shoulders as my legs wrap around his waist. He takes a step back and wraps his arms around me, holding me in his arms. My eyes widen as he looks me in the eye and grins.

“You want me to fuck you?” he asks in a breathy whisper.

I nod. He thrusts his cock into me and I bounce against him, gasping.

“You want me to fuck you?” he asks again. “Tell me.”

God, I love this man. He sets my whole body on fire. The sound of his voice is enough to send me flying. I bite my lip and hang onto his neck.

“I want you to fuck me,” I whisper.

His pupils dilate and a fire starts to burn in them. I squeeze his waist with my legs as we stay connected, and he wraps his arms around me. He turns towards the bed and lays me down on the edge, placing my legs over his shoulders. He thrusts his cock into me once, twice, three times as I gasp and moan louder every time. His hand runs down my shoulder to my breast, squeezing it over my dress as he starts to fuck me harder than ever before.

In an instant, I’m flying. Nothing else exists except the tidal wave of pleasure coursing through my veins, growing with every thrust of his hard cock inside me.

Vaguely, I hear Dominic grunt. I’m grabbing his arms, arching my back, letting out a silent scream as I try to ride the wave of my orgasm. Somewhere deep in my consciousness, I feel his cock get a little bit harder and his thrusts get more insistent.

When he fills me with his seed, my orgasm reaches its peak. I feel him pump it into me, gripping my breast and panting as he comes.

Finally, I’m able to breathe again. I pant, collapsed on the bed as Dominic lays down next to me.

Neither of us say a word.

I stare at the ceiling above me with stars in my eyes. Dominic’s arm flops onto my stomach and I intertwine my fingers into his.

“Even after all this time… After a baby… Dominic,” I breathe. “That’s still hot as hell.”

Dominic chuckles. He looks over at me and reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. A smile plays on his lips.

“I couldn’t resist, with you in that dress.”

A smile floats over my lips and I shake my head. “I wouldn’t want you to.”

We stay like that until the sounds of the party pull us out of our bliss. Dominic groans as I get up, and I lay a soft kiss on his lips as I try to straighten myself up.

“How’s my hair?” I ask, combing my fingers through it in an attempt to get it to look presentable. Dominic glances at me and grins.

“Looks like you just got fucked.”

I laugh and shake my head. I find an old brush in one of my drawers and stand in front of my mirror to try to tidy myself up. Dominic comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He leans down to kiss my neck.

“You’re the love of my life, Mara,” he says as he kisses my neck once more.

My heart thumps against my ribcage as I put the brush down and lean into his embrace. His hands crawl up my chest, squeezing me into him.

“And you’re the love of my life,” I respond. He groans, inhaling deeply in my neck and finally kissing my cheek and stepping back. He looks at me through the mirror and grins.

“Pull yourself together, woman,” he says with a grin. “At your own daughter’s first birthday party,” he adds, shaking his head.

I laugh and roll my eyes, glancing down at his bare legs. “I don’t see you looking all that presentable yourself,” I answer.

Dominic laughs and pulls on his pants. He kisses my temple and smiles. “Worth it,” he says.

I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this much happiness, but all I can do is enjoy it. When we walk back into the function room, hand-in-hand, no one seems to notice we were gone. My baby appears in my arms again and soon I’m laughing with everyone else.

Every time Dominic walks by, he brushes his hands against my back, or gives my ass a squeeze, or kisses me lightly on the cheek. Every time he walks by, my heart overflows with love and laughter and gratefulness.

I have everything I could ever need. Every morning, I get to wake up in this little paradise in the mountains next to the sexiest, most loving man I’ve ever met. I’m the luckiest woman alive, and I wouldn’t trade this for anything.