It was a good forty minutes later before I let myself fully push inside her again, driving into her with a focused purpose, rather than just briefly slipping inside to prolong the tease. She didn’t last long once I was no longer holding back, and honestly, neither did I. We finished at almost the same time, the sound of our much-needed releases echoing around the room.

“Happy birthday,” I murmured, breathless as I shifted to her side.

She gave me an exhausted giggle, then tugged on the cuffs. “Can I take these off now?”

Leaning over, I softly kissed her neck. “No,” I muttered.

She lifted an amused eyebrow at me, then she released herself. I shook my head at her. “Didn’t I say no?”

She flexed her fingers, which made me wonder if she’d gone a little numb. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have teased her for quite so long. She didn’t look upset though. Grinning crookedly at me, she sat up on an elbow and leaned over me. “You did, but it’s my birthday, so I make the rules.”

Smiling at her, I placed my hand behind her neck and pulled her toward me. “Yes, ma’am,” I murmured before our mouths met. Whatever you want…it’s yours. I’m yours. Forever.

Kiera was all smiles the next morning. I was too. Teasing her had to be my all-time favorite pastime. Satisfying her was a close second. I wrapped my arms around her waist as the coffee brewed. “So, what would you like to do for your birthday?”

Tilting her head, she chewed on her lip, then glanced up at our bedroom. My smiled widened as I inferred her wish. “Really? Again?” Shaking my head, I said, “I truly have corrupted you.”

She giggled, then gave me a soft kiss. “I don’t care what we do. I just want to be with you.” Her lips twisted into a frown. “Before you have to leave again.”

I sighed as I squeezed her. “Yeah…but that’s not today. We have some time.”

And I would spend every second of it locked to her if she wanted me to. In fact, I would spend the rest of my life locked to her if she wanted me to. Which got me thinking…I wanted her to marry me. Not later in some distant future, but now. I didn’t see any reason for us to put it off. My feelings for her weren’t going to change, and I was pretty confident that her feelings for me weren’t going to change either. There was no reason for us not to do it, but still, the thought of asking her made me nervous, anxious.