Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Her hands grip the bedcovers and her breaths come heavy.
I dip under her hips and my fingers find her clit. She lets out a muffled scream.
But I don’t want her stopping herself from making all the noise she wants.
I push harder and deeper and circle around and around. She reaches back for my arm, and I can’t tell if she’s trying to stop me or she just needs to feel me.
“Bennett,” she cries out. “Bennett.”
My name on her lips when she’s at her most vulnerable, when she’s on the edge of climax like this, has me spiraling into bliss.
I’m the luckiest man alive to have this woman under me, screaming my name. My orgasm rumbles in the distance and I can’t stop. Don’t want to. Efa comes apart under me, in my hands, and I shove into her one final time, my head back, her name ripped from my throat in celebration.
Like I said: I’m the luckiest man alive.
EPILOGUE
Two weeks later
Bennett
Life with Efa is so different to my life without her. For a start, she has us going to visit places with unpronounceable names.
“Nor-fuck,” I say.
She pulls her mouth wide and wrinkles her nose. “No. Please don’t say Nor-fuck. You sound so American.”
“I am American.”
“How did I fall in love with you?” She laughs and shakes her head like she’s the most ridiculous person on the planet for loving me. It doesn’t faze me at all. I know she loves me hard. So hard I can’t believe how lucky I am.
“So tell me again,” I say. “We have the exact same spelling for a place in the US. I don’t understand why we can’t all get together and agree on a pronunciation.”
“Nor-ferk. It’s an ‘errr’ sound. Not a ‘u.’”
“And you don’t pronounce the L? Just like our Norfolk?”
She shrugs. “Come on. No judging, please. We’ve been developing the English language since the fifth century. You guys have had it for a few hundred years. Get over yourself.”
I chuckle “Norferk it is,” I say.
Her eyes light up like I already gave her the diamond ring I have in my pocket. “Yes! Just like that.”
“Well, if you say it has the best sky in the world, then it must be worth visiting… despite its weird name.”
“Yeah, it really is wonderful. I only started coming because this is where Dax’s parents are; I told you, the family has kind of adopted Eira, Dylan, and me.” She squeals. “Speaking of—there’s Carole, Dax’s mum.”
We pull into the driveway of what looks like a small hotel with a gravel drive and park. An older woman wearing an apron with images of a man’s face on it races toward us.
“My darling Eddie,” she says, cupping Efa’s face as soon as she gets close enough. Her eyes go glassy. “I’m so happy for you.”
I shut the car door and round the hood to meet them.
“You must be Bennett. What a pleasure it is to have you here.”
“And you must be Mrs. Cove,” I say.
She rolls her eyes and takes my hand in hers. She turns to Efa. “Americans. Always so formal.” Then she turns back to me. “We don’t stand on ceremony here. Call me Carole.” She nods over to the other side of the large driveway. “That’s my husband, John. John!” she calls out. “Come and say hello and stop complaining to Dog. He doesn’t understand a word, despite what you tell yourself.”
It took me a couple of run-throughs to understand why we were going to Norfolk to see Efa’s brother-in-law’s family. They’re clearly important to her. And to Eira. And if it’s important to Efa, it’s important to me. She spoke about Norfolk so fondly, I thought it might be the perfect place to propose.
A car approaching catches our attention, and we all turn to see Eira and Dax pulling up. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen them a lot. First, they came to New York, and then Efa seemed to be on one long, constant video call with her sister. In the last week, we’ve been spending time with them in London. We’re in a hotel—for market research, and because Efa and I make a lot of noise when we fuck. I’m not sorry about it.
Efa and Eira hug each other like we all didn’t have dinner together last night.
“Hear you’re going to propose on this trip,” Dax says as he shakes my hand.
I smooth my hand up my jaw. “Oh good, it will be a surprise for everyone.”
Dax chuckles. “Welcome to the family.”
“Speaking of, will all your brothers be here?”
He nods. “And my cousin Vincent. Since Eira and I got together, they’ve all made an extra-special effort to be here for occasions that matter to her, Efa, and Dylan. The three of them were on their own for a long time. But not anymore. They’re Coves now.” He pats me on the shoulder. “You too. It’s like being part of the mafia. There’s no escape.”