*Three Months Later*

Sam and I enjoyed our last two days on the cruise with Pete and Millie. We've been exclusively dating for three months, and I think that I'm ready to tell him that I'm in love with him. We've skirted around those three little words for a while now.

Tonight, we have Benson, Faith, Grace, Jeremy, Millie, and Pete over for a cookout at Sam's house. Liza, Faith and Grace's best friend, is watching Benson and Faith's children.

Getting here early to get the food ready, I make my momma's potato salad, baked beans, cornbread, and marinated the chicken and steak for Sam to grill. Millie is bringing a vegetable tray, Faith is bringing a fruit tray, and Grace is getting a dessert to share.

I'm excited for tonight and already planned on staying the night. I packed a bag and put it in Sam's room when I arrived. I love how perfectly he fits in with my friends and family. My dad had quickly accepted him into the family. They spend hours talking about cases of long ago. Anytime that my father gets to speak about his previous life before retirement, he loves it. Sam sits there like a child, hearing his favorite book read to him, taking in every word my father speaks. It's so damn adorable!

I feel Sam's strong arms around my waist. "Hey, Babe! You smell fantastic!"

"Me?" I turn to face him and wrap my arms around his neck. "Are you sure that it's not the wonderful food that I am preparing for tonight's feast?"

He kisses me deeply, taking my breath away. He leans back and whispers into my ear. "I guaran-fucking-tee that it's you that smells so delicious. Any chance we can have a little time before they overtake our house?" He wiggles his eyebrows.

The doorbell rings. I gently pat Sam's cheek. "Later, Big Guy. I promise to make it worth the wait!"

I leave Sam with his jaw hanging wide open to answer the door. The first ones to arrive are Millie and Pete. Pete was determined to catch Millie's heart. From what Sam told me, Pete was a big player in the past, but he changed when he met Millie. He loves her and is not afraid to shout it from the rooftops. They've been inseparable since the cruise and moved in together last month. I take Millie's vegetable tray, and they both follow me into the kitchen, where Sam is getting the steak and chicken plated to take out to the grill.

"Have you guys heard the news regarding Dr. Paul Williams?" Pete asks us as he enters the kitchen.

Sam quickly turns towards Pete. "No, what the hell happened?"

The authorities charged Dr. Paul Williams with two counts of murder. He admitted to choking and throwing Lucy and Kelly overboard after killing them. He's not confessed to any other murders on any other cruises.

Pete takes a deep breath. "Fucker plead guilty. It's not even going to court. He pled out."

I jumped into the conversation. "What was Dr. Williams' plea deal?"

Pete faces me. "Life without parole, but the fucked up thing is that he doesn't have to confess to the others missing on the other cruises."

Sam hands Pete a beer. "That is fucked up. Those families will have no closure."

Millie nods when I raise the bottle of Merlot. I pour us both a glass and hand her one of the glasses and keep one for myself. The doorbell rings again. "Excuse me." I leave the kitchen to get the door.

I open the door to Benson, Faith, Grace, and Jeremy. I see Benson's driver, Robert. I look at Benson. "Should we invite him in to eat with us? We have plenty of food."

Benson smiles. "He has somewhere to be. He'll pick up our drunk asses when we're ready to go home." He's holding tightly to Faith's hand. I never thought Benson would settle down, but Faith is perfect. I step aside to let them in and smile at Grace and Jeremy as they pass by me.

"You can take everything into the kitchen," I say as they follow me.

***

We had a fantastic dinner, wonderful conversation, and drank a lot, except for Grace. She just announced that she and Jeremy are expecting in the fall. Faith and I gush over the news as the guys pat Jeremy on the back. I'm so happy for them. I catch Sam's eyes and wink at him. Is it wrong that I'm so ready for everyone to leave so that I can be with my man?

We say goodbye to the last couple to leave, Millie and Pete. Faith and Benson left early with Grace and Jeremy. They were anxious to get back to their babies

I take the last sip of my wine. "Refill?" Sam asks sweetly.

I contemplate my answer. "I think I'd rather have you naked and in bed."

Sam doesn't hesitate. He picks me up bridal style, carries me to his bedroom, and gently lays me on the bed to give me what I want. We both stay completely silent as Sam slowly removes my clothes piece by piece. Once he strips down naked, he joins me in bed.

The quiet determination on his handsome face to stay controlled with his tender touch is giving me a slow burn as my arousal pools into my center. I have an incredible throbbing ache for this man. My hands roam over his body as he begins to kiss my entire body, starting at my toes and working his way upwards.

I moan in thrilling agony as he gives my puss a slow, meaningful kiss, then continues his way up. "Patience," he breathes. I can hear the restrained desire in his voice and believe he was talking as much to himself as he was to me.

I shiver in anticipation. "You're killing me right now, but what a way to go!" I can feel his smile on my skin, which only deepens my ache for him.

He spends some precious time on each of my breasts, kissing, licking, nipping, and tugging at my erect nipples. That alone just about takes me over the edge. I've never experienced so much sweet torture in my entire life.

"Please, Sam..." I moan his name.

He torments me as he gradually makes his way to my needy mouth. He seizes my lips, and I grab the back of his hair and aggressively pull him closer. I put every bit of my pent-up arousal into our searing, passionate kiss. There's nothing slow about it. We both try to dominate, using our tongues as weapons against each other, stealing every ounce of our breaths. I am grinding my center into his hardness, wordlessly begging for him to fill me.

He pulls his lips from mine. "Damn, woman," is all he says as he finally gives me what I have been longing for since he began his pleasurable assault on every inch of my body.

"I love you, Sam, so damn much!" I breathe out the words I've been waiting all night to say. I don't even care if he says it back. I just needed him to know how I felt about him.

He lifts himself to look into my eyes while maintaining the perfect rhythm of our rocking bodies. "I love you, too, Cindy. I love you so much it hurts when I'm not with you. I knew I loved you that first week we spent together on the cruise. I was waiting for you."

Tears well up in my eyes at the words this incredible man just spoke to me. He kisses my tears away, smiles at me so lovingly, and keeps his dark eyes fixated on me as we both explode in pulsating ecstasy.

Sam and I always had fantastic sex, but this was different. It was still as intense, but what we just experienced tonight was at a deeper, more intimate level. We were making love. The future I saw with Sam and me while bobbing around in the Pacific Ocean three months ago is coming to fruition. I couldn't be more ecstatic to witness our love grow and flourish.

~THE END~

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