The Imperfect Marriage (The Davenports #2)

by L. Steele

You can plan all you want, but when you least expect it, something happens that teaches you, things were never within your control.

Can I allow myself to dream that a man who proposed to me out of the blue is going to sweep me off my feet and give me a chance to feel like the heroine of my own love story?

“You can’t tell me what to do,” I seethe. "Sure I can." He nods slowly. Anger suffuses my guts, floods my chest, fills my blood, and spurts out through the pores of my skin. "Who do you think you are?" I snarl. "Your-husband-to-be.”

You claim her, and keep her, and worship her, and take care of her, so she never wants for anything. It also means, you protect her with everything you have.

“But if there’s one thing I've learned, it’s that, no matter what you do, there’ll be someone who disagrees with you. You need to follow your instincts. So what, if no one else understands your actions? They’re not in your situation. They don’t know what you’re going through. Only you can decide what’s best for you.”

Her pupils dilate. Does she realize how responsive she is to the possessiveness in my tone?

I am not letting her go. I’ll do everything in my power to bind her to me. Fuck the age gap. Fuck the forbidden nature of our relationship. I need her. I want her. I’ll do anything to have her.

“What I do know is”—he leans forward—"you need a man who’ll command you. A man who’ll make you submit to him."

"A man who’ll take care of your needs, so you can entrust him to do what’s right for you⁠—”

"A man who ensures you never want for anything. A man who treats you like the goddess you are. A man who pleasures your body, fulfills your soul, and feeds your mind. And your dirtiest, filthiest urges.” He drags his gaze down my flushed features. “A man who sees through your defenses, senses your deepest, darkest desires, and brings them to life without you having to ever give voice to them. A man who brings you to orgasm over and over again."

"Have you ever looked at someone and realized exactly what was missing in your life? Have you seen her and known you’d do anything to be with her? To have her in your life… by any means necessary?"

"And if I die, suffocated by your thighs and with your pussy juice on my face, then I can’t think of a better way of going."

Also, there’s a boat between his legs. No, make that a cruise ship as big as the titanic, after it hit the iceberg and is now sinking in a vertical fashion.

“Marry me, not as a marriage of convenience. Do me the honor of becoming my wife and give me the chance to make you my world. Give me the chance to meet your every need, to fulfill your every desire, to please your body and mind and soul, to ensure you never lack for anything. Marry me and allow me to make you the center of my actions, my passion, my devotion, my everything. Let me show you we belong together, that we were meant to be together. Marry me tomorrow⁠—”

I charge down the aisle with my bride thrown over my shoulder. Is it wrong to behave like a caveman right after my wedding ceremony? Yes. Do I regret it? No fucking way.

Warmth suffuses my chest. A rush of pride engulfs my veins. One compliment from her, and I’m floored. I’ve got it bad, all right.

I’m no longer Quentin Davenport. I’m first and foremost, my Raven’s husband. Her protector. Her defender. Her lover. Her dominant.