Just Like That – Bonus Scene

JP  

The chilly autumn breeze swept over the beach, carrying the tang of lake water and the rustle of dry leaves from the nearby dunes. But even under the wide-open Michigan sky, my gaze was locked on Hazel. She sat by the beachside bonfire, the light flickering over her face as if it were kissing her goodnight. The ring I’d placed on her finger a few weeks ago glinted faintly in the light, a quiet reminder that this woman had said yes.

She was mine.

The soft crunch of my footsteps on the sand drew her attention. “Hey, handsome,” she murmured, her voice warm and inviting. Her sweater was too big for her, the sleeves nearly swallowing her hands as she shuffled a new deck of tarot cards I’d gotten her.

“Hey, gorgeous.” I dropped down beside her on the blanket, my knee brushing hers.

“Teddy’s asleep?” she asked.

“Out like a light,” I confirmed. “But he’s got a new request: he wants me to build him a fort tomorrow. A really big one. He has design plans and everything.”

Her laugh was low and throaty, tugging something deep in my chest. “That sounds like him.”

“Our kid is… ambitious.” I let the words settle between us, savoring the way our little family already felt like a world I’d never want to leave.

Hazel’s lips curved as she looked at me. “You know,” she said, shuffling her cards again, “I think I might’ve pulled some cards for you tonight.”

I arched a brow. “Oh? And what does the future Mrs. Hazel King foresee?”

“Well,” she teased, flipping over a card and pretending to study it, “it looks like you’re about to…” Her hand shot out, planting the card against my chest. “Get your ass kicked in a game of truth or dare.”

I chuckled, catching her hand before she could retreat. My fingers toyed with hers, tracing her knuckles as I leaned closer. “That’s a dangerous game to play, witch.”

“What’s life without a little danger?” Her voice dropped, low and sultry, and I felt her words settle in my stomach like the fire’s heat.

“Okay,” I said, turning my body toward her, “truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Her eyes sparkled, challenging me.

I smirked. “Get your ass over here and kiss me–like it’s the last time you ever will.”

Hazel’s breath hitched, but she didn’t back down. Slowly, she set the cards aside and leaned forward, her hands brushing my shoulders as her lips hovered over mine. When she finally kissed me, it wasn’t sweet or tentative. It was a claiming—a firestorm of lips and teeth and tongue that left me gripping her hips to keep myself grounded. Her fingers threaded through my hair, tugging gently, and I groaned into her mouth.

When she pulled back, both of us were breathing hard. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were heavy-lidded. “How was that?” she whispered.

I let my forehead rest against hers, my voice low and rough. “Perfect. But now you’ve set the bar too high.”

She laughed, the sound wrapping around me like a spell. “Your turn. Truth or dare?”

I scoffed. “Dare.”

Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “I dare you to take your shirt off.”

I arched a brow. “That’s all you got? Amateur.” But I obliged, peeling my shirt off and tossing it aside. The cool night air kissed my skin, but it didn’t hold a candle to the way her gaze lingered on me, dark with appreciation.

Her hands reached out, tracing over my chest, her fingers warm and feather-light. I shivered under her touch, and her smile turned wicked. “I like this game,” she said softly.

“So do I,” I murmured, catching her hand and pulling her closer. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” she said, her voice a little breathless.

“Do you have any idea how crazy you make me?” I asked, my lips brushing the shell of her ear.

Her breath stuttered, and she tilted her head to meet my gaze. “Maybe,” she admitted, her voice unsteady. “But you could always… show me.”

I didn’t need another invitation. My mouth found hers again, and this time, the kiss was slow and deliberate, a promise of everything I wanted to give her. Her hands slid up my back, her nails scraping lightly over my skin and sending shivers down my spine.

Before I knew it, I was easing her down onto the blanket, the fire crackling beside us as the night wrapped around us like a cocoon. Hazel’s hands were everywhere—in my hair, on my chest, tugging me closer until there was no space left between us. Every touch, every sigh, every whispered word was a thread weaving us tighter together.

When I finally pulled back, her lips were swollen, and her eyes glimmered with emotion. “You,” I said, my voice thick with honesty, “are everything I never knew I needed.”

Her fingers cupped my face, her thumbs brushing over my cheekbones. “And you,” she whispered, “are the answer to a question I didn’t know how to ask.”

I kissed her again, softly this time, letting the moment settle deep in my bones. Hazel Adams wasn’t just my fiancée. She was my home, my future, my everything. And I was going to spend the rest of my life proving it to her.